The Icemen Cometh

A New Era for Harvard hockey--Billy Cleary's very words.

New because it's the youngest team in Crimson history--"Oh gosh yes, no doubt about it," says Cleary. As many as ten freshmen will be on the squad when the season starts November 20 against Northeastern, led by a core of returning sophomores and juniors. The familiar names are gone, names like the Hughes Corporation (George and Jackie), Gino Purdy, captain Jim Cochrane. Only three seniors remain.

New because B.U.'s Walter Brown Arena is once again a place to go for away games only. $2.8 million have transformed Watson--lotsa tradition, lotsa Frostbite, lotsa hard seats--Rink into the Alexander H. Bright Hockey Center. (Ther sparkling reincarnation, bright, comfortable and boasting a climate suitable for non-Canadians, opens up for official hockey business this Saturday night when the U.S. Olympic team comes to town for an exhibition.)

And new because there's no place to go but up.

The Crimson stick-wizards say a new attitude of enthusiasm, anticipation and optimism--"and, you can say, reckless abandon," adds sophomore winger Dave Burke--have swept aside memories of three season of disappointment, disenchantment and, last year, disaster. The difference, compared to last year, says Cleary, "is like night and day." His players echo that sentiment. Dave Burke: "Most of the trouble is behind us--we're totally gung-ho." Newly elected co-captain (along with goalie John Hynes) Graham Carter: "The end of one era is going out--the beginning of a new era is in." Sophomore goalie Wade Lau: "This group of kids is so much more spirited than last year, we'll win games on that alone."

Spitting the Bit

But a familiar problem--defense--may plague the Crimson. With standout blueliner Jackie Hughes off trying to land a spot with the touring U.S. Olympic troupe and sophomore Mitch Olsen out on ac pro, inexperience will hamper attempts at a fast start. Mere freshmen--Scott Sangster and Mark Fusco--join juniors Carter and Bobby Fowkes to form the top two pairings: and although the first-year men look impressive in practice, they're not Hughes and Olsen--not yet, anyway.

To compound matters, the pool of defensemen is barely ankle-deep. This thinness at the blue line may cause problems later on. "Defense is probably the spot on the team where we can't afford to have guys hurt," Carter says--Asked if defense is the big question mark, Cleary acknowledges: "I don't think there's any secret there."

Up front, however, the vision may be bright enough to blot out last year's surreal horror show of missed shots, fanned shots and no shots. Six--count 'em--six freshmen will grace the four-line offense ("We went with three lines in the past because the depth wasn't there"--Cleary), and the rookies are supposed to be slick, speedy, and most important, goal-hungry. The new names--Greg Britz, Rob Burns, David Connors, Greg Olson (Mitch's brother), Neil Sheehy (brother of the NHLer), Jim Turner--join old names like Burke, Mike Watson, Tom Murray and Bob McDonald to give the Crimson "some pretty good forward lines," Cleary says, and at least an outside shot at the revamped ECAC Division I playoffs.

These big up-front puck artists also lack experience, but the feeling is that a competitive start and no early blow-outs will lead to continued improvement by the obviously-talented forwards. "We're relying on freshmen, and it's a big jump for them," says Cleary "The question is how fast they can make that jump."

Netminders Wade Lau, Giff Duffy and co-captain John Hynes, all returning from last year, will be solid if not spectacular, and with a little help should keep Harvard in the thick of most games.

Free Checking

If they are to surprise unsuspecting Division I rivals, Harvard skaters will need to synthesize offense and defense a lot more than they did last year. Particularly with an untested defensive corps, forwards will have to help out in both zones. "Our backchecking was horrendous," concedes one forward. And Cleary has placed special emphasis on forechecking: "If we got a little more offensive punch, that would take the pressure off the defense."

Last year, as Cleary is quick to point out, the icemen, who were iced in a few games--the 11-3 (8-1 after the first period) holocaust against Cornell at Lynah Rink comes quickly to mind, along with a mind-numbing swamp-job by Brown on national TV--managed to at least stay close until the final minutes in most, pulling their goalie 11 times in 26 games. The squad finished--one must keep in mind while contemplating bus rides to Providence for the ECAC Championships--with a depressing 7-18-1 record (1-8-1 in the Ivies).

In the Future

While newness is the buzzword for Crimson hockey, at least one tradition will stay put--the ECAC voted provisionally this week not to requre face-masks along with the already-mandatory helmets. Crimson skaters had not been fond of the masks. "The general feeling towards the masks is hatred," one player commented.

Another tradition, however, has gone the way of Iranian music and Carmine Galante--Section 18 will no longer be the haven of goal-crazed Crimson hockey fanatics. The problem with putting section 18 in the rink's corner, word has it, is that section 13 would end up...right behind the Harvard bench. And who needs that with a New Era underway? Call this one the Era of Good Feelings. And hope it doesn't end when the season starts.