Harvard Guns for the Beans Tonight

Tonight's the night. With a win over the favored Boston College Eagles at Boston Garden, the Harvard hockey team can eclipse four years of waiting and a season of frustration by capturing the 29th annual Beanpot tournament.

No one ever said it would be easy. But after last week's 10-2 upset over Northeastern, no one would be shocked if the Crimson can muster up another team effort and bag the crown of Boston college hockey for the first time since February 14, 1977, when Boston University fell to Harvard by a 4-3 score.

B.C. comes into tonight at 15-3-3, 9-3-3 ECAC Division One--best in the league--and has outscored its opponents, 97-68. Playoffs and a national ranking beckon. Last Monday, the Eagles determinedly ground out a 5-2 win over B.U.

Harvard weighs in at the showcase confrontation--which starts at 8 p.m., an hour earlier than previous years, to accommodate t.v.--with less distinguished statistics. Its record stands at 7-11 overall, 5-9 ECAC, good for not much. Harvard has notched 72 goals to its foes' 87. The playoffs? An outside shot, at very best.

Elks, Rotary

In recent meetings between the two clubs, B.C. emerges with a very distinct advantage. The Eagles ended up on top in five of their last six games against Harvard since 1977, by scores of 4-1, 11-3, 7-0, 6-2 and, on January 6, 6-2 again. Harvard gained its only win in January 1979, on a Mike Watson overtime goal.

In Beanpot play as well as the numbers do not bode well for Harvard. Though the squads are 8-8 overall, B.C. has taken four of five finals against the Crimson. Last year, in a stirring opening night battle, Harvard jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead against B.C. but the Eagles slowly but surely whittled away, and ultimately left the ice with a 4-3 win.

And if the numbers wern't enough, B.C. should be extra hungry for a victory tonight because it's shooting for its first 'Pot in five years and also hopes to redeem last February's final round loss to Northeastern, giving the Huskies their first title ever. The Eagles, burned once, figure to hit the ice not cocky but confident, cognizant of the job to be done but still expectant of a well-earned Beanpot.

And yet. And yet. The magic of the underdog unquestionably is riding with Billy Cleary's young, fast-skating, suddenly goal-happy crew. The dam burst last week as the Crimson offense pushed, tipped, blasted, deflected, directed and instructed ten pucks into the opposition net against Northeastern. And Friday night at Bright Center, just to show they could do it again, the icemen produced seven goals against St. Lawrence--four by freshman Phil Falcone and three by sophomore right wing Greg Olson, who now leads the team with 11. The win ended Harvard's seven game ECAC losing streak (Beanpot contests don't count in the standings). The Eagles, on the other hand, dropped a 5-2 decision to Providence Friday night at McHugh Forum. Chances are that it didn't do wonders for their confidence.

Ultimately, the contest is likely to boil down to the same question asked before last Monday's twin-bill: can the Harvard offense produce? Goaltending should not be the deciding factor, as both B.C.'s Bob O'Connor and Harvard's Wade Lau have performed strongly in recent weeks. On defense, the Eagles can rely on strong efforts from George Amidon and Jim Chisholm but they have blueliners out because of injuries, while for Harvard, it's a question of whether offense and defense can forecheck and backcheck together as a unit.

For their goals, Harvard looks to Instant Karma--Olson (11-12-23), captain Tom Murray (8-14-22), and Watson (10-19-19)--with needed assistance from offensive defenseman Mark Fusco, and second-and third-line forwards like Falcone, David Burke and Jim Turner.