By Chris Jackson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 3, 1998

Scoring in Style

He can score points like a normal hockey player.

He just can't dress like a normal hockey player.

"He's a clown and he dresses like a clown," Arizona Icecat senior center Ben Ruston said of his teammate, freshman right wing Marc Harris.

Clad in his odd assortment of outfits off the ice, ranging from bell bottoms to plaid pants, Harris has nonetheless stepped onto the ice and become an offensive force for Arizona.

He finished second on the Icecats with a total of 58 points in his first year with the team.

One of the 15 freshmen who suited up for Arizona this year, Harris was among the most vocal and positive influences on the team.

"Marc is a great kid," Icecat head coach Leo Golembiewski said. "He's fun to be around. He's a joy to coach."

Harris describes himself as "a positive kid.

"I'm on the positive side of everything," he said. "That's just the way I am."

Ruston said Harris' views on life and hockey are always welcome.

"You always need a guy like Harris," Ruston said. "He's got a very positive attitude."

Coming to the Icecats from the Buffalo Grove, Ill., Harris made an impact from the start, scoring two goals and six assists in the first series of the season against St. Louis in October.

"Hard work," Harris said is the secret to his success. "And just being in the right place at the right time."

Listed at 5-feet-10 and 155 pounds, Harris is hardly the biggest player on the ice.

"For a freshman and a little guy, he's pretty good," freshman left-wing Ed Carfora said. "He gets pretty emotional out there. (He) says a lot of stuff to fire us up."

Carfora played opposite Harris since the two were about 10-years-old, only playing alongside him on all-star teams for their region of the Chicago metropolitan area.

"Not really," Carfora said when asked if Harris had changed from high school to college.

Harris said he has improved "10 times from last year. Just working hard has gotten me that much better.

"Another thing is in high school I was one of the big guys."

Harris said one other thing that's changed is his approach to team practices.

"I love coming to practice now. I used to hate it," he said.

Harris said "every guy on the team is enjoyable," making his days and nights 2,000 miles from home easier to take.

"I came to Arizona because I heard about the tradition in hockey," Harris said. "I heard about the fans here and the great crowds they get. I talked to Leo and liked him right away. Oh, and the weather doesn't hurt. And the ladies are beautiful down here, so that helped too."

Golembiewski said he heard about Harris in 1996.

"We did some homework on him," Golembiewski said. "He's not a big player in size but he plays big. He had speed to the outside and his shooting ability would fit well with our team philosophy."

Harris has fit in with the Icecats well, scoring 26 goals and adding 32 assists this season.

Golembiewski said it is rather impressive to have four of his team's top five scorers being freshmen, especially after playing 18 of the team's 26 games against opponents ranked in the top 10.

Harris said he expected to come to Arizona and make nationals "because of the tradition of the team."

Things were not so easy, as the Icecats struggled against highly-ranked opponents and the team's own youth and inexperience. Earlier in the season, with a record of 10-11-1 and the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament seedings about to be announced, the Icecats seemed to be on the verge of missing postseason play for the first time in 15 years.

"It was a little bit hard not to give up hope," Harris said.

Then Arizona State was suspended for the use of an ineligible player and the Icecats made it into the tournament as the No. 8 seed.

"We're calling this the miracle season of '98," Harris said.

The Icecats begin play in nationals tomorrow against top-ranked Penn State in Ames, Iowa.

Arizona is not favored to take home the title this year, but Harris said that is his ultimate goal for the team and himself.

"If this team stays together, there's no doubt in my mind we can win it all in three years or less," he said.

And maybe by then Harris will have moved into the current decade in terms of clothing.

"Marc Harris should stop shopping at the Buffalo Exchange," Golembiewski said.

"He's not an off-the-wall kid. He's an interesting blend of personality and ability."

Carfora describes Harris as "a weirdo. You don't get to see half the things he wears."

Golembiewski described one pair of Harris' pants as being "made out of someone's old couch."

Harris doesn't really care what other people think about how he dresses or how he acts though.

"The style came from being myself. People might not accept it but that's all right. I like to be different," he said.

Ruston said no matter the fashion tastes of his teammate, "you always need a guy like Harris."

Freshmen leading the way

Four of Arizona's top five scorers, including Marc Harris, are freshmen. Senior Ben Ruston is the only other Icecat in the top five.

Player       Position G  A  Points

Ben Ruston,    C      31 28 59
Marc Harris,   RW     26 32 58
Paul Dorn,     LW     27 24 51
Ed Carfora,    LW     17 29 46
Mike Graves,   RW     12 25 37