Dufault's dedication pays off for Harvard.

PositionSPORTS

Byline: Steve KENDALL

COLUMN: COLLEGE HOCKEY

Paul Dufault knows just how lucky he is.

While many of his former St. John's High teammates no longer are playing competitive hockey, Dufault is. The Shrewsbury native is finishing up his senior year at Harvard, helping the Crimson make a late-season run in the ECAC.

"(Playing at Harvard) has been an amazing experience," Dufault said. "It has not been easy - everything here has been a big challenge for me - but it has been a great four years. I would not change a thing about the whole experience."

A 2002 graduate of St. John's, Dufault played for the Walpole Stars of the Eastern Junior Hockey League for two years before joining the Crimson in the fall of 2004. After spending most of his freshman year watching and learning, Dufault started to earn some playing time as a sophomore. He responded with eight goals and 18 assists. He slumped a bit in terms of production his junior year, netting a goal to go with six assists after missing seven games with an injury.

This year, Dufault has 5-5-10 totals, including a goal in a 3-1 win over Northeastern in the opening round of the Beanpot Tournament.

Despite the decrease in offensive numbers, Dufault knows he's an important contributor to the Crimson. He has earned a plus-7 rating over his 85 games at Harvard, and often is used in key defensive situations by coach Ted Donato.

"My dad (Paul) taught me early on that there was a lot more to the game than scoring, there was a process that needed to be followed to be successful," Dufault said. "Coach Donato preaches the same thing - the process is more important. I do my job and it helps somebody else do theirs. The stats don't mean much to me because I know what I do for my team helps us have success."

Donato, who came back to Harvard to coach the same year that Dufault came in to play as a freshman, has been impressed with the 5-foot-9, 175-pound center's abilities.

"Paul brings a level of intensity, commitment and hard work that is a great example to his teammates," Donato said. "Paul's a guy that we count on for offense and to set the tone in games with the combination of his speed, skill and determination."

That determination was evident from the beginning as Dufault had to work harder than ever before on and off the ice just to get noticed. He recognized immediately that all players in Division 1 are excellent, so he knew he needed to do something special to stand out.

What Dufault did was work on getting...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT