The Bear Fact: Icemen Roar, 10-1

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Three weeks ago, the Harvard hockey team met Brown minus Olympians Lane MacDonald and Allen Bourbeau and edged out a 3-2 triumph.

If Brown was expecting the same team to take the ice here at Meehan Auditorium last night, it was certainly in for a suprise. And not a pleasant one.

MacDonald waited until the third period to let the Bruins know he was back, exploding for a final-period hat trick to push Harvard to a 10-1 victory in front of 1050 spectators. All three goals were assisted by Bourbeau.

The double-digit win was Harvard's first since an 11-3 triumph over Cornell in the 1985-86 season, and kept the Crimson (7-0 overall, 6-0 ECAC, 5-0 Ivy League) at the top of the ECAC standings.

With Harvard up, 6-1, at the 8:10 mark of the final period, MacDonald took a Bourbeau pass at a tough angle on the bottom right circle and found the far corner of the net. Bourbeau and Peter Ciavaglia fed MacDonald's next goal on the power play, and junior C.J. Young teamed up with MacDonald on a two-on-one to seal the hat trick.

Bourbeau racked up five points with four assists and a short-handed tally that kicked off a five-goal third period for the Crimson.

"Let's face it," Harvard Coach Bill Cleary said. "[Bourbeau and MacDonald] are tremendous hockey players. But we're not just a two-guy hockey team. We have more strength up front this year."

Brown goaltender Chris Harvey knows about Harvard's scoring strength. He did not have a fun evening. Harvey batted away 49 shots in the game, but even that rather large total won't salvage his save percentage after the Crimson scoring spree.

Young made an easy stuff of a Ciavaglia pass on the power play for a 1-0 Harvard lead 1:58 into the game. Sophomore John Weisbrod scored the eventual game-winner, and Ciavaglia expanded the Crimson advantage to 3-0.

The penalty box was a bit crowded at the start of the second period, with three players from each team taking time out for roughing. Harvard eased through the three-on-three situation, then woke up Harvey with a little bunt at the 8:53 mark. Junior John Murphy took two swings to bat in a deflected Tod Hartje shot for a 4-0 Crimson lead.

Harvey wasn't happy--he broke his stick over the Bruin goal in protest. But the worst was yet to come.

"It was really frustrating with this type of game," MacDonald said. "We really wanted to score and put the game away. All around it was a solid effort."

Mike Francis used the the Harvard net as a backstop, catching most of his 35 saves and allowing only one Bruin goal to slide in. Freshman Mike Brewer knocked in a Brad Krieck pass 10:21 into the second period and Brown trailed, 4-1.

But Weisbrod dumped in his second goal of the game at the 14:25 mark and once again Harvard was cruising.

"We're capable of scoring, we could be dangerous," Cleary said.

THE NOTEBOOK: Junior Ed Krayer scored Harvard's ninth goal off a deflected Kevin Sneddon shot...Sneddon, a freshman, tallied his first, second, and third career points, all on assists...Junior Kevan Melrose was hit in the head when he dove for puck in the third period, and sat out the rest of the game...The Crimson killed seven penalties...Harvard hosts Colgate Friday night at Bright Center and Cornell Sunday afternoon at 2.