Harvard Knocking on the Door of Greatness

When the meek inherit the earth, don't expect them to be given the keys to Bright Center.

The Harvard hockey team is not likely to relinquish its hold on greatness.

Last night the Crimson continued its rampage through the hockey world, destroying Dartmouth, 10-0, at Bright. Harvard wing C.J. Young scored five goals, three of them coming in a 48-second span when the Crimson was short-handed.

Harvard upped its record to 11-0 and its goal total to 73. The Crimson has beaten foes by scores of 9-1 (Cornell), 10-1 (Brown) and now 10-0.

Harvard has played only two close games--4-3 overtime victories over Boston College in late November and the University of New Hampshire last Saturday.

With its first third of the season concluded--the Crimson will not play another regular-season game until January 6--Harvard is the third-ranked team in the nation, and is likely to be number two when polls come out today. Except for B.C. and UNH, the Crimson's competition has not given it a decent test.

Harvard sports a major-league attack, spearheaded by ex-Olympians Allen Bourbeau and Lane MacDonald, the team's captain. Throw in Young, who upped his season goal total to 13, Peter Ciavaglia (5 goals, 17 assists, 22 points after last night's game) and a pair of stellar freshman goaltenders, Allain Roy and Chuckie Hughes (22 saves last night and his first shutout), and you have the making of a great team.

But how great? The greatest?

Better than the 1985-86 team that advanced to the finals of the NCAA Tournament and set a team scoring mark with 187 goals? Better than the 1986-87 team that reeled off 15 straight victories at the beginning of the season, won the ECAC Tournament and went to the NCAA Final Four?

How great?

"Right now we're better than the two clubs I went to the Final Four with," said Bourbeau, bathed in the glare of television lights in Harvard's locker room last night.

End of the Road

The Crimson squad which fell to Michigan State, 6-5, in the finals of the NCAA Tournament in 1986 is generally considered the best Harvard squad ever. It had a pair of superstars, Hobey Baker winner Scott Fusco and the nation's leading goaltender, Grant Blair.

On paper, this year's team is better. And it is beginning to prove it.

"This team is as good as any I've played on," said forward Ed Krayer, who as a freshman made up the famous "Killer B" line with Tim Barakett and Bourbeau in 1985-86. "The main difference this year is that we have four lines that can go. Our fourth line is as good as most teams' second lines. So we don't have to worry about depth."

Last year, Tod Hartje was the center on the first line. This year, he is the fourth-line center.

Wing Ted Donato, a sure star on any other club, is playing on the Crimson's third line. Donato has scored four goals and recorded 12 assists, which puts him in the fifth spot on the Harvard scoring chart.

Deep? If Harvard dug any deeper, it would be in China.

"The fact that we're winning is great," said MacDonald, a sophomore wing on Fusco's Firing Line in 1985-86. "The fact that we're improving is better. If we're going to be there in the end, we'll have to improve during the course of the year."

"It's hard to compare teams from different years," MacDonald added. "In terms of depth, this is as good a team as I've played on here. There's no weakness."

Defenseman Nick Carone, a fourth-line wing on the 1985-86 club, said it is too early to tell just how good this squad is. But he likes what he sees so far.

"We have a lot of young guys who are playing very well," Carone said. "We have Lane and Al back--we can't complain about that. We're having a lot of fun."

Harvard has scored 73 goals, an average of 6.6 per game. At this pace, the Crimson would have 172 goals at the end of the regular season, 15 shy of the record. Throw in a handful of post-season contests and this team has a good shot at the record.

MacDonald is making a run at Fusco's all-time goal-scoring mark of 240 points. After recording four assists last night, MacDonald has 23 points this year, and 188 for his career.

Harvard Coach Bill Cleary admires the confidence this club exudes. Even when it plays poorly, as it did against UNH last Saturday, it wins.

"To not play well and win--it's a sign of grit," Cleary said.

And as much as he enjoys the services of Bourbeau and MacDonald, Cleary knows his team would not be blowing out its opponents without a fine supporting cast.

"The thing that's pleased me is the way our defense is playing," Cleary said. "You can have all the forwards in the world, but if you don't get the puck to them it doesn't do them much good."

And Bourbeau and MacDonald? "They give us a dimension any team in the country would like," Cleary said.

Much has been given to this team--a polished power play manned by five forwards, a solid defensive corps, an explosive offense. Much is expected.

The hard tests will come in the new year.

Harvard will go on a working vacation over the holiday break. The Crimson will travel to Europe, where it will face teams from Finland and Sweden.

When Harvard returns, the cloak of greatness it has sown these last three months will be hanging in the closet. We'll see if it still fits.