Icemen Barely Escape Tigers, 6-5, in OT

Wow.

It's impossible to understate the Harvard men's hockey team's dramatic 6-5 overtime victory over the Princeton Tigers last night at Baker Rink.

With a clutch two-goal, two-assist performance by senior forward Steve Flomenhoft, the Crimson overpowered a feisty Princeton squad which had taken a surprising 5-4 lead into the last minute of regulation play.

Coasting through the final half of the game with a one-goal lead, Harvard was stunned in a sudden explosion by the Tigers in the third period.

J.P. O'Connor erased the Harvard margin with a blast that passed just under the crossbar to beat freshman goalie Tripp Tracy at 11:39.

Reeling from the shock, Harvard watched in horror as junior John Fust pushed the puck past Tracy just 21 seconds later to give the Tigers the lead.

Except for its slow start, Harvard had dominated most of the game until the sudden Tiger tallies. Suddenly Harvard--ranked fifth in the nation--was looking an embarassing upset in the face.

For several minutes, it seemed Harvard was destined for defeat as goalie Rod Yorke stoned repeated attacks. But when Tiger Co-Captain Terry Morris took a late penalty for dropping senior Matt Mallgrave, Princeton had pushed its luck.

Just 15 Ticks

With 15 seconds remaining in the contest, Harvard's Olympian Ted Drury tossed a pass to Flomenhoft who whistled it home from the slot.

In overtime, the Crimson dominated the play and enjoyed several rushes while not allowing Princeton a shot.

Again, Princeton took a bad penalty. With 1:26 left, the Tigers' other Co-Captain, Brian Bigelow, drilled defenseman Bryan Lonsinger with an elbow.

Just 32 seconds later, Bigelow watched as Mallgrave converted a Flomenhoft pass for the game-winning goal.

While lucky to escape with the win, Harvard once again proved its remarkable ability to prevail in a hard-fought contest.

More talented than most opponents at least on paper, the Crimson is doubtless hoping that the wins will start getting a little easier.

But facing formidable Yale, with its star forward Mark Kauffman, at 7 p.m. tonight in New Haven, Harvard won't get a chance to coast just yet.