O Captain My Captain ! Dylan Reese follows in footsteps of Harvard Hockey Captains Kenny Smith, Noah Welch and Peter Hafner

Pittsburgh Tribune Review
Dylan Reese steps up at Harvard
By Tricia LaffertyTuesday, May 9, 2006

Harvard junior Dylan Reese kept his eyes wide open the past three years. So, when he was announced as the Harvard hockey team's next captain at the season-ending banquet, the task ahead didn't seem all that overwhelming. The Upper St. Clair graduate knew when he committed to Harvard that he eventually wanted to be captain. After years in the shadows of close friends and former Harvard captains Kenny Smith, Noah Welch and Peter Hafner, Reese was able to paint a clear vision of what he wanted to do with his team.

"I know how much a captain can mean to a team," Reese said. "You have to lead, offer criticism, build the team. I watched these guys come before me and lead in different ways and now I want to create my own leadership style."

Reese hopes to successfully defend this season's Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League and Ivy League titles and distinguish the 2006 Crimson as a team that will advance beyond the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. Harvard is one of three teams that qualified for the tournament in each of the past five years, but it hasn't advanced past the first round.

One of Reese's top priorities will be to enhance team camaraderie. Reese, the fourth consecutive Harvard defenseman to be elected captain, arranged a team dinner within a month of the season's end. He also made numerous telephone calls to reach out to incoming freshmen.

"(Being captain) is a big responsibility, and it takes a lot out of you," said Harvard assistant coach and former Harvard captain Sean McCann, a 1994 graduate. "You have to take care of yourself and your own game and then you have the responsibility of the team and everything that goes with it. There's the pressure of success of a team and not just a player."

After missing the majority of his freshman season because of a herniated disc, Reese played in 34 games as a sophomore, leading all Harvard blueliners with seven goals and finishing second in plus/minus, with a plus-24. This year, Reese had four goals, 16 assists and was a plus-8.
"His biggest asset is the ability to take control of the game," McCann said. "When things get a little crazy and there's a lot of pressure, he's good at buckling down. He knows how to react when things are on the line."

For Reese, this season was highlighted by the Crimson's first victory at Cornell in seven years, when Harvard captured the Ivy League and ECACHL titles with the help of his goal and two assists.

Reese said his junior campaign was successful in part because he was previously molded by Welch and defenseman Ryan Lannon. After being called up late in the NHL season, Welch played four games with the Penguins before rejoining Lannon and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the AHL Calder Cup playoffs.

"I'd like to try to play professional hockey," said Reese, a first-team All-Ivy selection, who was selected by the New York Rangers as the 203rd pick in the 2003 draft. "I'll weigh my chances to play in the NHL. Part of the reason I came (to Harvard) is because I know that hockey doesn't always pan out, but it's not a pipe-dream, either."