Jade Arnone, the standout defenseman on Harvard’s women’s hockey team this past season, entered the transfer portal, and Lee-J Mirasolo, the Crimson’s associate head coach, took a leave of absence. the athlete to learn.
Arnoni, 18, has been one of the Crimson’s top four defensemen this season, earning the second most points for a defender and appearing in 30 games. She declined to comment when he called her on Thursday evening.
Arnone is the tenth player to come out of the program with remaining eligibility in the past two years. But the majority of these remained at Harvard as students. Arnoni is the second distinguished Harvard undergraduate to enter the transfer portal in as many years. Ivy League Rookie of the Year Taze Thompson transferred to Northeastern last year. Thompson won the Hockey East Championship last season and went to the NCAA Frozen Four with the Huskies.
Mirasullo, an assistant who has been working with the program since 2015, recently informed the team of her decision to take time off via email. It is unclear how long she will be on vacation; Mirasulo did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
A former Boston College player, Mirasulo joined the program after four seasons as an assistant coach at Princeton. Prior to that, she coached at both UMass Boston and Phillips Academy Andover. Mirasulo has been heavily involved in recruiting at Harvard in recent years.
When reached for comment on Mirasulo’s leave, Rachel Dane, a Harvard spokeswoman, said via email: “This is not our news to comment on.”
This week, a law firm hired by the school, Jenner and Block, began contacting current and former players as part of an investigation into the program — an investigation that followed reports from the athlete and the Boston Globe, which included allegations of insensitivity to mental health issues and other problematic behavior by trainer Kitty Stone and others. The players also detailed incidents of hazing within the team.
Athletic The story described in detail a November 2018 incident in which Mirasulo allegedly made a racially insensitive comment in front of the team, which included a player from Japan. Mirasulu praised the exploits of a World War II pilot who shot down several Japanese planes.
Another assistant coach, Sidney Daniels, a former Harvard team captain (2013 to 2017), left the program after a March 2022 team meeting in which Stone told the team he had “too many Chiefs and not enough Indians.” Daniels, a member of First Knight Mystoasis, filed a complaint against Harvard with the Massachusetts Anti-Discrimination Commission. This complaint is currently under investigation.
Marina McDonald, a member of BC’s Ditidaht First Nation, did not return to the team for the 2022-23 season, but she stayed with the school for her senior year. Thompson, who left in July 2022, is a member of the Metis Nation of Alberta and the Okanagan Indian Band, BC.
for the March 10th story, the athlete Talk to over 30 individuals who played at Harvard or were associated with the program from this season and going back over 20 years.
Stone was accused of downplaying injuries and mental health issues, leading derogatory chants directed at players and creating a climate in which players would compete with each other to enjoy her. Describing how she realized Stone ran the program, one of the mothers of a player from the final season said it was “the Hunger Games for mental health.”
Other allegations included accusations of harassment within the program during the annual “Rookie Week” and “Rookie Fun Night” as well as the annual “Nude Skating” at the Bright Landry Hockey Center.
Before the March 10 story was published, Stone, Mirasulo and athletic director Erin McDermott declined to comment through a Harvard spokesperson.
The scope of Jenner and Block’s investigation and whether investigators will release an official report is unclear. the athlete A Harvard spokesperson emailed questions about the investigation. She replied, “I have no comment.”
Some of the players recently received an email from Jenner and Block’s attorneys that stated that two of the investigators were planning to be on the Harvard campus in the next few weeks and that they would like to meet with the players individually to hear about their experiences in the program and collect any. relevant information they wish to share.
(Photo: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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