Hockey: Princeton Falls, Beanpot Tonight

Jon Garrity's tally at 11:30 of the third period was the final necessary ingredient which propelled Harvard hockey to a 2-1 edging of the Princeton Tigers Saturday night at Watson Rink.

Harvard goalie John Hynes led the defense, rejecting 26 Princeton shots. Princeton's David Tweedy scored the Tigers' only goal at 17:21 of the second period, knotting the game at 1-1.

The Crimson held a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period on Rick Benson's goal.

Reinforced by the return of a swarm of injured regulars, the Crimson raised its record to 10-7 over-all, 8-6 in the ECAC (seventh place) and 4-1 in the Ivy League (first place).

Team captain Bryan Cook returned to the Crimson lineup for the first time since he suffered a broken jaw versus Boston University December 7. Cook, an excellent stickhandler and playmaker, made his presence known Saturday night as he assisted on Garrity's game-winning goal.

Junior winger Murray Dea, a terror in the corners and along the boards, has recovered from the strained ligaments in his knee. Freshman center Bob McDonald is also playing at full strength after dislocating his elbow in the St. Lawrence game January 3. Now, only defenseman Jack Hughes remains on the injured list.

"Hynes played an outstanding game," Gene Purdy, Harvard's stellar right winger said yesterday. "He made a number of key saves. We didn't expect to hold them to only one goal, Princeton has some potent goal scorers in the Tresham brothers (Bill and Craig) and in Frank Techar, and we held them scoreless."

This game was a defensive contest. Both goalies played strong games. Princeton goaltender Fred Cherne made 20 saves and gave the Crimson very little daylight to shoot at.

"It's nice having almost everyone back. As a unit we emanate confidence, and not so much individually," Purdy said.

Up and Up

"Our defense was one of our major pluses against Princeton. We played well defensively in our own zone. Our forwards backchecked effectively, aiding our defensemen," Purdy, a junior, said.

"We didn't score as much as we like, but that didn't bother us. We played with a lot of patience, and if a team is patient, opportunities will come. Our offense clicked at times, but we had trouble finishing off our plays. We are beginning to gel and we're waiting for a explosion," the Minnesota native said.

The victory over Princeton sheds reassuring light on the latter portion of the Harvard hockey season, which has not been bright lately. After losing to Boston College for the second time this season, 11-3, the Crimson plummeted to the nadir of their present campaign versus Northeastern, falling to the Huskies, 14-5.

Purdy said, "We have a major debt to settle against Northeastern." Tomorrow night in the first round of the Beanpot, Harvard has its chance at 6:15 at Boston Garden.