Senior Winger Kenny Turano Makes A Quick Recovery

The Harvard men’s hockey team’s senior winger Kenny Turano had zero shots on goal, zero penalty minutes and an even plus/minus rating in Monday’s 3-1 loss to Northeastern in the Beanpot consolation round.

You might call that an unspectacular performance in a forgettable game—which it was, in every way but one: Turano was there, on the ice, making his return from early-season ankle surgery ahead of schedule.

“It’s healing quickly,” said Turano, who should also see action during this weekend’s home series against Rensselaer and Union. “The biggest issue is getting the strength back, and it was a good test Monday. It’s been feeling better since then, so I’m looking forward to going out there again Friday.”

After Turano broke his left ankle only 3:45 into the second game of the season at Vermont on Nov. 7, he was driven back to Boston immediately after the game for X-rays, and underwent surgery a week later.

His Harvard career could’ve been over. Instead, it took Turano less than three months to return. He was in a cast and had screws in his ankle for eight weeks but was able to hobble around soon afterward. It didn’t take him long to walk again, and he returned to practice last week.

Turano said his seven blockmates—all of them seniors on the hockey team—were key components of his recovery. After all, they gave him rides from the Quad to Bright Hockey Center and back so he could stay around the team, even while he was on crutches.

“They were real supportive,” Turano said. “They pretty much helped me out with whatever I needed to do, even with getting food. Those first couple weeks, it was pretty difficult to get around, and they were a big part of me getting back healthy so soon.”

Turano can jog but can’t sprint, so if he played basketball, he might not be back now. But the boot of his skate extends well past his ankle to provide stability, and given the largely lateral nature of ice skating—as opposed to the up-and-down action of running and jumping on a court—he’s been able to get back into the lineup.

All along, Turano said he wanted to make it back in time to play in the Beanpot. The doctors’ timetable had his return pegged sometime later this month or maybe even March. But Turano, true to form, got things done ahead of schedule.

“The doctor wasn’t as optimistic, but Kenny got back just like he said he would,” said Harvard senior captain Kenny Smith.

Harvard coach Mark Mazzoleni said Turano has made “tremendous progress.”

“We’re going to get him in there again this weekend and see how it goes, see if he can handle one [game] or two,” Mazzoleni said. “I think by the end of the season he should be back to the point where he can go back-to-back.”

Turano, known for his aggressive play and hard shot, has 14 goals and 12 assists in what at times has been an injury-plagued Crimson career. However, he has traditionally played his best hockey at this time of year. Last season, nine of his 11 points came on or after Feb. 7. As a freshman, nine of his 13 points came on or after Feb. 5.

Point-production, though, seems secondary to the fact that, at long last, Turano is back in the lineup.

“He’s just a great locker room guy, a high-energy guy all the time,” Smith said. “He helps the team by just being out there, and we all love seeing him back and seeing him happy.”

—Staff writer Jon Paul Morosi can be reached at morosi@fas.harvard.edu.