The Harvard men’s hockey team has lost to Boston College three times in the past year—once at Kelley Rink, once at the FleetCenter, and now once behind the bench.

Ron Rolston, the Crimson’s top assistant, is leaving Harvard to join Jerry York’s coaching staff at BC, as both Rolston and Harvard Head Coach Mark Mazzoleni confirmed yesterday morning.

Rolston is widely regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in college hockey and has been praised recently for his efforts with Harvard’s strength and conditioning program. He was also in charge of defensemen, recruiting and the penalty kill during his three-year tenure at Harvard.

“I just felt that from my development as a coach, the opportunity was one I had to take,” Rolston said yesterday morning. “It’s a challenge I needed to approach. Hockey East is a great league and it’ll challenge me as a coach. Boston College is a great place for ice hockey with the success they’ve had there in the past five years.”

And while Rolston sees his new position at the Heights as a great prospect, he said it wasn’t easy at all to leave Harvard, where both he and Mazzoleni began coaching during the 1999-2000 season.

“This was a real tough decision for me because of what the coaching staff [at Harvard] has built up,” said Rolston, who e-mailed the team’s players Wednesday after finalizing the decision. “This is the best group of kids I’ve had a chance to work with in 11 years of coaching. [Assistant Coach Nate Leaman] and I spent a lot of time trying to find the exact right kid to help us win championships, and when you’re successful in bringing in a great group of kids, it makes this decision tough.”

Many Rolston recruits were key contributors to the Crimson’s ECAC championship this past season, Harvard’s first since 1994.

“I’ve had a great relationship with the rest of the coaching staff here—Nate and I have an apartment together, even,” continued Rolston, who noted that he is planning on maintaining that living arrangement next year. “It’s tough to move on from those relationships. I know where [the Harvard] program is going, and that’s one of the cons to moving to a different program. I told the guys that I’ll be over here to as many games as I can next year.”

Rolston’s new position became available when former Boston College associate coach Scott Paluch was chosen to succeed Buddy Powers as the head man at his alma mater, Bowling Green, on April 15.

Mazzoleni said York contacted him regarding his interest in Rolston three days later.

“I told him that if he decided to do it, I’d be disappointed, but happy for him at the same time,” Mazzoleni said of Rolston, who is a native of Fenton, Mich. “He’s not a Boston guy or a BC guy and doesn’t even know York very well. This is a real tribute to him. He’s been a winner wherever he’s been.”

“My relationship with Ron is outstanding,” Mazzoleni continued. “We have tremendous respect for one another.”

Mazzoleni indicated that the search for Rolston’s replacement would begin immediately.

“Harvard is becoming an attractive hockey program again, and due to that fact, I’m confident we’ll be able to attract a very qualified person to the program,” Mazzoleni said. “Harvard has made a progressive climb over the last three years, culminating with our NCAA berth last March. That, along with the Harvard legacy, will allow us to attract very good candidates.”

Rolston had a reputation of being a player’s coach at Harvard, something that sophomore winger Rob Fried confirmed.