Icemen Score Practical Win By Tying Second-Place Yale

Technically, the Harvard men's hockey team hasn't won in New Haven since the 1976-77 season. Technically.

But Saturday's 1-1 tie before 6169 spectators at the New Haven Coliseum--where the Crimson is 0-2-2--was clearly a victory for the Crimson. With only a week left in the regular season. Harvard (8-7-2 ECAC, 8-11-2 overall) holds clear control of the race for the Ivy Division championship and the accompanying home-ice advantage in the ECAC quarterfinals.

"I kind of look at this as a loss for us," said Mike Gilligan, Yale's acting head coach. The Crimson can clinch the title by winning three of its last four games.

The first of those four contests takes place tonight, when the icemen travel to Durham to take on the University of New Hampshire. If the playoffs started today, the two teams would be opening a quarterfinal series at Bright Center.

New Hampshire netminder Bruce Gillies is tied with Harvard's Grant Blair for the second-highest save percentage in the Ivy League (91.4 percent).

Blair is streaking, as the Elis found out Saturday. The sophomore stopped 25 shots, many of them point blank, four of them in quick succession on a Yale breakaway just 5:15 into the game.

"He's as good as any goalie I've seen in the ECAC," Gilligan said. "He'll have to get my vote for the ECAC team after what he's done against us." Blair made 34 stops in Harvard's 2-1 victory over Yale February 4 at Bright.

The reason Harvard didn't win again Saturday was Paul Tortorella, Yale's senior netminder. Tortorella's 24 saves climaxed four years of stellar play against the Crimson. Last year, he shut out eventual NCAA runner-up Harvard, 5-0, in the Coliseum.

"I love playing Harvard," Tortorella said. "It's just a great night to put on a show. For a goalie, these games are kind of special."

Power Packed

With both goalies on their game and each team playing hard-hitting hockey, it took power plays to score the night's two goals. The Crimson got its score 15 seconds after Yale defenseman Gary Davidson left the ice for interference. Gary Martin passed from the boards to Ken Code just outside the crease. Code flipped the puck over to Jay North, who gloved it down and blasted it up into the inside corner before Tortorella could move across to stop it.

Eli right wing Matt Baab and Crimson defenseman Randy Taylor got in a tussle at 5:54 of the second period, and Harvard scoring leader Martin joined them in the penalty box 1:19 later for interference. Martin stayed in the sin bin just nine seconds, as Yale quickly cashed in on its four-on-three advantage.

Blair came out of the not to stop a Peter Sawkins breakaway, and freshman Sean Neely got the rebound off the boards and into the now-empty net.

Both teams had ample chances in regulation to take the lead, but Tortorella and Blair held firm. In comparison, the overtime period was uneventful, as the effects of three periods of hard-hitting began to tell.

The crash of boards echoed all night, but some of the toughest checking took place in mid-ice. Martin, who's listed at 6-ft., 2-in., 175 lbs. but plays a lot bigger, ripped the helmet off Yale center Morrie Tobin early in the first period.

H. Jay North (Ken Code, Gary Martin), 9:45; Y, Sean neely (Pete Sawkins, Mome Tobin), 7:22.

Saves--H, Grant Blair 9-7-6-3--25; Y, Paul Tortorella 7-9-6-2--24

Att.--6100

Ivy Division Race At a Glance

Harvard (8-7-2)

Feb. 21 at U.N.H.,

Feb. 24 vs. Cornell.

Feb. 25 vs. Princeton.

Feb. 28 vs. Brown.

Yale (8-9-1.)

Feb. 21 at Cornell.

Feb. 23 vs. U.N.H.,

Feb. 25 at Brown.

If the playoffs started today, it would be:

8. St. Lawrence at 1, R.P.I.

7. Providence at 2. B.U.

6. Clarkson at 3. B.C.

5. U.N.H. at 4, Harvard ECAC Standings Ivy Harvard  8-7-2 Yale  8-9-1 Cornell  6-11-0 Princeton  6-11-1 Brown  4-14-1 Dartmouth  2-16-0 East B.U.  13-4-0 B.C.  14-5-0 New Hampshire  12-6-0 Providence  11-7-2 Northeastern  9-8-1 Maine  6-13-0 West R.P.I.  16-2-0 Clarkson  12-6-0 St. Lawrence  9-8-0 Colgate  8-8-1 Vermont  5-12-1

At the New Haven Colissum Harvard  1  0  0  0--1 Yale  0  1  0  0-1

At the New Haven Colissum Harvard  1  0  0  0--1 Yale  0  1  0  0-1