Puckmen Top Bruins, 4-3, As Fight Empties Benches

Sometimes it's hard to believe that Brown can score, much less make the ECAC play-offs. But last night the Bruins played their unthinking, ferocious game well enough to nearly knock Harvard out of the running, coming back to tie the game in the third period before falling, 4-3.

It was an unusually frantic game that saw both benches empty in the first period, inspired by a large contingent of Brown fans and the normal Section 18 hysteria. The fight erupted when Brown's Curt Bennet went berserk and attacked the Harvard bench with his stick. Bennet received a minor penalty for "malicious use of his stick" and a trip to the locker room for misconduct, a fitting career finale for a defenseman who spent much of the season in the penalty box.

The fight came on the heels of heel of two quick Harvard goals. The Crimson surprised the fans by flying in the opening minutes, scoring twice in the first four minutes. Hynes opened up the scoring on a nice rush and close-in back-hander that beat Brown's Lou Reycroft, and Jay Riley made it 2-0 on a screened shot on the ice.

Brown came back midway through the period as its pathetic power play notched one of its infrequent goals. tallying on a low, accurate slapshot by Bill Coakley. Joe Cavanagh cooled off the Brown band a couple of minutes later, however, ending the scoring for the period on one of his characteristic long rushes.

The referees finally managed to bring the game under control in the second period, handing cut frequent penalties, and as a result the pace slowed with infrequent scoring chances, no goals, and no fights.

Brown whittled away at the Harvard lead in the third period, narrowing the score to 3-2 at 5:05 and tying it up ten minutes later. Mike Powers, the sophomore who beat Harvard in Providence with a 60-foot slapshot. scored the first goal, letting go a no-angle shot that caught the corner of the Crimson net. Bill Coakley sent the Brown fans into an uproar with-an equally unlikely tying goal, bouncing in a back-hander off screened Bruce Durno's pad.

The excitement didn't last long, however, as Dan DaMichele poked in Cooch Owen's rebound for the winner 30 seconds after Coakley's goal. Brown failed to mount much of an attack in the final five minutes, picking up a stupid penalty and failing to get a chance to pull its goalie for a sixth forward.

The shooting was fairly uneven as the Crimson got off 33 shots to Brown's 20, but shooting statistics are fairly meaningless where Brown is concerned.

Despite the close score, Harvard played very well, betraying no sign of a letdown after the Cornell loss. Cavanagh was largely responsible for Harvard's efforts, skating extremely well even after breaking the 40-stitch mark for the season in the first-period duelling.