St. Lawrence Holds Off Harvard, 3-2

CANTON, N.Y., December 10--If misery loves company, Johnny Unitas and the Harvard hockey team should be fast friends now. Like the Baltimore quarterback four hours before, the Crimson fumbled away a golden chance for a rare sweep of Clarkson and St. Lawrence, falling to the Larries, 3-2.

Harvard outplayed the Flying Saints for the final two periods, but ran into a goalie named John Went who was as tough Saturday as the Green Bay defense has ever been.

A sign in St. Lawrence's crammed Appleton Arena read "Go Saints, God's on your side!" and the Larries' first goal bore out this theory. Captain Gary Croteau converted a face off in center ice into a fast break and got off a hard shot wide of the goal.

The puck hit the boards and rebounded directly back over goalie Bill Diercks's head. Wing Ralph Ferris couldn't have asked for a better setup for the first of his two goals on the evening.

The Crimson skaters, who had overcome an early Clarkson goal the night before, didn't seem terribly concerned, but it wasn't until the second period, with St. Lawrence a man down, that they could tie the score.

Defenseman Bob Carr picked up a blocked shot by Harvard wing Chip Otness and let fly from the face-off circle to Went's left. The shot clung to the ice and caught the lower left corner of the cage at 4:44.

Ferris tallied his second goal at 17:49 on a quick spin-and-shoot following a faceoff in Harvard ice. St. Lawrence drew two of the second period's eight penalties in the final 30 seconds, however, and the Crimson converted this two-man advantage to tie the game when the third period started.

Power Play

Coach Cooney Weiland's power play had Bobby Bauer centering for Dennis McCullough and Kent Parrot, with Ben Smith and Don Grimble on defense. Bauer and Smith hit the post and Went recorded four fantastic saves before McCullough picked up his own rebound skating across the goal to his left and whipped a 15-footer into the lower right corner.

Harvard kept pressing as play, reached the furious level of the preceding game with Clarkson. Jack Garrity and George Murphy put together good passes which they couldn't cap. Went made a diving glove save on a shot by Dwight Ware, Parrot's shot on a clean breakaway was tipped high, and the big goalie's frame filled the nets on a goal-bound screen shot by Carr.

Then when the Saints finally put together a charge as the Crimson changed lines. Bill McCaw scored. McCaw came in alone on a defenseman, and got off a shot from the edge of the faceoff circle that gave the home team the edge, 3-2.

Frustration

The game's final 11 minutes were sheer frustration for Harvard. Went blocked a shot by Carr he didn't even see. A play from Smith to Parrot to McCullough ended with the Crimson captain futilely banging rebounds from the crease into Went's pads.

Two minutes later Went kicked out a sure goal by McCullough. And with five seconds to play, Bauer's pass was inches beyond McCullough's stick at the crease.

Harvard goalie Bill Diercks, whose performance had provided the winning difference against Clarkson, continued his spectacular play, though he had to make only 25 saves, to Went's 35.