Hockey Schedule Hinders Crimson

To the Editors:

Who is responsible for Harvard hockey's schedule? Who is responsible, every year at Beanpot time, for inflicting this cruel and unusual punishment on Harvard hockey fans, on our peerless coach, Bill Cleary, and, what is even more important, on the excellent hockey teams Bill has turned out the past two decades?

Let us not be detoured or distracted from this ultimate question by [this year's Beanpot] victory. Consider these facts: 1) Harvard has what is probably the finest hockey team in its history; 2) Even this team barely made it into the finals--a first for Harvard since 1981 and only the second time since 1978, despite the fact that over that span Harvard has usually had better teams than any of its opponents and has six times made the NCAA playoffs; 3) In the third period of the Boston College game this year, Harvard entered the period with a 5-2 lead, watched B.C. take 21 shots and score twice, took only two shots itself, scored no goals and nearly gave Cleary a heart attack; 4) In the final, taking a 3-1 lead into the second period, Harvard allowed three Boston University goals in a minute-and-a-half, fell behind 4-3 and won only because of its fantastic talent, fighting spirit and what must have been a sense that if, "We don't do it this year we may never do it again."

Why? Why this Beanpot agony? Bill Cleary has mentioned "psychology," "luck" and shrugged it off with the stoic remark, "These things happen."

No, Bill, they don't just happen. There's a perfectly good explanation. It's called "physical fatigue." It might also be called "scheduling stupidity." Time was that we played the Beanpot immediately after exam break. We were rusty, they were sharp. We usually lost. For the last five years we have found a new way to lose. We schedule games on Friday and Saturday nights before the Beanpot. Before the final we tried even harder to lose: games against numbers three and four in the ECAC in Upstate New York, a punishing loss to Colgate in overtime, and a long bus ride home. (Note: if the team hadn't been worrying about the Beanpot final, it would probably have beaten Colgate easily).

Do B.C., B.U. and Northeastern play on Friday and Saturday nights before a Beanpot game? You think they're crazy? They never have and never will. B.U. hadn't played at all for a week and came in fresh as a daisy. No, these teams are not so stupid as to refuse a gift when it's offered so generously: probably the equivalent of two or three goals per game.

What can be done? Two alternatives at least suggest themselves: one is to eliminate our Saturday night games, or, if that can't be done, insist that our opponents play on Friday and Saturday as well. Otherwise, we don't play. That may be a tough stand to take, but better that than this cruel fiasco of asking our players to go in there and be humiliated seven years out of eight.

And another gripe: three years ago in Providence Harvard lost in the NCAA finals for the same reason, physical fatigue, because the Division I schools don't have the guts or integrity to tell the arena owners that they will no longer put up with this nonsense of playing one semifinal on Thursday night and the other on Friday night. Not long ago The Globe revealed that the Thursday night winners had won 19 out of the previous 22 NCAA finals. I predict that Harvard will be finalists again this year. We better start praying that they get the Thursday night draw.

Editor's Note: The Crimson sports department welcomes letters from its readers. The letters do not necessarily reflect the views of The Crimson staff.