Big Night at Bright

It's a much made Through the Leading Glass, that a psychiatrist or Mr. Mxyzpatlk would love.

First Boston College--the enigma of the ECAC. Every year, the Eagles enter the tournament leaded with talent but can't seem to last past the first round.

Two years ago, they owned the best record in the East on the eve of the playoffs but were a casually of eighth-seeded Cornell's unprecedented run to the championship.

Last year, after pacing the region for most of the season and winning the East Division, the Eagles were upset by Providence, also the eventual winner.

In fact, not counting 1979, when B.C. missed the playoffs, the winner of its first round game has gone on to in the title every year since '76.

The Eagles are 1.5 in their last six first round games, that lone win an overtime triumph over RPI in their championship year of 1978.

Other than that, the city's most successful college hockey program of recent years has brought almost no honors home to Chestnut Hill.

Consider the Beanpot as a case in point For four years in a row, the Eagles have won their first-round game only to lose in the finals. The last three years, they were pre-tournament favorites, yet each of the other teams--Northeastern. Harvard and Boston University--had its turn at shooting the Eagles down... and adding a little more to their reputation as a team that can't win the big one.

And then there is Harvard Just how talented is the ECAC's hottest team, winners of four straight by a combined score of 30-7?

"We know they've got the forwards, the skaters and the scorers, too" Boston College Coach Len Ceglarski says. "why they couldn't score for so long. I don't know."

If the Crimson has only been able to put a few more pucks in the net during an eight game winless streak that stretched from mid. December to early February, it wouldn't have needed the miraculous stretch run to land its first playoff berth since '75-76'. And if freshman superstar Scoot Fusco hadn't scored in overtime to beat Cornell at Cornell, or if Dartmouth hadn't upset Yale last week, Harvard, which won the Ivy Division with an 11.s-2 record, the eight best overall, might be in the tournament at all.

But in the wacky world of ECAC, the hardest route to the playoffs often-terns out to be the best. Just ask the Providence and Cornell squads that won the championship the post two years after barely scraping their way into the Top Eight with late season rushers it's the hot team, not always the most talented, that has the playoff edge.

Harvard loser of only one of its last eight games, is the hot seam. Boston College (13-s ECAC), which qualified for the playoff's sometime around Christmas, has lost three straight, scoring only four goals.

Despite Ceglarski's talk of a second season ("We've had three great practices, and we're ready to play," he say) the losses could be symptoms of the annual March swoon showing up a week or two early.

On the other hand, B.C. has more talent Led by Billy O'Dwyer 05 goals, 26 assists for 41 points and leading goal scorer Led Blossom (16-14-30), the Eagles were the preseason pick of many to go all the way. One decision Ceglarski will have to make is which of his sterling goalies to start in the net. Bob (8.7. 3.56) O'Connor or Billy (9-1, 2-97) Switaj is how to replace injured co captain Gary Sampson.

The only state things is that the first playoff game in the history of Bright Centre will be played before a full house. All 3350 tickets are game; student who waited in line yesterday starting at 8 a.m. had snatched up the 1300 allotted just an hour and a half after the windows opened at nine.