Postponement of Beanpot Hurts Crimson Prospects

The old adage that every body talks about the weather but nobody does anything about if failed to hold true yesterday, on what would have been the first day of the Beanpot Tournament. The Harvard hockey team certainly wishes it had.

The decision took all four teams by surprise, and for Harvard it is little short of a disaster. It means three very tough games in four nights for the Crimson tonight in the Garden versus B.C. tomorrow at Bright Center against the top team in the Fast Providence and Friday, again at home against at way-tough Ivy rival Cornell Harvard still reeling from Saturday night's shutout loss at Yale in part because of minor injuries suffered by both Fusco brothers and Match Olson (All three will be able to play tonight.

The Postponement also creates some problems in Harvard coach Bill Cleary's plans for him goaltenders. He has been starting Giant Blair more frequently lately instead of fellow freshman Dick McEvoy, Blair will start to fight but that means he must skip a later game of play three tough teams in four nights. The prospect wearies Cleary, though Blair notes he handled similar situations when he played in Canada's junior leagues.

Cleary spent much of yesterday futilely trying to reschedule in Providence game for March 1. In November, Cleary had agreed to Flair Coach Lou Lamariello's request to change the game from early December to this week. Lamariello yesterday refused Cleary's request to change it again, even though Providence will play no other games within three days of that date.

The three coaches on the south side of the Charles yesterday had few complaints about the postponement. Said Boston University Coach Jack Parker why ask all the team bought hockey to come to the game on lousy weather.

Others Happy

"We don't mind it," agreed Len Ceglarski, coach at Boston College (B.C.) "We owe it to the fans."

The edict that decreed the postponement until tonight of the Beanpot's opening round was send out from the Garden around noon. According to Beanpot publicity director Joel Perlmutter, tournament organizers considered postponing the event as soon as the storm began, and decided for sure in midmorning when the snowfall projections increased.

Harvard Sports Information Director Jim Greenidge said yesterday that Crimson officials were annoyed not to have been consulted on the postponement decision. The last time a Beanpot game was postponed (the '78 final) the four schools athletic directors voted on the decision.

THE NOTEBOOK: Clearly has shuffled some lines for tonight's game... In an effort to balance his scoring attack, he moved starting winger Greg Britz to the second line, replacing him with Shayne Kukulowicz.