That's One Tough Tiger

Down south there is an Ivy League school called Princeton University.

Like all other Ivy schools, except for basketball-crazed Columbia and Penn, Princeton has a hockey team.

For the last couple of years, Princeton hockey hasn't been that spectacular. In fact, Princeton owns the worst Ivy record (120-219-6) since 1954. The Tigers have won only two Ivy titles in 33 years and have never made the NCAA Tournament.

But mention Princeton to Harvard Coach Bill Cleary and he'll scratch his head and mutter something about how those pesky Tigers always play the Crimson tough.

"Princeton's a tough team. They've got a genuinely good team," Cleary said. "We've got to be ready to play them."

Cleary will point to last season when Princeton gave Harvard two of its toughest games of the year.

Saturday, while the rest of Harvard will crowd The Stadium for The Game, Cleary and his squad will travel down south to Baker Rink, Princeton's frigid, concrete temple.

The memories of last season's two games will haunt Cleary as much as that annual February tournament held in Boston Garden.

Last year around this time, Princeton visited Bright Center with a spectacular hockey player, John Messuri, and a strong, yet still mediocre ECAC team. For 50 minutes, the Tigers outplayed the Crimson, shutting out the hosts, 3-0.

The Crimson, not only losing to Princeton, but not being able to score at Bright against the Tigers? Can't happen. Has never happened. Since 1901, the Tigers have yet to doughnut the Crimson in Cambridge.

Were 76 years of history ready to crumble?

Last year, it almost happened, but Harvard's alarm clock went off with 10 minutes left in the final period. Princeton took some seats in the stands and watched the Crimson storm back with three goals to tie the game.

Overtime. Tod Hartje scored Harvard's fourth goal.

Coach Cleary let out a heavy sigh. Tough game. Big win.

When the Crimson traveled to Baker Rink, the situation wasn't that different. Harvard had problems. This time the Crimson couldn't find a way to escape the penalty box.

Harvard played most of the second period nursing a one-goal lead and trying to stop the Tiger power play.

Coach Cleary turned to the heavens for help. A quick prayer might give the Crimson a lift.

That lift came in the form of goalie John Devin--who had one of his best performaces of the year. With the Crimson doing the "Penalty Kill Shuffle," Devin kick saved, glove saved and saved the Crimson.

Appropriately, the game ended with Devin smothering a Tiger shot against the post.

Final score: Harvard 3, Princeton 2. The Crimson took the first bus out of Baker Rink. Just another tough game.

This year, the Tigers could be even tougher. Although they haven't won an ECAC game (they lost to Cornell and Colgate last weekend), the Tigers still have Messuri, who, next to Harvard's Olympic duo of Captain Lane MacDonald and Allen Bourbeau, could be the best forward in the league.

The Crimson is also riding a 10-game winning streak against Princeton. Streaks are hard to keep. The Tigers haven't defeated Harvard since February 1983, even though they have played the Crimson tough.

Saturday at Baker Rink, the Tigers could get the breaks. The streak could end.

Yet with MacDonald and Bourbeau expected to play this weekend, the streak has a good chance to continue. After warming up against Yale and Brown, the Crimson engine is ready to hit full speed.

"Because we were a little bit jittery [last weekend]," sophomore John Weisbrod said, "I think a good week of practice will get everyone healthy. It will be good for the team to get away from the home rink and try to get things together."

And if that happens, Princeton's tough luck will get only tougher.