Icemen Are One Step Away From Top

You can thank RPI for improving the Harvard hockey team's ranking in the national polls.

The Engineers did the unlikely last Saturday in Minneapolis, Minn.--they soundly defeated the University of Minnesota, 7-4.

The loss meant one thing for the Gophers: They would no longer be the number-two ranked team in the nation. In stepped Harvard to claim that honor in this week's USA Coaches' Poll.

The Crimson (11-0 overall, 9-0 ECAC, 7-0 Ivy League), the best team in the East, is now ranked second in the poll, behind top-ranked Michigan State (17-1). ECAC rival St. Lawrence (10-0) holds the third slot.

Mark January 13 on your calendar. That's when Harvard faces the Saints in Canton, N.Y.

A Young Leader: The battle for the top of the ECAC scoring list continues. Otherwise known as the C.J., Al, Lane and Pete Show.

With his six-point performance last Monday against Dartmouth, C.J. Young now leads the league in most points scored with 22. But linemate Allen Bourbeau is right behind Young with 21 points.

Don't forget Captain Lane MacDonald, Bourbeau's and Young's linemate, whose total of 19 points puts him in a third-place tie with another Crimson teammate, Peter Ciavaglia (5-14--19).

Overall, the Young-Bourbeau-MacDonald attack has combined for 68 points (29 goals, 39 assists) in 11 games.

No Goals Allowed: While the Harvard offense has averaged 7.2 goals per game in ECAC action, the Harvard defense has allowed only 16 goals in nine league games. That's an average of 1.8 goals.

The Crimson probably played its most impressive period of the year against Dartmouth. In the opening period, the Big Green took a total of nine shots, and only four of them went on target.

But look where Dartmouth took its shots (see accompaning chart). Not one shot taken from in front of the net was on target. And the Green took six shots from either the blue line or the neutral zone.

Goal of the Week: If the honor was called Goal Scorer of the Week, it would go to Young, who collected five tallies against the Big Green.

If it was called Clutch Goal of the Week, it would go to John Weisbrod, whose overtime goal against New Hampshire gave Harvard a 4-3 victory last Saturday.

But this week the honor goes to Nick Carone. The senior defenseman, with the help of Weisbrod and Ciavaglia, scored one of this year's best executed tallies in the Dartmouth game.

With Ciavaglia at the point and Weisbrod at the left circle, Carone cut down the middle of the zone, anticipating a Weisbrod pass.

Ciavaglia passed the puck to Weisbrod, who saw the cutting Carone. Weisbrod's pass traveled to the front of the net, and all Carone had to do was tip it in for the goal.

Air Crimson: The team takes off Friday for Finland and Sweden, where it will meet four Scandinavian teams in exhibition games. The last time Harvard went abroad was in 1983, when the Crimson traveled to Czechoslovakia.

The exposure to the international style of play--faster games more oriented to sharp skating skills--should prove challenging for Harvard, which has dominated its American opponents with its speed and passing ability.

"I should be good competition to play teams that rival our skating skills," junior Tod Hartje said. "We'll have to be sharper and quicker."

The Crimson returns to Cambridge on December 23, and will be on break until its home weekend against RPI and Vermont, January 6 and 7, respectively.

Lose, Then Cruise: Barely beating UNH last Saturday apparently taught the Crimson some humility--and made the team more prepared for last Monday's contest.

"We played terrible against UNH," MacDonald said after the Dartmouth game. "It wasn't a good effort at all for us. So we were ready tonight."

Carone added, "Everyone didn't know what to expect from New Hampshire. Rumors came down the pike that they weren't very good. We weren't there mentally. Tonight we were there mentally, and that's why we came out like we did." Harvard Hockey 11-0 Overall, 9-0 ECAC, 7-0 Ivy

Scoring

Player  G  GI  A  Pts  PenPM Lane MacDonald  10  11  12  23  6  12 Allen Bourbeau  10  5  18  23  8  16 C.J. Young  11  13  9  22  5  10 Peter Ciavaglia  11  5  17  22  12  24 Ted Donato  11  4  12  16  4  8 John Weisbrod  9  8  4  12  6  15 John Murphy  11  7  5  12  2  4 Nick Carone  10  5  6  11  5  10 Tod Hartje  11  2  6  8  4  8 Ed Krayer  11  3  4  7  0  0 Kevan Melrose  10  0  6  6  18  44 Ed Presz  11  3  2  5  7  22 Mike Vukonich  4  3  2  5  1  2 Craig Taucher  8  1  4  5  1  2 Scott McCormack  11  0  5  5  3  6 Paul Howley  11  2  1  3  3  14 Josh Caplan  10  0  3  3  4  8 Kevin Sneddon  9  0  3  3  3  6 Brian Popiel  4  0  2  2  0  0 Scott Farden  4  0  2  2  1  2 Timmy Burke  2  1  0  1  1  2 Brian McCormack  8  0  1  1  3  6 Rich DeFreitas  1  0  1  1  0  0 Greg Hess  0  0  0  0  0  0 Jimmy Coady  0  0  0  0  0  0 Totals  11  73  125  198  102231 Opponents  11  22  36  58  98223

Goaltending

Player  G  W-L-T  Min  Svs  P ct  GAA Mike Francis  2  2-0-0  120  57  .9701.00 Chuckie Hughes  5  5-0-0  309  118  .9102.14 Allain Roy  4  4-0-0  249  125  .930  2 .17 Totals  11  11-0-0  678  300  .9 30  1.95 Opponents  11  0-11-0  678  365.830  6.46

Goaltending

Player  G  W-L-T  Min  Svs  P ct  GAA Mike Francis  2  2-0-0  120  57  .9701.00 Chuckie Hughes  5  5-0-0  309  118  .9102.14 Allain Roy  4  4-0-0  249  125  .930  2 .17 Totals  11  11-0-0  678  300  .9 30  1.95 Opponents  11  0-11-0  678  365.830  6.46