It All Comes Down to Monday

At the annual Beanpot luncheon yesterday afternoon at the elegant Blades & Boards Club, Harvard's two players in attendance heard what Monday, February 1, means to Bay Area college hockey fans.

Former Olympian Dave Silk delivered an impassioned speech to the audience of reporters, coaches and league officials, with Captain Ted Drury and senior Matt Mallgrave sitting at the table right in front of the spry young Silk.

Silk told stories, waxed poetic, cracked jokes. The Beanpot, he intoned in a slightly shaky tone, means two words: "tradition and emotion."

Mallgrave and Drury no doubt got the message. They're not from the Bay-area, but they know what's on the line Monday night at 6 p.m., when Harvard skates onto the uneasy Boston Garden ice to play Northeastern.

Harvard (13-1-1 overall, 12-0-1 ECAC) is poised not just to advance to the finals, but to win the tournament, which it hasn't done since 1989.

And, without question, the Crimson, ranked second in the nation, is the decided favorite to hold the `Pot aloft come February 8.

To win, Harvard must rid itself of the ghost of BU, which has beaten the Crimson three times in a row. To win, Harvard must somehow manage to use its unparalleled speed and skill in the ever-tricky Causeway institution. And to win, Harvard must first get past Northeastern.

Staying Cautious

"We're definitely not looking past them," Drury said yesterday. "They're a good team with a good coach. They're going to be tough, no doubt."

Sure. And a new Garden is coming to Boston and Billy Bulger is heading for electoral defeat. Folks, it's not going to happen.

Of course, the impossible is always possible. If healthy (which is still a question), Northeastern features some multi-talented forwards, including Jay Schiavo (10-12-22), Sebastian LePlante (6-14-20) and Dino Grossi (11-12-23). The Huskies also star one of the strongest offensive blue-lines in college hockey, anchored by Bob Kellogg (4-12-16) and Chris Foy (7-8-15).

The Best Bet

But the safe money stays with Harvard. Just ask Harvard-grad-turned-Northeastern-Coach Ben Smith.

"They're an outstanding team, with an awful lot of talent," Smith said. "We have somewhat of a propensity for penalties at the wrong time, and we've been beat up a bit by the rigors of our schedule. Our record speaks for itself."

That it does. Can you say 8-14-1 overall, 5-10-1 Hockey East.

Harvard should skate rings around Northeastern, so its primary concern Monday night is setting the tone for the rest of the season. The Beanpot traditionally signals the home stretch for the Crimson, and Harvard's first lap around couldn't have been finer.

Crimson Stars

The Crimson is 13-1-1 overall. It features Drury, whose Hobey Baker candidacy gets a PR boost everyday (yesterday it came from Harvard Coach Ronn Tomassoni and BC Coach Steve Cedorchuk). It features freshman Tripp Tracy, the second-best goalie in college hockey (statistically). And now it features junior defender Derek Maguire, who took the fall term off for personal reasons.

Maguire gives the Crimson added strength on special teams. He's providing a punch to a Crimson team that already packs a whollop with a 30 percent power-play and 85.1 percent penalty kill.

"Derek is a great asset for us. He's big and strong, and he's got a great shot," Drury said.

Tomassoni couldn't be more pleased that his burly Kirkland resident is back in action. "Derek's really talented. We've missed him," he said.

With Maguire as well as once-injured sophomore Steve Martins back on the roster, the Crimson finally has all its personnel together.

But is Harvard peaking at the right time?

Will it sweep the rest of its games, thereby guaranteeing itself a first-round bye in the NCAA tournament?

And will it steal the `Pot from Boston University which has owned it for the past three years?

Harvard held its first official practice in two weeks last night, so it's uncertain how the team feels as a whole.

Monday will be the test. Monday means Northeastern, a weak but potentially dangerous opponent. Monday means Boston Garden night, the home of Bobby Orr. And Monday, of course, means "tradition and emotion."

"I think our players have been in this position before," Tomassoni said. "We're going to make it our building."