An A-Okay Power Play

Before scoring the goal that gave the Harvard hockey team a 4-3 win over Boston College Friday at Bright Center, Ted Donato was like a kid waiting to open his Christmas presents...

The score has been tied at 3-3 since late in the first period. The game is in overtime, and on the Crimson bench Donato cannot stay still. No sitting patiently while teammates Lane MacDonald, Allen Bourbeau and C.J. Young are on the ice for the Crimson attack. Donato is on his feet, bouncing up and down. One more line, and he will get his turn.

Donato gets his chance, and then another. He feeds a few passes to linemates Tod Hartje and John Murphy. No luck. Boston College's goaltending machine, David Littman, just keeps batting the puck away.

Less than two minutes remaining in the sudden-death OT, and Donato steps onto the ice for the third time. B.C.'s Mike Mullowney has been called for kneeing, and Harvard is going with its five-forward power play. Donato is playing point with Bourbeau.

Time winds down. Thirty-seven seconds left. Mullowney is straining against the door to the penalty box. Bourbeau passes to Donato at point. Slapshot. Red light. The Crimson team mobs Donato at center ice.

"I was a bit excited because I had a couple of chances in overtime, but I didn't connect on them," Donato said. "The goalie played a really good game so it was just a matter of keep on shooting and hope one of them makes its way through."

Donato also had some chances in regulation. Littman stopped up a slapshot on a second-period power play and cut short a pair of Donato-Murphy combinations in the third period.

Then came the power play.

"Al made a nice play over to me, and I had an open first shot," Donato said. "[Eagle forward] Steve Heinze kept sliding out to me. I just wanted to get it by him and make sure I got it on net."

With the give and take between Donato and Bourbeau one wouldn't know that they weren't used to playing behind the blueline. The positions are new to them this year and sometimes uncomfortable.

"Sometimes it is [an adjustment] because I think Al and myself have a forward mentality so we're always thinking of going forward," Donato said. "Sometimes we get caught in compromising positions playing defense."

No time to get caught Friday. The game seemed to be 7