Looking For Luck

BOSTON--"Say it ain't so, Joe." Why is it that bad things always happen at the worst possible times?

The Beanpot--parents dream of having their sons skate onto the same ice as the Boston Bruins. Fans dream of hanging onto the same boards which have been banged into by professional players. More importantly, however, the players get to have their dreams come true.

"I don't think that you can compare the Beanpot to any other game," senior goaltender Tripp Tracy said. "That's what is so special about it, and that's why it provides such a great opportunity for the players who do get to play."

Coming off a stellar weekend of hockey, the Harvard men's hockey team was pumped and prepared for the Beanpot. Then, just as the baseball world could not believe it when the beloved Shoeless Joe Jackson was found cheating, the Harvard fans and players could not believe that three of their leaders, their seniors, would have to sit out the first round match of the Beanpot.

The nemesis--plain 'ole bad luck.

Three days before face-off in the new FleetCenter, senior Tommy Holmes was shoved into the RPI goal-post and suffered a severe Charlie horse.

Then, less than 24 hours before the game, five Harvard players--on their way home from a team dinner--were almost killed on Memorial Drive after getting broadsided by another vehicle. In retrospect, we can all take a deep breath and be thankful that the car crash wasn't as bad as it could have been.

On the other side, however, had bad luck not interfered, the Crimson could have enjoyed a better fate last night. Tommy Holmes, Brad Konik and Pete McLaughlin. 'Nough said.

Their importance to this team is mind-boggling. Not only do Konik and Holmes lead the team in scoring with 30 and 18 points, respectively, but they also constitute Harvard's first line. Kirk Nielsen, the other member of the first line, suffered a separated shoulder in practice last week.

And although he did play last night, Nielsen was definitely in pain and not at 100 percent. McLaughlin, despite being one of the main power-play defensemen, has acted as the mainstay on this squad. By sitting out for the Beanpot semi-final game, McLaughlin ended his streak of 114 consecutive appearances.

Even more importantly, however, is their emotional impact on the young Harvard team. The senior leadership has been unsurpassed. Konik's quiet, yet profound demeanor, Holmes' pesky, never-give-up attitude and McLaughlin's defensive stability have allowed this team to succeed.

Their absence last night was visible in the 4-1 result. But let's give the team credit--they fought valiantly.

"Obviously we can't control what happened last night," Tracy said. "But the only thing we could do to help them out was try and get them a game next Monday in the finals, but unfortunately we couldn't do that."

There is no blaming them. After having five of your teammates and friends barely escape death the night before, a hockey game can seem insignificant.

"Everyone was kind of taken aback by it," Harvard coach Ronn Tomassoni said. "It certainly puts things in proper perspective."

The Beanpot is a pretty great event, but in the end it is only a game and, thankfully, Holmes, Konik and McLaughlin will be around to enjoy many more of them.

So to the Harvard fans--cry no tears because the season will continue, and in the end, the Beanpot is nothing but a bunch of hype over bragging rights. The main goal is the ECAC title, and hopefully soon the bad luck will stop and Harvard will find its own field of dreams.