Fighting to the last bell, the undefeated University hockey team went down to a 1-0 defeat last night at the hands of the St. Patrick's seven of Ottawa. A rebound from the stick of Holmes, Crimson goaltend, was responsible for the only break in an otherwise flawless record.
Two periods of nip-and-tuck scrimmaging left both sides scoreless, and when G. Burnett, playing at center for the visitors, lifted a long shot from mid-ice towards the Crimson net, a tally seemed little likely. The puck took a sharp rebound from the back-boards, however; Holmes caught the rubber on his stick to pass, it down the ice, and an unfortunate twist lodged it safely in the net. No opponent was within ten yards when the play occurred.
Apart from that single bungle, the work of the Harvard goal was unsurpassed. Three times, almost within as many seconds during the second period, he parried the shots of the Canadians from within arm's reach of the Harvard cage. Time after time, only his quick stick play and daring dashes out on the ice saved further scoring. The same game which was marred by a fluke score from Holmes's own stick was also enlivened by an exhibition of goal-defense work which has not been equalled in the new Arena this winter.
Aggressive tactics and vigorous body-checking characterized the entire contest, keeping excitement at a high pitch, though slowing down the Crimson team play to a notable extent. Absence from the line-up of Buntin and Emmons, the left half of the regular forward quartet, seemed to have little effect in hampering the Crimson offensive.
Bigelow and Owen Threaten
Though the final set-to presented the most rugged battling, it was during the opening period that the University presented its strongest threat. Captain Bigelow and Owen in several successive journeys down the rink kept the Canadian defense on edge, while Snelling, playing a brilliant, but erratic game at center, was a constant menace. Twice during the initial frame Holmes was hard put to keep the rubber away from the University goal, the offensive drives of Guillet and G. Burnett for the visitors proving especially powerful.
The climax of the second period came when a tangle of a dozen players at the side of the Crimson cage degenerated into a pig-pile and completely overturned the net. Football tactics were in order from first to last, the clever blocking of Humphrey and Owen on the Crimson back-ice proving one of the features of the battle. That pair of gridiron stars stepped into the hardest shots fearlessly, and put up a stone-wall opposition to the visitors' advance. Their checking defense was superb and without exception every Canadian forward who broke through the line for an individual attack ended his career on the boards.
The summary: Score St. Patrick's 1 Harvard O. Goal by G. Burnett. Penalties: Bremot, 2 min, unnecessary roughness; Owen, 2 min., illegal check; Bigelow, 2 min, tripping. Referees: George Gan, Fred Roeque. Goal umpires: Rocca, Edwards. Time, three 15 minute periods.
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