Laxmen Down St. John's, 9-3

At halftime of yesterday's Harvard-St. John's lacrosse game, St. John's was very much alive. But at game's end, the Redmen were dead men.

The Crimson said goodbye to a 3-3 halftime tie when Brad Raymond scored with 3:35 gone in the third quarter and flew to a 9-3 victory in front of 100 spectators at Ohiri Field.

After halftime, Harvard turned up the volume on its game radio, while the Redmen changed channels to the easy-listening station. The 3-3 deadlock at the game's midpoint quickly became 4-3,5-3,6-3, etc., in favor of Harvard (6-1 overall).

"You could see we were playing tentatively in the first half," Harvard Coach Scott Anderson said. "I think we knew that going into halftime. We decided we had to play a little more aggressively and take some chances."

Raymond's tally greased the wheels on the Crimson's scoring bandwagon. Soon, Dave Kramer (at 8:10 in the third quarter), Michael Cavuoti (at 14:56) and Nick Nero (with a minute left in the period) had jumped aboard with goals. Kramer, Nero and Raymond all scored again in the fourth quarter.

"We just stopped playing," St. John's Coach Bill Miltenberg said. "We didn't play our game. We were held scoreless. I don't think it was so much what they did, but what we didn't do."

In the second half, Harvard goalie Mike Bergmann could have set up a concession stand and sold hot chocolate to the freezing few who lined Ohiri Field. The Crimson offense was having all the fun.

"It's tough because you've got to be ready for that one fast break or that one quick shot," Bergmann said.

Harvard and St. John's (now 3-6) traded goals in the first period, which ended in a 2-2 tie. The Crimson and Redmen continued the goal-for-goal exchange in the second quarter.

"We got a pretty good talking-to at the half," Nero said. "There's a tendancy in a wet game to be a little cautious when you're throwing the ball around. We were over-cautious in the first half."

And unrestrained in half number two.

THE NOTEBOOK: Harvard next sees action Saturday against Adelphi at Ohiri Field...The Crimson *** League) resumes its Ivy schedule April 20 when it faces Brown.