Varsity Stickmen Thrash Rugged B.U., 7-4

Sophomore goalie Bruce Durno was the key last night as Harvard trounced B.U. 7-4 at the Boston Arena in a game which was marked by some rough B.U. conduct.

The game was marred by a play at 14:01 of the second period when B.U. forward Eddie Wright clubbed Durno in the head with his stick while the puck was at the other end of the rink. Fortunately, after being carried off the ice and examined, Durno was pronounced fit to play and finished up the game in the same spectacular style he had shown in the first period, ending with a total of 44 saves.

Harvard started poorly in the first period, with Durno rescuing the team several times. A B.U. penalty at 6:20 got the Harvard offense started, but the Crimson was thwarted on several scoring attempts by B.U. goalie Jim McCann.

The first goal didn't come until 10:19, when junior forward Jim Hornig slapped a shot into the B.U. nets from about 15 feet out with an assist from sophomore defenseman Dave Jones. Harvard then moved back to its defensive game, as Durno played brilliantly, stopping three consecutive breakaways by B.U. All-American Herb Wakabayashi.

Seesaw Action

The second period action went back and forth in the first few minutes while both goalies were making great saves. A Harvard penalty at 4:26 started the B.U. offense on a spree which ended in a goal at 7:35 after a barrage of shots on Durno.

Harvard retaliated at 8:36 with a beautiful full-rink rush by sophomores Dan DeMichele and Steve Owen, resulting in a DeMichele goal. Later in the period, Wright skated in on Durno and took a shot which Durno slapped off to the side, tripping Wright.

While the fans watched the players and referees skate to the other end of the rink, Wright got up, skated in front of Durno and swung his stick hitting him on the side of the neck. Action was stopped for several minutes while Durno was examined. Later in the period, B.U. forward Dick Toomey tallied on a breakaway to even the score at 2-2.

The Harvard offense finally came to life in a third period which was marked by several penalties and generally rough play. Sophomore forward Joe Cavanagh produced the first goal at 5:56 with B.U. shorthanded two men. He picked up the puck at the Harvard end and skated around two B.U. defensemen to dribble the puck in past McCann. A Terrier goal at 7:42 on a centering pass from Bruce Hatton to Wayne Gowing tied the score, 3-3.

After back-and-forth action, the Harvard offense suddenly exploded and scored three goals in 22 seconds to put the game out of reach for B.U. George Murphy scored the first with an assist from Dwight Ware. The sophomore line of Owen-Cavanagh-DeMichele then came on the ice and Owen scored twice, the first assisted by Cavanagh, the second by Cavanagh and sophomore Terry Driscoll.

Harvard cushioned its lead at 12:31 on a full-length rush by junior defenseman Chris Gurry while shorthanded a man. Both teams began to tire as the Terriers closed the scoring at 16:59 with Toomey netting his second goal.