Icemen Drop Another Shot at 'Pot

Newspaper leads come in different styles. So do hockey games.

When you mix the writing styles that have occupied space on the back page of The Crimson with the styles of Harvard hockey during the first round of the Beanpot, you get the same result since 1981.

The styles may change, the games may be blowouts of nailbiters. But, as Coach Bill Cleary said Monday night after Harvard dropped its seventh straight Beanpot opener, a 6-4 loss to Boston University, "it's the same old story."

Consider the changing styles with "the same old story."

February 3, 1982: The setting was the same, but the script--a bit cliche by this time perhaps--had been changed dramatically, the Cinderella story left on a shelf to gather dust until the time again was right.

Boston University 5, Harvard 1.

February 9, 1983: Coach Bill Cleary stood outside the Harvard locker room yesterday, a rather forelorn figure. The real crowds were just a few feet away, outside the Boston College locker room.

Boston College 5, Harvard 4 (OT).

February 7, 1984: Bill Cleary stepped outside of the Harvard locker room, fell back against the wall, and smiled. "What do you want me to say?" the Crimson Coach asked. "It was Murphy's Law tonight; whatever could be done wrong, we did."

Northeastern 7, Harvard 3.

February 5, 1985: Lucky seven it wasn't.

Boston University 5, Harvard 3.

February 4, 1986: The Harvard men's hockey team added another chapter to its recent history of Beanpot Tournament futility at Boston Garden...

Boston College 4, Harvard 2.

February 4, 1987: Coming into Monday's opening round of the 35th annual Beanpot Tournament, the Harvard hockey team seemed ready to feast on its underdog opponent.

Northeastern 5, Harvard 4(OT)

February 1, 1988 wasn't any different, either. The Crimson couldn't hold on to a two-goal lead. Harvard had to spend more time killing penalties than putting the puck in the net.

By the middle of the second period, Boston University--with a little help from the Boston Garden crowd (and maybe a couple of Garden ghosts)--had enough momentum to score five of the game's last six goals. Once again, the icemen were silenced.

The loss to B.U. also denied Harvard seniors a chance of ever playing in the championship game. For Captain Steve Armstrong, John Devin, Andy Janfaza, Jerry Pawloski and Don Sweeney, their chance is gone.

"I'm really disappointed for them," Cleary said of his four-year veterans. "They're a great class. I feel badly for them."

But if Cleary and his seniors, along with the rest of the icemen, faced the choice of winning their first-round Beanpot game or not making the NCAA Tournament, they would gladly go 0 for the 'Pot.

Beanpot Championships would certainly light up some faces here in Cambridge, but they're not the biggest 'Pots in town. Harvard has been known to take bigger pots home. Such as the ECAC Championship trophy. And a silver platter for finishing second in the NCAA Tournament.

"A couple of good wins this weekend," Devin said, "and [the loss] will be history."

This loss will join the other Beanpot losses of the past seven years. The questions about why Harvard has been unable to win will never cease until the jinx eventually ends.

While the questions linger, the Crimson will set its sights on another possible Garden trip in mid-March for the ECAC Championship Harvard has done that five time since 1980.

March 16, 1987: You could sense it was over even before.

Harvard 6, St. Lawrence 3.

Some stories have happier endings...