Icemen, Olympic Squad Face-Off

The touring U.S. Olympic hockey team, boasting an impressive 18-7-1 mark against some pretty tough squads, visits the new Alexander H. Bright Hockey Center tonight to face Harvard--and a long night could be in store for the young Cambridge squad.

But the Crimson skaters, setting patriotic considerations aside, hope to surprise their vaunted competition, the expected sell-out crowd of more than 3000, and maybe even themselves. They're talking upset: but a well-played competitive loss would be enough to raise expectations that this year's version of Harvard hockey, the youngest ever, can improve on last year's 7-18-1 fiasco.

"Saturday? I'm not going to say we'll win, but we're definitely going to be in the game," promises junior center Bob McDonald, who'll be flanked by freshmen Greg Britz at left wing and Neil "Yeah, Tim's My Brother" Sheehy at right.

While hypothetical rink-length goal scoring rushes dominate the dreams of Harvard hockey fans, those who foster delusions of grandeur for a quick charge from The Bright will center their attention on the inexperienced Crimson defense. Hopes are that freshmen Mark Fusco (of Burlington, Mass.) and Scott Sangster can help fill the gap left by the loss of Mitch Olsen and Jackie Hughes.

Ah yes, Jackie Hughes. The man returns to Harvard, and Olympic coach Herb Brooks says the younger half of the Hughes Corporation will be in action tonight. (The other half, George Hughes '79, skates for Tulsa of the Central Hockey League, a Winnipeg Jets farm team.)

So far, Jack has played in 18 of the Olympic squad's 26 contests and is locked in a battle with, among others, Jack O'Callahan of Boston University for the top defensive spots. Hughes has yet to tally for the Olympians, but has totalled eight assists and picked up 32 penalty minutes.

Four years ago, the Olympic squad came into Watson only to get knocked off by a spirited Harvard team, 5-2. Two of that game's stars, nostalgically, were Gene Purdy (one goal, one assist) and George Hughes (a goal and two assists).

But Harvard will have a tough act to follow. Team USA's victims include Team Canada (7-2 and 6-0), the American Hockey League Champion Maine Mariners (4-2), Colorado College (10-1) and the University of Minnesota (8-2).