Icemen Collapse at B.C. in 10-4 Rout; Eagles Bury Crimson in First Period

Only the Channel 38 programmers suffered more than the Harvard hockey team last night Expecting a vintage edition of the Harvard-Boston College rivalry for their rare college hockey broadcast, they instead picked a farce in which the outcome was obvious after just 10 minutes, an eventual 10.4 B.C. rout at M. Hugh Forum.

The Crimson's sell destruction in the first half-period was the story of the game. The Eagles shoveled four pucks past shaky goalie Dick McEvoy into the Harvard net.

Left wing Lee Blossom started the land slide when he knocked in a loose puck with just 1:51 gone. Center Neil Shea made the most of a pass behind the Crimson defense to make it 2-0 less than three minutes later, and Rob Monleon's shot ricocheted off McEvoy's glove into the twine just two minutes after that.

Harvard's Ken Code seemed to slow the B.C. momentum with a goal from the left point, but right wing Bob Sweeney's deflection of a defenseman's shot made it 4-1 with just 9.03 gone.

Worst Period This Year

"I think you could say that way the worst period we've played this year." Harvard Coach Bill Cleary said after the game.

In both the second and third stanzas Harvard came out very strong. But the pressure it put on Eagle goalie Bill Switaj wasn't matched by equal care on defense, and B.C. goals deflated both would be tallies.

At one point in the second 20 the Crimson was out shooting B.C. on the period, 7-1, but the Eagles second shot of the period trickled under McEvoy at the 9.42 mark. A few minutes later, linemates Ed Rauseo and Chris Delaney had the beleaguered freshmen net-minder at their mercy on a two-on-zero, mercifully, they each hit one post.

Again, in the third period, Harvard came out stronger, accounting for nine of the period's first 10 shots. The icemen closed the gap to 6-2 after 3-25 when Greg Britz lofted a rebound of a Scott Fusco shot over Switaj.

But the Eagles came back and relentlessly turned the contest into an embarrassment for the Crimson, who carried a national top 10 ranking into the game. Tony Visone and Bob Starbuck added to the Harvard count but B.C.'s Monleon lifted the Eagles to double figures with two goals in the final 5-04.

Too many of Harvard's shots throughout the game (almost hall of its 32) were blasts from the perimeter or the points which Switaj saw all the way, the skating game that produced seven goals per game in other games was nonexistent. When we don't skate," said Cleary, "we might as well sit in the stands and meet people.

"But I've got to say this," he added, "it was a total team effort. Everybody played lousy."