One Season Down, Two to Go

Seven days before Christmas and the Harvard hockey team already has its present: a perfect record.

But whether the Crimson will be able to hold on to its unbeaten mark after Christmas remains an open question.

So far, so good.

Harvard is 11-0 overall and 9-0 in the ECAC. Few of the Crimson's games have given it much trouble. One at Cornell. One at Brown. That's all.

But from here to the end of the season, the schedule gets harder and the opposing teams--battling for playoff spots--get hungrier.

Real hungry if they're gunning for an undefeated Harvard team.

"Everyone wants to beat Harvard, whether we're 11-0 or 0-11," Crimson Coach Bill Cleary said. "They always want a piece of us. the more you win, the more difficult it becomes."

The Crimson won't practice again until the day after Christmas, and won't see action again until December 27, when it plays an exhibition game against a Soviet national team at Bright Center.

"It's important for the players to get home," Cleary said. "Some of these youngsters haven't been home since September. It's more important for them to go home--psychologically--than to participate in any practice you can have.

Harvard's ECAC schedule resumes on January 3 when Vermont and first-team ECAC goalie Tom Draper come to town. After Vermont, the Crimson plays RPI, St. Lawrence, Clarkson and Yale in the three-week stretch before exams. Then there's a two-and-a-half week layoff before the first round of the Beanpot tournament.

It's almost as if the Crimson plays three seasons: one before Christmas, one after Christmas and one after exams.

So far, so good.

Harvard's first season ended perfectly. Everyone's pleased.

"This team is special," Cleary said. "I don't know what it is exactly. It's that little extra. You can sense it. I think it started when we lost to Michigan State last year [in the NCAA Tournament Final]. We hadn't even gotten home when [the players] were talking about next year and saying, 'Hey, we can get back here again.'"

The second season starts after Christmas. It won't be easy.

The third season may prove to be the most difficult of all. Cornell, Colgate, RPI, Vermont, Clarkson and St. Lawrence will have seen the Crimson once. They'll know what to expect. They'll be gunning for the Crimson again.

And season three also brings the Beanpot and a first-round match-up against Northeastern. The Huskies are the worst of the four Boston teams in the tournament--and thus favorites to cop the 'Pot. Moreover, Harvard hasn't won its first-round game in five years.

But the Harvard players don't have to worry about that now. It's winter break. It's time to go home, to heal, to relax. Eleven and Oh. A nice present.