NEW CANTON, N.Y., Dec. 9 -- The Harvard hockey team scored three goals in the final period to upset Eastern champions Clarkson in a vast, luxurious spine-tingler at St. Lawrence Appleton Arena, tonight.

A great goal-tending job by sophomore Bill Diercks, agressive checking by both defenses and all three lines, and unusually warm weather combined to give the Crimson the first and hardest half of a sweep that seemed impossible before tonight.

Temperature in the high 50's cracked the ice at Clarkson's home rink, in Potsdam N.Y. So the game was shifted to St. Lawrence where the rink is a familiar size to the Crimson, and where a host of fiery Larrie fans showed up to root against their arch-rival Clarkson.

The Golden Knights jumped to a 1-0 lead on Jack Levitt's goal after 7 minutes of the first period, but Harvard came right back with three goals of its own.

Tag Demment put Harvard in the ballgame at 8:57 with his long wrist shot from the left point homed in between the near posts at goalie John Miller.

Five minutes later, Peter Waldinger skated out from the left corner, picked up a blocked center, and snuck inside Miller again.

The evening's prettiest score came at 17:25. Kent Parrot took a Dennis McCullough pass near the blue line and when two defensemen hit him he slipped the puck into the middle. Defenseman Don Grimple beat a back-checking wing and when he was ridden off he layed the puck back to the hustling Parrot, who flipped it into the upper right corner from 15 feet.

The Golden Knights controlled the second period with their big fast forwards, mounting drive after drive. Diercks held them off until 10:39 when Jerry Emond banged in a rebound on his second try from the green crease to knot the score.

Waldinger restored the lead 56 seconds later when his centering pass glanced in off the goalie.

Clarkson tied it up once more, on a deflective puck flip shot two minutes in the third period. Then Harvard pulled away.

Third line wing Chip Otness hit the post with a shot, picked up his own rebound, and passed to Bobby Bauer from behind the net. The sophomore center creamed the puck from the crease for the winning tally.