By John Painter
(Hamilton, NY – July 25, 2014) Don Vaughan needed look no farther than his own locker room for the perfect replacement to his 2014-15 coaching staff.
Vaughan on Friday promoted former Colgate All-American Mike Harder ’97 from volunteer assistant to assistant coach. Harder spent last season behind the bench with Vaughan and helped boost the Raiders into the NCAA tournament as an at-large entry.
“Mike Harder is the obvious choice and the best person for this job,” Vaughan said. “I know I speak on behalf of the coaches and our student-athletes when I say that I am very excited that Mike will be joining our staff on a full-time basis.
“He brings a wealth of knowledge from his experiences as a professional hockey player and coach in both North America and Europe. We saw that in action last year in his role as our volunteer assistant, and his impact on the success of our team was very obvious. He has the respect of our team members, and his transition from volunteer to full-time assistant will be seamless.”
Harder joins Vaughan and fellow assistant coach Jason Lefevre ’02 to make up the Raider coaching staff.
“The team culture the staff has created makes this an incredible opportunity to walk into,” Harder said. “I’m looking forward to joining forces with Coach Vaughan and Coach Lefevre to help this team realize its full potential.
“I was fortunate to be part of Coach Vaughan’s first recruiting class and loved playing for him. It shaped how I see the game and I’m thrilled to be returning to Colgate in this new role.”
Late Surge Bodes Well for This Season
The Raiders finished last season 20-14-5 and ranked 13th nationally in both major polls after advancing to the NCAA tournament as an at-large selection. Colgate was second to eventual national champion Union in both the ECAC Hockey regular season standings and ECAC Hockey Tournament.
The team’s 20 victories included a 13-5-3 record in the 2014 calendar year. Harder saw the team surging down the stretch and expects more good days ahead for Colgate hockey.
“Despite being young, this team accomplished so much,” Harder said. “Our combination of skill, speed and work ethic puts us in a great position for this season. This is a true character team whose capabilities are limitless. I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it.”
Harder remains Colgate’s all-time leading scorer with 214 points. He finished his career with 88 goals and 126 assists.
Harder’s best statistical season came in 1995 when he scored 58 points on 22 goals and 36 assists. He went on to earn 1997 All-American honors and was a Hobey Baker Finalist. Harder was elected to the Colgate Athletics Hall of Honor in 2008.
A native of St. Adolphe, Manitoba, Harder earned his degree in international relations.
“Having been a very successful student-athlete at Colgate and the program’s all-time leading scorer will serve him well,” Vaughan said. “He knows how to identify student-athletes that will succeed at Colgate – both on the ice and in the classroom.”
Two Professional Titles
After graduation, Harder played 13 seasons professionally. Included were stops in the American Hockey League along with European League ventures in Germany, Austria, Finland, Sweden and Italy.
He helped Hartford claim the AHL’s Calder Cup in 2000, and then was a key figure in a 2004 championship in the Deutsch Eishockey Liga, or German Elite League.
Before joining the Raiders, Harder got his coaching start with SC Cortina of the Italian A League. He also founded and directed IPH Hockey in Connecticut. IPH Hockey provides training lessons and quality instruction for youth hockey players.
“Mike’s communication skills, passion for the game and his desire to help our players improve make him a perfect fit for our Colgate hockey program,” Vaughan said.
Harder’s wife, Dana, also is a 1997 Colgate graduate. They have a dog named Teddy.