Icemen Drop Two in the West, Stop Duluth Here

Defenseman Neil Sheehy scored two goals and assisted on three others to lead the Harvard hockey team to a 6-4 victory over the nationally ranked University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs at the Bright Center last Tuesday.

Sheehy, a sophomore who had tallied his first varsity point with a goal in the Great Lakes Invitational tournament the previous weekend, slammed home a 25-foot wrist shot in the first period, and tucked in his third of the season after a rink-long rush midway through the second.

"Neil played very well," Crimson coach Bill Cleary said. "He's improving and really learning the position."

Gary Martin, the Winnetka, Ill., freshman winger, also scored a pair of goals, and Yardling center Jay North tallied his first intercollegiate marker as well.

"We're getting more out of the freshmen," Cleary said. "I was pleased with a lot of the young fellows on defense. They handled themselves well."

Four regulars did not play for the Crimson. Sophomores Mark Fusco and Greg Olson, touring with the United States Junior National team in West Germany, missed the three-game vacation schedule, while captain Tom Murray rested an injured shoulder. Defenseman Scott Sangster did not dress.

"I used a lot of new kids, and the game was a good experience for them. The western teams play a little different style--a little more bumping--and that was good for some of the kids," Cleary added.

Minnesota-Duluth, which parlayed an early-season upset of Minnesota into a top-five ranking, competed in the Colonial Bank Classic in Hartford, Conn., last weekend.

"They were good, but they didn't impress us as much as Michigan Tech did," defenseman Alan Litchfield said. "We matched them physically. It was a pretty good game for us."

Harvard travels to Boston College tomorrow night for an ECAC contest with the Eagles. Fusco, Olson, Murray and Sangster are all expected back, and forwards Greg Britz (hurt at Northeastern November 25) and Phil Falcone (hurt at Colgate December 6) will both be returning to ECAC action.

Harvard's overall record now stands at 5-6, while its ECAC mark remains at 4-4.