Huskies Nip Crimson Six 4-3 in Overtime

At 7 p.m. Saturday, roly-poly Ray Picard was all that stood between the Crimson hockey team and an eight game undefeated record.

At 9 p.m. he was still standing, and the Crimson was down and out. Final score at the Arena: Northeastern 4, Harvard 3, in overtime.

Pieard put on the flashiest performance of the year in the nets for the Riskiest, bricking no less than 46 shots, 25 in the last period.

But he was given a good deal of help it must be admitted by a Husky team which cut hustled the Crimson most of the way, and especially by a hand fittings defenseman and brawler need 1 cute McNamara. The Crimson played well; the Huskies often played better.

Except for the first period, which opened in a rush, and kept getting faster and faster, the Huskies played mainly a defensive game, as Brad Richardson's more 24 saves would indicate. But the Crimson, falling to capitalize at enter-ice, seldom got its usual smooth team play working and event occasionally, did not handle the rebounds well.

Northeastern made the breaks in the first session and had a two to nothing lead before the Crimson, although it was forced to start faster than usual, could score. At 15:24, Captain Walt Greeley, for once free of the bothersome McNamara, pushed a loose puck between Picard's legs, after Dick Clasby's shot had been blocked.

The second period was rough enough, with three penalties called, two on Harvard, but despite several furries, neither team could manage a score. Again Picard's saves made the difference, with McNammara's stalwart defensive play con- tributing

A screech from start to finish was what the final period sounded like. North eastern appeared to be tiring, the Crimson to be playing much smoother, and at 10:00, second line center Doug Manchester slammed in a bouncing rebound, with as assist from Norm Wood.

Manchester Solo

Three minutes later, Manchester made the pretest dash of the night. Taking the puck through four men, he faked picard to the left, and pushed it in to make the score 3 to 2 for the Crimson. Crimson supporters took it easy, as picard had to ward off a barrage of shots.

But Scott Cooledge went to the penalty box at 14:57, and a minute latter, with the Crimson one man down, Jim Champion broke away at the Crimson blue line, and beat Richardson. Harvard carried the play in the last minutes, but it ended in a tie. Exactly 35 seconds after the overtime period started. Husky center Dick Smith booted in a loose puck, and the game was over.

In general, the Crimson's usual luck did not seem to be much in evidence, but even in top shape, the team would have been hard put to beat the Huskies, who played a fine game. The Crimson had not played since January 10.

Second game results were heartening, also, since second-rated B.C. took a 5 to 2 beating from Boston University. B.C. meets the Crimson February 11.

Crimson defensive work played for the break all the way, and never paid off. The loss of Job Bray may have hurt more than was evident, however, although Doug Manchester and Wood, on the second line, were the Crimson's biggest offensive threats