It is no secret that the 2023-2024 season has been rough for Men’s Varsity Hockey. The team has weathered a season-long storm of injuries, and as result currently sits with a losing record of 4-14-4. That said, the injuries have also given the younger players a remarkable opportunity to step up and quickly develop their skills. The hope, at least from all of us who watch this team night in and night out, is that the increased ice time will help shape the young guys into true hockey stars. If all goes according to plan, this time next year we’ll be talking about how Harvard is once again one of the best teams in the NCAA.
One of these rising young players is Ben MacDonald ’27, a freshman forward hailing from Weston, Massachusetts. MacDonald grew up just 20 minutes from Cambridge and spent his childhood watching, playing, living, and breathing hockey.
The son of Lane MacDonald ’89 and grandson of Lowell MacDonald, MacDonald acknowledged that hockey runs deep in his blood. “My uncle works in the booth for the Penguins…and my grandfather actually played for the Penguins, so it’s in the family,” MacDonald said. “I was a big fan of the Pens. [I] love Sidney Crosby. I had a life-size fathead of him on my wall for as long as I can remember.”
Before coming to Harvard, Ben was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2022 NHL Draft by the Seattle Kraken and played in the British Columbia Hockey League with the West Kelowna Warriors. While he was there, he put up an impressive 50 points in 52 games. So far at Harvard, he’s been electric. With 11 points in 22 games and 4 in his last 5, MacDonald has been on a tear. For him, however, the individual statistics don’t seem to matter: “I’m not thinking about that too much right now. I’m happy where I’m at and just want to help the team do the best we can.” MacDonald went on to comment that,“It’s tough to win if you’re not playing together as a team, and you’re not working together for a common goal.”
According to MacDonald, the community elements of the team are really special. “I’ve only been here a semester but [the guys] have obviously become some of my best friends already and are going to become lifelong friends for sure. So just spending time with the boys in the locker room is honestly the best part, I’d say. We do our best to try to convene and get the boys together whether it’s watching a movie or anything really.”
As playoffs and the end of the season drew near, MacDonald’s outlook was pretty positive. “No one likes losing, so it’s definitely tough for everybody. But we’re such a young team, and I feel like we have so much upside. We just need to keep working hard and getting better, and I feel like we’ve been progressing pretty nicely.” One of those recent games was the Beanpot tournament, where Harvard lost in a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime. Despite the result, for MacDonald, that night was a dream come true. “Being in the stands, it’s cool—you’re actually watching a college hockey game. But actually living it is something completely different. So it was honestly something I’d always looked forward to and always wanted to do.”
Concerning Harvard’s ongoing student section attendance issues, MacDonald reiterated how important it is to have a fan presence at the games. “Obviously I want as many people there as possible. I think it adds a little more juice for the players and just makes that atmosphere a lot more fun. It’s more fun in the stands when there’s more people there—when you get a couple chants going, yelling at the goalie. I don’t think a lot of stuff beats that.”
Outside of hockey, MacDonald has been loving his Harvard experience. Living in Matthews and planning to study Psychology, he is ecstatic about campus life so far. As for his decision to come play for Harvard, MacDonald hasn’t looked back. “I was really excited. I grew up coming to a lot of Harvard hockey games, going to the Beanpot. So when I made the decision to commit here, I was just ready to start—super excited. When it finally came, it almost felt a little surreal. I was just excited to get going.”
When asked about how his season has been going, MacDonald was pretty unequivocal that “It’s been great. Definitely exceeded my expectations, even though I had pretty high expectations. Like, the boys are unbelievable. We’re such a tight, tight group.”
If the goal of coach Ted Donato ’91 was for the freshman skaters to develop both on and off the ice, MacDonald would be a sign of a mission accomplished. Assuming everyone shares his level of love for the team and drive to see each other succeed, it’s hard not to be excited about the future of MacDonald, and the entirety of Harvard Men’s Varsity Hockey.
Jordan Wasserberger ’27 (jwasserberger@college.harvard.edu) writes Sports for the Independent.