Icemen Pull Out Second Win; Turn Back Dartmouth, 4-2

HONOVER, N.H.--In the NFL, teams with dangerous passing attacks, strong defense and limited penalties win games.

Last night, the Harvard men's hockey team showed that the same combination produces on ice.

The Crimson (2-3-1 overall, 2-3-1 ECAC), behind sophomore goaltender Allain Roy's 45 stellar saves, held off a third-period Dartmouth rally to ring up a 4-2 victory here at Thompson Arena in front of 2843 seemingly-disinterested spectators.

In the first two periods, Harvard passed crisply and stayed out of the "sin-bin" to sprint out to a 3-0 lead. Roy provided the defensive gems with a series of crucial stops.

In the final session, the Crimson's passing game disappeared. Worse, its penalty parade--the cause of many a Coach Bill Cleary headache this season--resumed, as the Big Green (2-2-1, 2-2-1) closed the margin to 3-2. But a John Murphy tally midway through the period clinched the defending national champions' second victory of the year.

"We almost self-destructed again," Cleary said. "It's just those penalties that are killing us."

Scorin' on Laurin

The first period was dominated by Roy and center Mike Vukonich, playing his third game since switching from wing. Roy kept the Big Green at bay, kicking, batting and sticking away shot after shot. And Vukonich beat Dartmouth goaltender Steve Laurin twice to give the Crimson a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

Three minutes into the game, Harvard wing Tim Burke slid a pass across the crease to Murphy at the right of the net. Murphy shrugged off a check and flicked a gift-wrapped feed back across the crease to Vukonich, who rammed a wrist shot between Laurin's pads.

Thirteen minutes later, Vukonich was the grateful recipient of another beautiful assist, this one by Tod Hartje. As a Big Green checker tried to ride Hartje off the puck, the versatile wing dropped a no-look, between-the-legs pass to a streaking Vukonich, who nailed a screamer past Laurin.

"At center, I have a lot more leeway," said Vukonich, who notched his fifth goal since moving to the middle. "At wing, I felt like I was forced to play one way. I'm much more comfortable at this position."

As Roy turned away a barrage of Dartmouth shots, the Crimson extended its lead midway through the second period.

Captain C.J. Young began the scoring play by threading the needle on a pass between three defenders to freshman Ted Drury. Drury's stuff attempt was saved by Laurin, but wing Jim Coady dumped the rebound right back to Drury, who lit the red for the winning goal.

Dudley Drille

But the Crimson had to endure a scare before recording the win. Minutes into the third period, Dartmouth defender Nate Dudley drilled a slapshot at Roy. The sophomore netminder got a stick on the bullet, but the puck dribbled over the line to cut Harvard's lead to two goals.

To make matters worse, the Crimson's nemesis--the referee's whistle--reared its ugly head again.

At the 10:31 mark, Young's tripping penalty gave the Big Green a 5-3 advantage with defender Kevan Melrose already in the box. Roy made a brilliant glove save to kill off Melrose's penalty, but with Young still serving time, the Big Green closed the margin to 3-2 on a perfectly executed two-on-one capped off by Tom Nieman.

However, the strangely somber spectators remained relatively silent, and the Harvard passing game quickly deflated Dartmouth's momentum within the next minute.

The crucial goal came on a three-on-one break. Vukonich fed Murphy in the middle, and Murphy slipped a pass back to Vukonich in the left slot. Vukonich returned the favor, whipping a pass off Burke's stick back to Murphy, who let loose from 10 feet to seal the game.

"I was excited, because I knew it was a big goal," said Murphy, who whooped up a storm on the ice after his score. "We had let them back into the game."

Defeating Dartmouth may have been a breeze last year, but nothing has come easy for the title-holders this season. Still, Big Green Coach Brian Mason thinks the Crimson may make some noise in the ECAC.

"I think they've got all the talent," Mason said. "They're a sleeping giant right now. They just haven't gelled yet."

Perhaps not, but when the Crimson needed help, Roy, the nation's goals-against leader last season, held the line en route to his career-high save total. After Roy's performance, his status in the Crimson's goaltending rotation--which was shaken by a Mike Francis start last Saturday--has been reaffirmed in Cleary's eyes.

"I think I'll be going back to the two-goalie rotation," Cleary said.

Crimson, 4-2 at Hanover, N.H. HARVARD  2-1-1--4 Dartmouth  0-0-2--2

First Period--1, H, Mike Vukonich 3 (Tim Burke, John Murphy) 3:25; 2, H, Vukonich 4 (Tod Hartje, Murphy) 16:10. Penalties--H, Brian McCormack (holding) 13:12; H, B. McCormack (tripping) 19:49.

Second Period--3, H, Ted Drury 3 (Jim Coady, C.J. Young) 8:25. Penalties--D, Mike Fehm (holding) 3:15; H, Brian Popiel (elbowing) 10:10; H, Kevan Melrose (cross-checking) 10:51; D, Roger Chiasson (late hit) 10:51; D, Sean Tomaltuy (slashing) 17:11.

Third Period--4, D, Nate Dudley 1 (Jamie Hanlon) 0:42; 5, D, Tom Nieman 3 (Hanlon, Dave Williams) 11:09; 6, H, Murphy 2 (Vukonich, Burke) 12:41. Penalties--H, Burke (high sticking) 2:49; D, Pat Wildman (roughing) 7:29; H, Drury (roughing) 7:29; H, Melrose (holding) 8:36; H, Young (tripping) 9:29; D, Kevin Kiley (playing without a helmet) 16:38.

Saves--H, Allain Roy 11-19-15--45; D, Steve Laurin 5-20-5--30.

Power Plays--H, 0-3; D, 1-6.

Attendance: 2842.