Crimson, Tigers Split Weekend Games

Harvard and Princeton fit an entire hockey game's worth of action into the third period Saturday night at Watson, which was only fair considering how little of interest happened in the first 40 minutes of the game, which Harvard eventually won, 6-3.

After the teams crawled into the third stanza tied at 1-1, the roof caved in on the 5-14-1 Tigers, as it always does, when the Crimson punched five goals past previously spectacular Princeton goaltender Robin Rollefstad to ice its fourth Ivy win in eight starts and raise its ECAC log to 8-6-2.

It's somewhat surprising that Watson's roof really didn't fall down, since everything else in the ancient rink was breaking during the course of the game. Harvard's special Depression-model scoreboard was trotted out of mothballs at the start of the second period when the more modern overhead board ceased to function, and one of the glass boards behind the Crimson goal cracked under the pressure of the third period, necessitating another punctuation of action.

Despite the fact that few people in the rink knew how much time was left in the periods, and notwithstanding the ice-rink repair seminar held at the start of the third, Harvard got what it came for, its second straight Ivy win in preparation for Wednesday's matchup with Cornell.

Crimson captain Kevin Carr was the only one on the ice who could solve the Rollefstad riddle with any regularity, and his tallies at 15:56 of the first period and :25 of the third kept Harvard in control until the Princetonians finally gave up the hunt.

Sandwiched in between Carr's goals was one by Tiger Gary O'Meara with 1:44 left in the opening stanza, a shot from an odd angle which carromed off Crimson netminder John Aiken's shoulder and tied the game at one apiece.

Rollefstad was called upon to make 17 saves in the first period alone (to Aiken's 16 for the game), but his reactions slowed late in the game as Harvard's George Hughes (at 5:47 of the third), Bill Hozack (6:51), Gene Purdy (7:47), and Dave Bell (9:47) followed Carr.

The Tigers crept to within 3-2 at 5:11 when John Van Sieclen slipped a rebound past Aiken, and again challenged at 8:48 when Barry Wihak's marker brought them close at 5-3, but the rally fell short.

Rollefstad finished with 37 saves, many of the spectacular variety, singlehandedly keeping the visitors in the game. Aiken, making his first start in goal for the Crimson this season, was equal to the task on a few breakaways and performed well behind the initially sluggish Harvard offensive.