Olympians Pound Crimson Icemen

"A learning experience" is what coaches like to call games like this one.

It's a good thing for the Harvard hockey team it was just out to have some fun last night at the Boston Garden. Because the U.S. Olympic team left it with an 11-2 thumping.

The Olympic team put 64 shots on goal.

Okay, the Crimson didn't go to Causeway St. expecting to win. It went to see a couple of old teammates-turned Olympians, Mark and Scott Fusco, to get a little extra preparation for the season--which starts next Tuesday--and to have the invaluable experience of playing an extraordinary hockey team.

"I haven't seen any better Olympic team," said Crimson Coach Bill Cleary, who played on two himself.

"Every time I looked up they were coming back down on us," said the hard-working Harvard goalie, Grant Blair, who took a break after two periods while Dickie McEvoy filled in for the hectic (27-shot) third period.

A meager but enthusiastic crowd of 6339 showed up to watch some local-boys-made-good make good on the scoring sheet. Scott Fusco slammed a rebound past McEvoy early in the third period, while former Boston College skater Gary Sampson and high-school star Dave Jensen also hit the Harvard twines.

It was only because the Olympic team played a little loosely in the early going, not finding its groove until the second period, that the score was at all respectable for a while--2-1 for the Olympians after one period, 5-2 after two.

"Most of us had butterflies at the beginning," senior Shayne Kukulowicz said. "We held our own the first two periods, but we died a bit in the third period."

By that time, target practice on the Harvard goal had begun. The connect-the-dots passing game was picturesque, the shots on target. Coach Lou Vairo has even found a defenseman with a slapshot as good as Mark Fusco's, the University of Minnesota's Tom Hirsch.

"They're such a quick team--it's frightening how quick they are," said Cleary.

For a memorable two minutes and 46 seconds the Crimson actually had the advantage. While Blair was facing a barrage of shots from seemingly every collegiate all-star he faced last season at one end. Olympic team netminder Marc Behrend grew bored at the other. He looked less than alert when Harvard's Tim Smith drove a slapper that trickled through his goalie pads and sat on the goal line long enough for Phil Falcone to nudge it.

That shook up the Olympians enough. The all-Providence College line of Kurt Kleinendorts, Paul Guav and Rich Costello put heavy pressure on Harvard right away. And at the 13:04 mark of the period, Sampson, passing from Blair's left, set up Covey Millen with a pass across the slot. Millen shot the moment he took it; tie score. Three of his teammates scored on the same play before the final siren.

Late in the period a Scott Fusco pass off a defenseman's leg was deflected to Chris Chelios, whose slapshot broke the deadlock.

Two goals in the first three minutes of the middle stanza made it 4-1 before Harvard got past Behrend for the last time. The Wisconsin grad stopped a Jay North backhander, but sophomore Ralph Hartmann grabbed the rebound and slid it across the crease to freshman Tim Barakett, who lifted it into the top of the goal.

The Olympic team pounced on McEvoy soon after his entrance to turn the contest into a rout. Scott Fusco's goal came between two by the Olympians' top scorer, Pat LaFontaine.

THE NOTEBOOK: Mark Fusco missed the third period with leg cramps...Scott Fusco is playing on a line with Mark Kumpel of Lowell University and Scott Bjugstad of Minnesota...LaFontaine, a first-round pro draft pick, is headed to the N.Y. Islanders after the Olympics...It was Harvard's second straight game against Behrend--the last was the NCAA championship game...The Olympic captain is Phil Verchota, a veteran of the 1980 squad. At the Boston Garden U.S. Olympic Team  2  3  6--11 Harvard  1  1  0--2

H. Phil Falcone (Tim Smith, Dave Connors) 10 18. U.S. Corey Millen (Gary Sampson, Al lafrate rate) 13:04, U.S. Chris Chellos (Scott Fusco, Paul Guay) 17:49, U.S. Guay (Kurt Kislendorst) 1:08; U.S. Dave Janson (Ed Otczyk, Pat LaFontaine) 2:53 H. Tim Barakett (Ralph Hartmann, Jey North) 3:34, U.S. Sampson (letrate) 14:00; U.S., LaFontaine (Otczyk, latrate) 5:50, U.S. Guay (Rich Coetello, Chellos) 10:45, U.S. Phil Verchota (Sampson, Gary Height) 11:41, U.S. Guay (Coetello, Kleinedorst) 14:49

Saves: H. Grant Blair, 17-15--32; Dickie McEvoy, 21; U.S., Marc Belwend, 3-0-14--25

Att--6339

H. Phil Falcone (Tim Smith, Dave Connors) 10 18. U.S. Corey Millen (Gary Sampson, Al lafrate rate) 13:04, U.S. Chris Chellos (Scott Fusco, Paul Guay) 17:49, U.S. Guay (Kurt Kislendorst) 1:08; U.S. Dave Janson (Ed Otczyk, Pat LaFontaine) 2:53 H. Tim Barakett (Ralph Hartmann, Jey North) 3:34, U.S. Sampson (letrate) 14:00; U.S., LaFontaine (Otczyk, latrate) 5:50, U.S. Guay (Rich Coetello, Chellos) 10:45, U.S. Phil Verchota (Sampson, Gary Height) 11:41, U.S. Guay (Coetello, Kleinedorst) 14:49

Saves: H. Grant Blair, 17-15--32; Dickie McEvoy, 21; U.S., Marc Belwend, 3-0-14--25

Att--6339