Yale Thrashes Icemen in Opener

NEW HAVEN--The Yale men's hockey team used a potent power play to knock off Harvard, 7-5, here in Ingalls Rink last night.

The Elis took advantage of four first-period Crimson penalties to post four first stanza scores from which the visitors could never recover.

All seven Yale tallies came on power plays.

Trailing 6-1 after two periods, Harvard (0-1) finally came to life in the season opener for both squads. The icemen had struggled through their only scrimmage a week ago against Babson and appeared lifeless in the second period here.

In the final 20 minutes, however, the Crimson (21-9-2 a year ago) displayed the form that made them ECAC finalists last season and the pre-season favorite to cop the conference title this year.

A pair of goals in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the third period pulled the visitors to within three goals, and the momentum turned decisively.

But Eli Eric Borg jammed a backhander past Crimson goalie Grant Blair (32 saves) just a minute-and-a-half after that, again giving the Elis a four-goal cushion. It was the fourth consecutive time Yale capitalized on a power play opportunity.

"We can't get all those penalties," Harvard Coach Bill Cleary said. "That's not our style, and it won't happen again."

"The penalties get you frustrated," Harvard Captain Scott Fusco (one, one assist) said. "I thought we were outplaying 'em."

But the two teams were never even. The contest was marred by 22 penalties, and each one--even if it didn't cost Harvard a goal--affected the flow of the Crimson's skating game.

When the Crimson did start buzzing the Yale net in the final period, goalie Mike Schwalb (32 saves) was good enough to hold off the final challenge.

Sophomore Lane MacDonald led the Harvard attack with a pair of scores. Linemates Fusco and Tim Smith chipped in a goal apiece as the first line netted four goals, three on the power play.

Senior Peter Follows added the last and only non-first line goal at the 12:49 mark on a long shot from just inside the blue line that Schwalb stopped and then let trickle in.

After falling behind in the first period, it looked as though the Crimson would never be in a position to mount a late rally.

The hosts cut off any hope of a second period Crimson rally when they killed off a two-minute Harvard double power play.

"We just stood there," Fusco said of the botched opportunity. "We got two men up and just think we're gonna score."

The fine penalty killing effort took the life out of the icemen and caused the decorum-minded home crowd to break into a long chorus of "Harvard Sucks."

Halfway through the first period, referee John Galipeau took control of the game. His officiating led to eight penalties, four on each side, and a penalty shot in the first stanza.

The Elis first goal came in an unusual fashion. During a Yale power play, Galipeau whistled Crimson defenseman Mark Benning for falling on a loose puck in the crease.

Galipeau awarded the home side a penalty and Yale's outsanding center Randy Wood (two goals, two assists) took full advantage of the opportunity. His feint put Blair down, and he beat him to the stickside at 10:13.

Twenty-eight seconds later, with Crimson defenseman Nick Carone in the penalty box, Eli Eric Borg took a long feed deep in the Bulldog end, sent Blair sprawling to the ice with a tremendous fake, and shot the puck in.

THE NOTEBOOK: The Crimson squares off against Brown tonight.