Pucksters Claw, Are Scratched by Tigers

Last night, the Harvard men's hockey team wrapped up its fifth consecutive Ivy league title by defeating Princeton, 4-2, in an intensely-fought battle before 2059 screaming enemy faithful at Baker Rink in Princeton, N.J.

That much is hardly surprising.

Both Ivy League titles and narrow victories over Princeton are becoming rituals for the icemen.

"This was a great win for us," said Crimson Coach Bill Cleary. "I think five Ivy titles in a row is quite a feat."

It was Harvard's first outright title since the 1981-'82 season.

What was surprising about the victory was where the primary Harvard firepower came from.

Not from the firing line of Scott Fusco, Lane Macdonald and Tim Smith, or even from the Killer B's--Allen Bourbeau and Tim Barakett.

Would you believe from the fourth line, the Killer C's of Peter Chiarelli, Greg Chalmers, Josh Caplan and honorary member Craig Taucher?

Though Taucher's name doesn't begin with a "C", and he didn't even score, it was his two first-period assists that got the Crimson roling.

In his first shift of his first varsity game, the first time he touched the puck no less, the freshman stole a Princeton pass at the hosts' blue line and promplty fed Chiarelli going the other way. Chiarelli proceeded to beat Tiger goalie David Shea with a wrist shot just 5:41 into the contest.

But the Killer C's weren't finished--not even for that shift.

Just 13 seconds later, Taucher set up Chalmers for a wide-open stuff-in, his first score since returning to the Crimson lineup after a semester's leave just three games ago.

Though Harvard now carried the momentum and Crimson netminder Grant Blair was in good form, a string of penalties allowed Princeton repeated opportunities to get back into the game.

With just 37 seconds to go in the period, and Bourbeau sitting in the sin bin for the second time in five minutes, Princeton Co-Captain Cliff Abrecht took advantage of the man-up opportunity by beating Blair with a strong slapshot from the left point.

To open the second period, the Tigers replaced Shea with Dave Marotta in the net and immediately capitalized on their momentum, knotting the game at two when Dan Titus intercepted Crimson defenseman Butch Cutone's pass at the Harvard blue line and flicked a high wrist shot past Blair.

But Harvard responded to the rising noise levelof the Tiger fans by increasing its pressurearound the Princeton cage throughout the rest ofthe period.

The scrappy Crimson play finally paid off 12minutes into the stanza, when Smith was able todig the puck out of the corner and feed Caplan atthe blue line. Caplan let loose a blast thatpassed unmolested through at least five bodies infront of the Princeton net--including thegoaltender's.

Nursing a single-goal lead into the thirdperiod, Blair and the Crimson were able to shutthe Tigers out the rest of the way.

But not before a few scares--including a Blairhelmet save, and a Princeon rush with less thantwo minutes to go in the contest that saw oneTiger shot ring off the left post behind Blair.

But it was Harvard's evening, and Co-CaptainFusco's open-netter with 28 seconds to go clinchedit.

Crimson, 4-2 at Baker Rink

Harvard  2  1  1-4Princeton  1  1  0-2

First Period--1, H, Peter Chiarelli 2 (CraigTaucher, Greg Chalmers) 5:41; 2, H, Chalmers 1(Taucher) 5:54; 3, P, Cliff Abrecht 13 (JohnRocco, Tim Oshier) 19:23. Penalties--Todd Ladda,P, (roughing) 2:41; Chalmers, H, (roughing) 2:41;John Messuri, P, (holding) 3:26; Lane MacDonald,H, (high stick) 3:26; Randy Taylor, H, (hooking)7:29; Messuri, P, (interference) 8:21; Bourbeau,H, (hooking) 13:07; Bourbeau, H, (slashing) 17:51.

Second Period--4, P, Dan Titus 7 (unassisted)2:01; 5, H, Josh Caplan 1 (Tim Smith) 12:42.Penalties--Scott Howe, P, (tripping) 5:32; Smith,H, (roughing) 17:56.

Third Period--6, H, Scott Fusco 14 (MacDonald,Mark Benning) 19:32. Penalties--Nick Carone, H,(cross-checking) 5:52; Kelly Szautner, P,(roughing) 5:52; Jerry Pawloski, H, (tripping)11:33.

Saves--H, Grant Blair 9-11-8--28; P, Dave Shea19-x-x--19, Dave Marotta x-10-8--18.

A--2509