Let’s take a moment to break down the game of hockey: the point of the game is to score more goals than the opposition. Those who are proficient at this are called scorers. There are others who provide momentum through strong positional plays or big, crowd-pleasing hits. There are those who work on defending the opposition from scoring, and those that have the rare ability to combine all of these abilities into a total package of hockey prowess.

However, none of these positions require the single most important characteristic needed to be the last line of defense: the goaltender. That single characteristic is not speed or agility - it is a total and complete lack of sanity. It is in this department that goaltenders excel. After all, who in their right mind hones their athletic ability to get in the way of a piece of frozen rubber flying at them at 100 miles per hour?

The Colgate family is pleased to welcome back to the frozen battle field a former Raider who has been away since his graduation in 2002 - the man, the myth, the legend:  Mr. Jason Lefevre! (Ok, so he slipped me 20 bucks to say that, but I still think it sounds pretty good.) Jason, who prowled the space in front of the Raider net for four years, has rejoined the men’s ice hockey team as a volunteer assistant coach, and in his short time with the club has brought a fresh insight and a keen hockey mind into the coaching mix.

Since hanging up his Raider jersey, Jason has wasted no time in pursuing a career within the game that has fostered him throughout his lifetime. Now, however, instead of working in the crease, he's standing behind the bench.

Following his graduation, Jason jumped right into a coaching career with a keen interest in staying in close contact with the game he loves. He coached at the Salisbury School in Connecticut for three years, and last year was coaching not far down the road at Utica College.

Jason says that coaching has always been of interest to him. He enjoys the teaching aspect of the job, and he says that part has been especially rewarding. The chance to pass down knowledge gained from years in the game and seeing his suggestions take shape in the chaotic environment of a game is something that constantly validates his choice to stay close to hockey.

The biggest adjustment for Jason has been the realization that coaching is far more than just putting some lines together and opening the gates, as many players sometimes believe. The overwhelming number of facets that coaching involves is something that has caught Jason off guard, but he attacks this challenge with the tenacity that he played with, and has begun to weave his own coaching philosophy that he credits to those around him.

“I try and take aspects from all the coaches I have worked with and use their most admirable characteristics to shape how I coach," he says. "The advantage of this is that I have been fortunate enough to work with some really great coaches so it has been easy to pick up positive and productive tactics to attaining a better coaching philosophy.”

Since rejoining his former team as a coach, Jason has been working with the Raiders' three goaltenders to add first-hand experience and technical knowledge to help improve Colgate's already-talented netminders.

When asked about last years Ken Dryden Award winner, Mark Dekanich, Jason says he has been blown away with the combination of size, skill, speed, and work ethic in such a young player. Nashville knew what they were doing when they chose him in last year's NHL draft.

In the broader scheme, Jason says that this year’s team has the skill and speed that makes great teams. Although so far the season has not transpired as most had hoped, he thinks that with the group of guys in the dressing room this year, he has little doubt that this team is going to be a contender come the end of the season.

Returning to Colgate was an easy decision for Jason. He is following in the footsteps of assistant coaches Andrew Dickson and Brad Dexter, who are also coaching at their alma mater. Colgate is close to home for Jason and, like most who pass through its majestic halls, he feels that Colgate is a very difficult place to leave behind.

He speaks highly of the Colgate system: “Coming out of high school, few students know exactly what they want in their lives. Colgate provides that buffer where you can explore who you are. You can get your feet wet in a diverse selection of courses until you can narrow your educational experience into something that reflects who you are and what you want to be.”

If you ask any hockey player - any one at all - they can relate to you how goaltenders are “just a little bit different.” It is this edge that allows our last line of defense to stand alone against 50 shots a game, to repel offensive onslaughts and turn away sure goals with a pivotal two-pad jammer.

In the case of Jason Lefevre, he was perhaps unable to leave this edge behind when he graduated. He has instead used it to return to our beloved game and face the opposition from another perspective. It is this edge that still drives a goaltender at heart to continue to compete and strive to better others through his own experiences, teachings and personal touch.