3-04-08
The Harter File
Long Time Hawkeye Head Coach Steps Down
Long time head man, Coach Kevin Harter, stepped down at the end of the 2007-08 season
after four successful seasons as the coach of the Hawkeyes. In his tenure as coach, Harter's
Hawkeye teams progressed from the MACHA Silver Division as a team filled with promise to
Silver Division Tournament Champions in 2005 and then made the leap into the MACHA
Conference Gold Division to compete with the best the conference had to offer.
Harter's teams complied a combined record of 55-42-5 and earned their first ever regional
rankings in the Central ACHA Division II, premiering at #9 and finishing the season ranked
#13, just three places out of a ACHA Regional Playoff berth. This season ended with a
semi-final loss to Regular Season & Tournament Champion Missouri State prompting this from the Coach, "That was
the best game we played all season and we ended up on the losing side", an emotional Harter said afterwards as he
thanked the team for their hard work.
Kevin's leadership, determination and hockey experience motivated his teams from the day he decided to take over
as the head coach of the program. His gaudy record doesn't nearly tell the story of his contributions to the program,
and its' far reaching affects are too numerous to mention. The program made huge advancements with Harter at the
helm and without his perseverance, time and effort, the program would be spinning its' wheels trying to advance to
the next level. A master motivator and eloquent speaker, Kevin had the knack to push all the right buttons to get his
players ready for battle each time they stepped onto the ice.
Ask Kevin Harter how far the Iowa Hockey Program has come since he was a player, (Harter played goalie for the
Hawkeyes and Graduated in 2004) and then as the Head Coach (2004-2008), and he will tell you stories of how the
team traveled six to eight strong in a compact sized car with the equipment strapped to the top of the vehicle to head
out on the road to play in places like Waterloo, Ames, Des Moines, IA., St. Louis and Columbia, Mo., Evanston and
Edwardsville, IL. and all points beyond, struggling to compete with rarely more than enough players to field a full
team. From that modest beginning in the Harter years to where he left the program at the end of this season is truly
amazing.
Harter was the face of the Hawkeye Hockey Program, with his driving determination and guidance the past four years
leading the program into the future. The program is ready to step up to new levels of competition and broaden their
recruitment of quality players. It is easy to forget about people when they have stepped aside or are no longer in the
public eye, or in this case the head coach of a fledging hockey program, but one thing is for certain, Harter's efforts
and love for the program and the university will not soon be dismissed as anything short of miraculous. He stated on
several occasions how much the program meant to him and how he wanted nothing but the best for all the members
and the end result certainly shows.
To Kevin, his parents and family, the entire 2007-08 team, past players, parents, fans, sponsors and University
administrators would like to extend their best to you and your future endeavors and say THANK YOU for a job well
done and for being the foundation of the future in "Building a Hawkeye Tradition" - Hawkeye Hockey.
The Harter File
Long Time Hawkeye Head Coach Steps Down
Long time head man, Coach Kevin Harter, stepped down at the end of the 2007-08 season
after four successful seasons as the coach of the Hawkeyes. In his tenure as coach, Harter's
Hawkeye teams progressed from the MACHA Silver Division as a team filled with promise to
Silver Division Tournament Champions in 2005 and then made the leap into the MACHA
Conference Gold Division to compete with the best the conference had to offer.
Harter's teams complied a combined record of 55-42-5 and earned their first ever regional
rankings in the Central ACHA Division II, premiering at #9 and finishing the season ranked
#13, just three places out of a ACHA Regional Playoff berth. This season ended with a
semi-final loss to Regular Season & Tournament Champion Missouri State prompting this from the Coach, "That was
the best game we played all season and we ended up on the losing side", an emotional Harter said afterwards as he
thanked the team for their hard work.
Kevin's leadership, determination and hockey experience motivated his teams from the day he decided to take over
as the head coach of the program. His gaudy record doesn't nearly tell the story of his contributions to the program,
and its' far reaching affects are too numerous to mention. The program made huge advancements with Harter at the
helm and without his perseverance, time and effort, the program would be spinning its' wheels trying to advance to
the next level. A master motivator and eloquent speaker, Kevin had the knack to push all the right buttons to get his
players ready for battle each time they stepped onto the ice.
Ask Kevin Harter how far the Iowa Hockey Program has come since he was a player, (Harter played goalie for the
Hawkeyes and Graduated in 2004) and then as the Head Coach (2004-2008), and he will tell you stories of how the
team traveled six to eight strong in a compact sized car with the equipment strapped to the top of the vehicle to head
out on the road to play in places like Waterloo, Ames, Des Moines, IA., St. Louis and Columbia, Mo., Evanston and
Edwardsville, IL. and all points beyond, struggling to compete with rarely more than enough players to field a full
team. From that modest beginning in the Harter years to where he left the program at the end of this season is truly
amazing.
Harter was the face of the Hawkeye Hockey Program, with his driving determination and guidance the past four years
leading the program into the future. The program is ready to step up to new levels of competition and broaden their
recruitment of quality players. It is easy to forget about people when they have stepped aside or are no longer in the
public eye, or in this case the head coach of a fledging hockey program, but one thing is for certain, Harter's efforts
and love for the program and the university will not soon be dismissed as anything short of miraculous. He stated on
several occasions how much the program meant to him and how he wanted nothing but the best for all the members
and the end result certainly shows.
To Kevin, his parents and family, the entire 2007-08 team, past players, parents, fans, sponsors and University
administrators would like to extend their best to you and your future endeavors and say THANK YOU for a job well
done and for being the foundation of the future in "Building a Hawkeye Tradition" - Hawkeye Hockey.
2008 Hawkeye Hockey News
| Coach Harter |
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