J.V. Hockey Skates to 17-0-1 Season

For Harvard hockey fans the place to witness history in the making last Wednesday afternoon was Thompson Arena in Hanover, N.H. After a shaky start the Crimson skaters came to life and demolished the Big Green with five unanswered goals, dealing with the Dartmouth team in much the same manner as they have dealt with their opposition all season. Final score: Harvard 5. Dartmouth 2. More importantly, with the victory over the Big Green the squad finished the season with a 17-0-1 record.

Yes, Harvard has an undefeated hockey team--not the men's varsity, nor the women's squads, each of which have had up-and-down seasons, moments of excellence followed by frustration. But the men's J.V. squad this season has seen little but sheer dominance.

The names Dale Valiscenti, Doug Horton, Bob Poile, Tom Carr and Jack Burke will not go down in the annals of Harvard Hockey history as superstars. But largely due to their efforts, Harvard can now boast of its first undefeated hockey team in 70 years.

It's not easy to avoid losing over the course of an 18-game season, especially when, in the words of Valiscenti, "there are more players on the ice than in the stands." Instead of recognition, Coach Kevin Hampe points to the eight seniors on this year's squad as the motivation that brought success. "They were the controlling influence on this team--many of them have been together for four years now, and they have a lot of talent."

What motivated the seniors? Bob McDonald played varsity hockey for three years before this season. His explanation is simple: "Hockey is fun, I like the guys on the team, and the coach is a helluva guy." Team captain Valiscenti, a four-year J.V. performer, offers a different view. He recalls the playing conditions of two years ago, when Watson Rink had not yet been renovated: "We practiced that year on an outside rink at Brown & Nichols at 8 a.m. every day. It got pretty cold out there, and the seniors on the team have not forgotten about it. It brought the team together."

The J.V. team had plenty of youth as well, including freshmen Eddie Garden, Corey Griffin, Bob Starbuck, and Tony Visone. Echoing the sentiments of many of the younger players, Griffin says "I've played hockey for almost as long as I can remember. I was not about to give up the game just because I didn't make the varsity."

There was strength in the nets for this team, too, in the shape of junior Steve Better. "When we needed him most Steve always came through with his best saves." Hampe says.

Better, now the back-up goalie for Mark Whiston on the varsity, is likely to see his first varsity action this weekend.

But it is not often a J.V. player makes good on varsity. Having played four years on J.V., captain Valiscenti has never seen varsity playing time. Another standout senior, Horton, over the past two seasons has scored or assisted on a goal in 32 of 33 J.V. games. Valiscenti notes. "For a lot of the seniors we'll never play in a hockey game again. This season was our last chance to go undefeated."

18 games without a loss did not come easily. Playing in its fourth game, the squad squared off Dec. 9 against Merrimack, which already had 20 games under its belt. Faced with a 4-3 deficit with a little more than a minute left in the game. Hampe pulled Better out of the goal. Seconds later, Burke beat the goalie to tie the game.

There were other close calls. Against the Dupage varsity February 13 Crimson fell behind 2-0 to last year's division III national champs. Undaunted, McDonald opened the floodgates for Harvard when he drove home a penalty early in the second period. Forty minutes later Harvard had a 7-5 win and McDonald a hat trick.

"The team had a lot of talent, but each and every one of the players wanted to go undefeated, wanted to win." Hampe, who received the Bingham Award after captaining Harvard's 1973 hockey and baseball teams to the NCAAs, says.

"At the end of the season each player rated Kevin on a scale of one to ten for the coach evaluation form. Of the 23 guys on the team. Kevin got 23 tens--that's how much respect we have for him." Valiscenti adds.

"Although we have never gone undefeated we have a tradition of strong J.V. hockey squads." Hampe says. "This year we demanded a lot from the players at practice--it was tough, but it was worth it," he adds. Last year the team finished at 12-8. This year Hampe squad lived up to their tradition--and more. 1980-81 J.V. Hockey Season 3 at Northeastern 2  5 at Bowdoin 3 6 Boston U. 3  8 Dartmouth 3 6 at Exeter 3  7 Kent 2 4 at Merrimack 4  7 at Boston U. 2 9 Brown 5  7 Dupage 5 10 Teft 2  8 Yale 0 5 at Boston College 1  .7 at Andover 5 9 Budwelser 5  .8 Bowdoin 4 17 Taber 3  5 Dartmouth 2

FINAL RECORD: 17-0-1

FINAL RECORD: 17-0-1