An Armful of Silver Platters

The Harvard men's hockey team won 25 games, more than any of the Crimson squads that came before it.

The icemen scored the most goals (187), notched the most assists (326) and the most points (513) in Harvard history.

The icemen did it with a captain that in four years scored the most goals (107), tallied the most assists (133) and garnered the most points (240).

The icemen did it with a goaltender that in four years stopped the most shots (2976).

Great, great players on a great, great team. A team that came within a single goal of claiming Harvard's first NCAA team title in any sport in 82 years.

And came away with an armful of silver platters.

In looking back at the 1985-'86 season, it's hard to get away from that final game. From the loss. From the disappointment.

The Crimson came close enough to see the championship trophy, close enough to touch it, close enough, even, to skate over to the award table, reach down, and then not take it, but sidle away with the silver award instead.

Close enough to see how happy, how fulfilled Michigan State was in triumph. With its golden award held high. With pride.

Every team but two end the season quietly. One leaves happy. And the other has to endure the obscene spectacle of the winners' celebration.

The Crimson did win an Ivy League title, but clinching the crown midway through the season was neither surprising or particularly exhilerating--the icemen had taken the last four as well and too many other challenges lay ahead.

That's the only epithet the squad has. The 1986 Ivy League Champions. That and second in the country.

The Crimson didn't even win the ECAC Championship, although the team entered the tournament as the top seed and favorite to cop its second title in four years. A shocking loss to Clarkson in the semifinals, and Harvard came out third.

What Harvard did do was thrash Western Michigan at home in the NCAA quarterfinals and stun top-ranked Denver in the NCAA semifinals at the Providence Civic Center.

All during vacation. With none of the huge hoopla surrounding the NCAA quarterfinals three years ago. With none of the huge hoopla which was to surround the NCAA finals this year.

No one was home.

The highlights were acted out in front of a small core of devoted followers, but everyone else had left.

And in the end, those three big triumphs--two over Western, one over Denver--weren't for anything.

No title, no laurels, no crown. Just an armful of silver platters.