Michigan State Finishes Harvard

Saturday, the Harvard hockey team's wallet was full. The Crimson had U.S. dollars. Canadian dollars and even a few Soviet rubles that Ted Donato and C.J. had brought back from Moscow over the winter holiday.

Still, Harvard Jacked purchasing power.

"Our youngsters played a hell of a game," Harvard Coach Bill Cleary said after his team fell, 5-3, to Michigan State in the final game of a NCAA Tournament total-goals series before 2934 spectators at Bright Center. "We just couldn't seem to buy a goal."

Harvard laid several pucks on the Michigan State doorstep, and knocked on the post a handful of times, but MSU wouldn't exchange the Crimson's currency.

"We hit a half dozen posts and missed by an inch three dozen other times," Harvard Captain Steve Armstrong said. "It just didn't go for us."

The Spartans, who had defeated Harvard, 6-5, Friday, captured the total-goals series, 11-8. MSU will square-off against the University of Minnesota in a NCAA quarterfinal series in Minneapolis this weekend. Meanwhile, the Harvard players will head to Florida or New York or wherever their spring breaks take them, dreaming of what might have been had a few of those pucks on the goal-line been tapped in. Or a few of those post shots had slipped a half-inch to the right or left and into the net.

Or if the power play, which went one-for-eight, had been truly powerful.

"Obviously, we weren't able to capitalize on the power play," Cleary said. "I think if our power play was working we would have won the game. It just wasn't to be."

Harvard was, to use one of Cleary's favorite expressions, a second slow and a half-penny short all game. With 18:59 left in the second period--and MSU holding a 2-0 lead--MSU defenseman Brad Hamilton fell on the puck in the crease, giving the Crimson a penalty shot.

With the crowd on its feet, Harvard forward Peter Ciavaglia drove in from the midline alone on State goalie Jason Muzzatti, It was freshman vs. freshman.

Ciavaglia got the puck up, but Muzzatti was able to get his glove on it and bat it away.

"Every Friday we have a little shoot out with the team," Muzzatti said. "It's kind of funny, I went in for four shots and let them all in. Right away I thought, oh no, there goes number five."

Harvard, a team many thought would not make the 12-team NCAA Tournament this year, let alone be hosting a first-round game, fought to the end, fighting its own fatigue and a Michigan State team which was bigger and just as fast.

When Josh Caplan danced past some wallflower MSU defenseman and put in a short-handed goal to cut the Michigan State lead to 4-3 with two minutes left in the game, Harvard had hope. But Michigan State had a two-goal lead, thanks to its one-goal advantage which had carried over from the previous night.

"You know, we never gave up," Cleary said, managing a smile.

The effort was there all night. The Crimson outshot the Spartans, 29-19, and held State's Olympian, Kevin Miller, to a lone third-period goal.

But a slew of Crimson power plays went for nought.

"The key thing was we were able to keep our composure and get through the tough parts," MSU Coach Ron Mason said.

And a season which saw the Crimson capture the ECAC's regular-season title--an accomplishment which brings no banners--expired.

Final Records

Harvard: 21-11-0

Michigan State: 27-14-3

Michigan State, 5-3 at Bright Center Michigan St.  2-1-2--5 Harvard  0-1-2--3

First Period--1, M, Danton Cole 41 (Pat Murray, Bobby Reynolds) 3:33; 2, M, Mike O'Toole 11 (Reynolds, Cole) 15:46.

Second Period--3, H, John Weisbrod 8 (Mike Vukonich, Jerry Pawloski) 5:08; 4, M, Bruce Rendall 10 (Chris Luongo, McReynolds) 6:03.

Third Period--5, M, Kevin Miller 5 (Reynolds, Hamilton) :19; H, Pawloski 5 (Tod Hartje) 9:39; 6, H, Josh Caplan 7 (unassisted); M, O'Toole 12 (unassisted) 19:56.

Saves--M, Jason Muzzatti 8-13-5--26; H, Michael Francis 5-2-7--14.

Power Play Opps: M, 2-4; H, 1-8.

A: 2934