Harvard. Exams. Beanpot. Blues. Who Knows?

It usually takes a while for C.J. Young to get going. But when he does, it takes more than a couple of wild horses to drag him down.

Young, who last year recorded 20 points (12 goals, 8 assists) in his last 17 games, began his second-half surge last weekend against Brown and Yale, scoring four goals and assisting on another. Against the Elis, he had a hat trick and was named ECAC Player of the Week.

Young is the first Harvard player to earn the award this year. The sophomore forward missed four games for Harvard during the Christmas break, as he and linemate Ted Donato played for the U.S. Junior Team in the World Junior Championships at Moscow.

His 17 goals last year was the second-highest total ever by a Harvard freshman. Who scored the most goals as a freshman?

Current U.S. Olympian Lane MacDonald, who netted 21 in the 1984-'85 season.

Sweet Pete: Speaking about successful freshman campaigns, Harvard's Peter Ciavaglia (5-17--22) leads the Crimson in scoring. Ciavaglia recorded four assists against Yale, three of them courtesy of Young's hat trick.

Ciavaglia, a native of Snyder, N.Y., is also the ECAC's third-leading scorer. The freshman forward, whose ECAC line reads 5-14--19, is just three points behind RPI's Joe Juneau (6-16--22) and two points behind Colgate's Rejean Boivin (13-8--21)

ECAC Update: How about a little ECAC summary to cure those exam blues?

While Harvard (12-2 ECAC) entered exams six points ahead of second-place St. Lawrence (9-3), it might be tied with Colgate (8-2) by the time the Crimson returns to league play the first weekend in February.

The Red Raiders can easily sweep its next four games. Colgate first travels to Brown (0-9-1) tonight and Yale (2-8) tomorrow to face two league cellar skunks. Next weekend, the Raiders will host perennial loser Army (1-9-2) and mediocre Princeton (6-6) in the mini-rink of Hamilton, N.Y.

Four Colgate victories would set the stage for a first-place battle between Harvard and the Red Raiders February 12.

Boivin, Colgate's hot scorer, has scored at least one goal in his last eight ECAC games.

As for the penalty killing department, Harvard leads all ECAC teams with a mark of 89.8 percent. The Crimson has also allowed the fewest goals per game (2.4).

Big John: One of the biggest reasons for Harvard's defensive excellence in the ECAC has been the play of senior goalie John Devin.

Following the leads of past Crimson standout netminders Grant Blair and Dickie McEvoy, Devin is the top goaltender in the ECAC. Devin is the only ECAC goalie to possess a goals-against average of under three goals per game (2.55).

Impressive for someone who started the season with an injury.

Crack 'Pot: As comedian Joe Piscopo, formely of Saturday Night Live Sports would say: Beanpot. Harvard. Jinx? Can they lose again? I just don't know.

Boston Garden just hasn't been a good place to visit in February. It's been good in March, during the ECAC Championships. But come February, Harvard always spills the beans.

Ever since Harvard captured its last Beanpot title in 1981, the Crimson has not won a first-round game. Last year, the Crimson's 1980's venture into the Beanpot reached a new low with the "goal-that-wasn't-but-still-was" fiasco against Boston College in the consolation game.

Take it away, Joe: February I. Boston Garden. Beanpot. Boston University. Harvard. Jinx? Who knows?