Kolarik and Fried: The Deerfield Duo

It all started as a passing whim.

Deerfield Coach Jim Lindsay was making out lines during practice before the 1998 season and forgot to assign his leading scorer--Tyler Kolarik--to a unit. Lindsay looked at his roster and saw only two available forwards, Chip Canner and a large, gangly kid named Robert Fried who had seen only spot minutes at the varsity level the previous season. Heck, Lindsay thought, Kolarik and Fried were roommates, maybe these wingers have some potential together?

Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni gets to ask the same question now, and is a lot more confident of the answer.

"Tyler and I were put together as a joke," Fried says. "We were all best friends and the only guys left, so coach threw us out there. On our first shift we bonded, and we realized that we could accomplish a lot."

Kolarik-Fried-Canner brought Deerfield to two New England Prep School championship games. Now a similar trio-- Kolarik-Fried- and a center to be determined later-- has the chance to bring success to Harvard. The tandem is the centerpiece of a stellar freshmen class, which hopefully will add much-needed speed and grit to the Crimson.

The NHL recognized their promise this off-season as the Florida Panthers took Fried in the third round of the draft while the Columbus Bluejackets selected Kolarik in the fifth. But that potential was only tapped because they were first friends.

"They were paired very much by accident," Lindsay says. "I knew that they had played together when they were younger and knew each other. They clicked right off the bat....They complement each other very well."

The Players

Kolarik and Fried are almost the perfect odd couple. Looking at them side-by-side, one wonders just how they clicked.

Kolarik stands at 5'10, 190 pounds compared to the 6'3, 200-pound Fried. Fried casts a perfect Southern golden boy look with close cropped, blonde hair whereas Kolarik's black mane flows all over the place. Fried hails from Georgia, the son of a doctor (and the co-owner of the Macon Whoopee of the East Coast Hockey League), and Kolarik was born into a blue-collar home in Pennsylvania.

The list goes on and on, but ask Fried the central difference between the pair and he'll answer:

"Tyler is a lot messier than I am."

Regardless of personal idiosyncrasies, this was a partnership many years in the making. The pair actually met before high school, playing on a select team for 13 and 14-year olds in Philadelphia. They didn't know that the other one was going to the same high school until they were reacquainted on campus.

"I had played with Robbie over the summer," Kolarik says. "That was nice. Our relationship evolved at Deerfield when we both had mutual friends and started to hang out. It just all came together."

If the two did share anything, it was hockey and that was enough.

"We both had the same goals, playing college hockey and pro hockey," Fried says. "We did all of our off-ice training together and spent a few summers together. During that time we became real close, enduring stressful situations and pushed each other harder and harder to achieve."

Their mutual support has left them as the dynamic players they are today. Not surprisingly their size dictates a different manner of play, but their contrasting styles make them a deadly combination on the opposite wings.

Kolarik rewrote Deerfield's offensive record books as a flashy forward who has explosive speed and great poise with the puck. Fried is a bulldog, a power forward who can drive hard to the net and pave a path for his teammates. Both players have a tremendous nose for the goal.

"Kolarik plays hard," Mazzoleni said. "You get him below the circles in the offensive zone and he has one thing on his mind, trying to score and he's strong and tough on the puck. We think Robbie can be a good player too."

Fried has not shown off as much of his talent in the preseason as Kolarik, making a rougher transition to college life. As such, Mazzoleni has done the opposite of Lindsay in camp--experimenting with the two on other lines. Kolarik has seen time on the top with last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Dominic Moore.

Nothing has yet been decided, however, and the Deerfield duo could be reunited at anytime for instant chemistry.

"I know where Robbie is going to be on the ice," Kolarik says. "And he knows where I am all the time."

The team has recognized their status as best friends in easing their transition to Harvard. For the first time, the Crimson has introduced a Big Brother program, assigning a veteran to offer guidance and support to each rookie. Fried drew Dominc Moore, while Kolarik was given the captain, Steve Moore. If anyone understands how to carry on a preexisting close relationship on the Harvard men's hockey team, it's the Moore brothers.

"I haven't had to do that much," Dominic Moore says. "I've been there for all the little things that have come up, but Tyler and Rob are real nice kids and good hockey players. They are the type of guys anyone wants on their team."

Their effort has certainly been appreciated.

"The older guys have really made it a point to join you in the dining hall," Fried says. "They want to know how you are doing. Especially Dom and Steve, they've made the transition very easy."

The Pitch

But before there could be any transition both players had to commit to Harvard. Contrary to popular belief, the two did not come to fair Cambridge as a package deal.

Fried was sold on Harvard long before Mazzoleni came knocking on his door. In fact, before Mazzoleni had to dip into the Harvard hockey tradition, Fried was telling him tales of Lane McDonald '89, Scott Fusco '85 and Ted Donato '91. Fried grew up a fan.

"It was always a dream of mine to go to Harvard," Fried says. "Once the offer came around, I knew early on I wanted to go. I knew the program and the tradition."

Fried certainly had the academic credentials to attend this school, ranking in the top-10 percent of his class and taking math classes not listed in the Deerfield coursebook. His roommate had the grades, but Kolarik required some more convincing.

"From the beginning of the whole recruiting process, I was geared to going to a scholarship school," Kolarik says. "That was always something that caught my eye."

Mazzoleni applied the full court press to sway Kolarik away from the money, offering a more valuable Harvard degree in its stead. But the coach had a natural ally in his efforts.

"Robbie was able to give me a lot of inside information," Mazzoleni says. "One he made his decision, he was pushing Tyler hard, saying 'We got to go together.' We were able as a coaching staff to get into his home and really demonstrate to him how he was going to be a key component to our team now and in the future."

But Kolarik fit well into the offense of many college programs. As much as Fried will deny it, Kolarik concedes that his close friend really influenced his choice.

"The more I thought about my decision and having Robbie point me in the right direction, Harvard made sense," Kolarik says.

Fried was able to steer Kolarik's thoughts to Harvard's caliber of education, selling the whole school. He also enlisted sophomore winger Aaron Kim, a Deerfield alum, to help him out in his endeavor. Mazzoleni had covered the quality of the program; Fried made sure Kolarik understood the Harvard of his dreams.

"I think the idea of a bunch of kids who can perform in the classroom and still go out and put a championship team on the ice is special," Fried says. "With it being in Boston and the Beanpot tournament, everyone knows this is a special place."

The Pros

Harvard's Boston location does distinguish it from other Ivy schools. With four excellent Division 1 programs a Beanpot's throw away, coming to Harvard does not diminish your NHL prospects as scouts abound. The Crimson currently has five alums in the pros, with Craig Adams '99 the latest to join their ranks. And five current players are drafted.

It turned out that Kolarik and Fried didn't need that advantage. They spent part of their June in Calgary at the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. By the end of the two days, the Panthers had taken Fried 77th overall--15 picks before the New York Rangers took his Big Brother, Dominic Moore--and the expansion Blue Jackets grabbed Kolarik with the 150th pick.

In a few short months, the tandem had accomplished the goals they worked so hard for during high school. All the time spent in the summer, waking up at 6 a.m., lifting weights, running laps, had paid off. They were both now collegiate and pro hockey players.

"It was a relief to get the phone call," Kolarik says. "When you are there it is a very stressful process and you kind of want it to end. It's a very humbling experience."

The two share the reaction that getting drafted is humbling. Fried noted that looking at himself as a NHL player was an indication of how far he has to develop personally to really make it at the professional level. And Mazzoleni certainly was not going to let his freshmen think they were special merely because they had an invitation to training camp upon the conclusion of their Harvard careers.

"Freshmen just have to fit in," Mazzoleni says. "Kolarik and Fried have been humble. They've shut their mouths and just tried to fit in."

Fried concurs.

"Coach wants to make sure we earn everything we do on the team," he says.

A large part of humility comes from knowing one's place in life. Kolarik and Fried understand their place is as college students. Do not expect them to follow the footsteps of B.U.'s Ricky DiPietro or St. Lawrence's Brandon Dietrich--these potential stars intend on playing four years here. Harvard has been very successful in shielding its players from an early pro career.

"We made it clear to the team's that drafted us that we were going to Harvard and playing for the Crimson," Fried says. "We're here now and we're gonna do what we came here for."

It all ties back to that Harvard degree.

"Both players really value their education," Lindsay says. "For Fried, it was especially important. It is likely he would have been a doctor or lawyer if he wasn't going to be a professional hockey player."

But he is going to be a hockey player. Sometimes you get your cake and eat it too.

The Promise

Of course, neither Kolarik nor Fried has scored a single collegiate goal yet. The second the puck drops tonight against Brown all their success in high school doesn't mean a thing.

The Crimson roster is full of players who were high school superstars, many highly touted recruits. Yet, Harvard has had five straight seasons without a winning record. All Kolarik and Fried have right now is talent--but they are just two among a plethora of players with that.

It will take a lot more than talent to restore Harvard to prominence. The royal Crimson has been tarnished over the past few seasons. It's up to them and the Moores, sophomore Brett Nowak, assistant captain Chris Bala, senior Oli Jonas, freshmen Dennis Packard, Kenny Smith, Kenny Turano and a host more to put them back there.

But their hearts are certainly in the right place. Not bad for a passing whim.

"Putting on that jersey for the first time was unbelievable," Kolarik says. "You got the pictures on the wall of the Lane McDonalds and the Steve Moores and the Fuscos."

"It's so much bigger than you are," Fried responds.

"We have a lot to do."