Big Green Invasion, But Too Big?

Here's an item from the "betcha didn't know" men's ice hockey file: of the 37 opponents that have visited Cambridge during Harvard Coach Bill Cleary's 17 years, only Dartmouth and Cornell (both 8-7-1) have posted winning records against the host Crimson.

Tonight, Harvard (6-1 ECAC, 5-0 Ivy) hopes to shorten this alreadybrief list when Ivy rival Dartmouth (2-3, 2-2) visits Bright Center in the Crimson's final contest before the Christmas break.

When these two teams last met, November 28 at Hanover, the Big Green proved to be an unfriendly host. Dartmouth played a rough game and tried to alter Harvard's skating game. The penalty box was a "standing room only" affair. It almost worked.

Dartmouth, led by Derek Tweddell's two goals, came back from a two-goal deficit in the second period to tie the game, 3-3. Harvard, however, shut down the Green in the final period and won the game, 5-3.

"Hopefully, we can play as well as we did at home," Dartmouth Coach Brian Mason said. "Harvard's a talented team and we haven't played since [the game at Hanover]."

As a result of St. Lawrence's 2-1 win over Clarkson Wedsneday night, the Saints (6-1) moved into a first-place tie with the Crimson. With St. Lawrence idle this weekend, a Harvard win tonight will not only give the icemen sole position of first place in the ECAC, but also keep the Crimson four points ahead of third-place Colgate (5-1), who edged Cornell, 5-4, Wednesday in Hamilton, N.Y.

But if Harvard is to regain first place in the league, it will have to do so without injured freshman and leading goalscorer John Weisbrod (4 goals, 3 assists, 7 points)--a member of the first line. Andy Janfaza (1-1--2), who previously centered the Crimson's fourth line, will take over Weisbrod's wing spot. Junior Craig Taucher replaces Janfaza as center for the icemen's fourth line.

Despite the loss, the fact that the Crimson is playing at Bright for the first time in three weeks will certainly help Cleary's troops.

"It's been a while," Cleary said. "We're looking forward to it."

Cleary can also look forward to a tough Harvard defensive unit, anchored by Don Sweeney and Jerry Pawloski. The defense has made life much easier for Crimson goalies because it has not given opposing teams a good selection of shots.

Senior goalie John Devin, who returned to action last weekend, should assume his starting position, impressively filled by freshman Michael Francis. After a good performance in upstate New York (two games, 44 saves), Devin showed he has fully recovered from an injury sustained in the exhibition game against the U.S. Olympians.

Offensively, Harvard has certainly spread around its goal production. Sweeney leads the icemen with eight points, while Weisbrod and sophomore C.J. Young are right behind with seven points. Seven other players have five points or more. Sophomore Tod Hartje (2-4--6) and freshman Peter Ciavaglia (1-5--6) both had good weekends in New York.

"I think it speaks so well for what the team has done so far," Cleary said.

A two-week inactive period could cause some problems for ninth-place Dartmouth, as it tries to even its league record and move up a notch in the standings. But it sure won't affect its intensity level.

On Fire

"I'm sure they're going to be sky-high to play us," Cleary said. "They're a vastly improved team."

Mark Glover (1-4--5), Paul Rai (3-1--4), and Derek Tweddell (4-0--0) direct a Dartmouth offense that has averaged only two goals per game. Much more can be said about the goaltending tandem of Steve Lauren (2.54 goals-against average, .910 save percentage) and Tim Osby (2.34, .916). Dartmouth does not have the offensive firepower to match Harvard's, but the Green can create problems in its own zone.

"We're going down [to Cambridge] to win," Mason said. "Our players play with confidence. Hopefully, we can display this confidence on the road."