Harvard's varsity hockey team played lackadaisically for two periods last night and then failed to beat Vermont goalie Dave Reece with five minutes of consecutive shots on net. The result was a 3-2 victory for the Cats that Vermont fans will probably talk about long after Reece has graduated.

Harvard carried a slim 2-1 lead into the final period, but Vermont had not offered a single threatening offensive rush throughout the first two periods. The Cats never did mount that challenge, but two careless defensive plays put the Crimson behind before the third period was two minutes old.

The Crimson hit the post, rolled the puck on the goal line, and had Reece sprawled on the ice in the final minutes, but Harvard had waited too long.

Harvard's sophomore line opened the scoring in the first two minutes of play. Right wing Bill Corkery and center Bob McManama worked a give-and-go at the blue line, spinning the defenseman, and Corkery put the shot into the top of the net from the right side. The sophomore winger has now scored in five consecutive games.

Vermont capitalized on a Crimson mistake at 13:50 of the first period to tie the match. Right wing George Minarsky intercepted a sloppy clearing pass at the Harvard blue line and fed center Tom Crane on a breakaway. Crane slid the puck under Durno from point blank range.

Neither side played impressively in the second period, and Harvard did not take the lead again until 13 minutes into the period. The play began with Joe Cavanagh firing a shot wide from the blue line. Wing Cooch Owen dug the puck out from behind the net and hit Cavanagh in the crease. Reece had no chance to stop the shot.

Cavanagh Responsible

Cavanagh was also responsible for Vermont's tying goal in the third period. The Cats' Pat Wright took the puck right off his stick in front of the Harvard net and cleanly beat Durno.

On Vermont's next rush the Crimson defense failed again. Wright went behind the Harvard net for the puck. He beat the lone Harvard defender and cleared the puck to sophomore Fred Hunt while the Crimson team watched. Hunt tipped the shot into the net unmolested.

The third period remained a comedy of errors for the Crimson. Harvard held the puck in the Vermont end but open men were continually ignored, centering passes misjudged, and shots misdirected.

Tripping

With four minutes left in the game, Harvard's Tom Paul went off the ice for tripping and the Crimson cause seemed lost. But Cavanagh and Cwen kept the puck in the Vermont zone for two straight minutes. Reece made three great saves on Owen and got help from the post on a shot by Dan DeMichele.

Crimson coach Cooney Weiland pulled Durno in the final minute and put his first two lines on the ice. The six forwards fired six shots on net but never ruined the Vermont fans dreams. At one point, Dave Hynes dribbled the puck past Reece, but a Vermont defenseman cleared it as it rolled along the goal line.

Reece made 41 saves in the game, 19 in the final period. Durno stopped 13 shots in a losing effort.