Mason: Mental toughness

Intense. That is the word used most often to describe first-year hockey coach Brian Mason. "There is no doubt in my mind that Brian is the right man for the job," says Athletic Director Ted Leland. "He represents a rejuvenation in our hockey program."

The players also seem to have rallied behind the new coach. "He's instilled a mental toughness in us," says co captain Todd Soutor '85.,"He's asked for, and gotten, a full fledged commitment from each player."

Mason arrives in Hanover at a time when the men's hockey team is coming off its worst season (3-23) in history. There have been four consecutive losing seasons, and Mason isn't predicting everything will change overnight. "We're not going to turn this program around in one year," he says. "Our goal this year is to make the playoffs. There are 12 teams in our league and eight of them make it. Some people might not think that's a realistic goal for us, but we think we can do it."

Mason, 33, spent the past four seasons at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. In 1983, he guided RIT to the NCAA Division III championship. Now, he has accepted the challenge of rebuilding the Dartmouth hockey program, and his first task has been to create the same kind of intensity in his players that he has in himself. "We've tried to instill a sense of pride as athletes in each one of them," he says. "Win or lose, when people come into our building they are going to have to respect us."

Men's Hockey Coach Brian Mason

Women's Basketball CoachJacqueline Hullah