Some Olympic Guests

The Harvard men's hockey team has been practicing for two weeks. The U.S. Olympic Hockey Team has been playing the best teams in North America since September.

The Crimson is a collection of good college players. The Olympians are a group of college all-stars.

For Harvard, which faces the Olympians at Bright Center tomorrow at 8 p.m. in its inaugural game of the 1987-'88 season, the first game will be the most unfair and most difficult of the year.

It will also be the most fun.

Nothing is at stake for either squad tomorrow. The Crimson will get a tune-up for league rivals like St. Lawrence. The Olympians will get a tune-up for the Russians.

At times, Harvard might feel like it is playing itself. Three Harvard skaters--Allen Bourbeau, Scott Fusco and Lane MacDonald--are on the U.S. Team. MacDonald and Bourbeau finished one-two, respectively, on the Crimson scoring chart last year and will return to Harvard in the fall of 1988 to play a final year. Fusco helped lead Harvard to the NCAA finals in 1985, the year he graduated.

Familiar faces. Friendly foes.

"It will be a real good test for us," Harvard Coach Bill Cleary says. "They're an outstanding team, and we're going to go after them."

"We don't want to worry about the win or loss," Harvard Captain Steve Armstrong says. "We just want to get off on the right foot."

Cleary has a batch of freshmen on his team who will get their first collegiate experience against the best amateur team in the country.

"A baptism," Cleary calls it.

Cleary, who is still putting together his lines and special teams, can only sigh when Bourbeau, Fusco and MacDonald--who starred on the Crimson power play in the 1985-'86 season--take the ice for the Olympians.

"To see those three, it'll be great," Cleary says. "But I don't want to see them coming out for the power play. It should be the other way around."