Harvard's varsity hockey team collected its second Ivy League victory of the season last Saturday by trouncing Brown, 6-2, before an unusually sedate capacity crowd in the Bruins' Meehan Auditorium. The Crimson upped its record to 4-3.
Six different skaters tallied for Harvard. Junior Steve Dagdigian led his team with one goal and three assists, while the first line trio of Randy Roth, co-captain Bob Goodenow and Danny Bolduc collected seven points on two goals and five assists.
Dismal Record
The Bruins currently hold a dismal 1-6 record, with four losses in the Ivy League. They will have difficulty improving their standing this month when they face Cornell, New Hampshire, Providence and Boston University.
Harvard's Steve Janicek opened the scoring with a fluke goal at 14:41 of the first period, tallying on a 65-foot shot from outside the blue line. The puck hit goalie Jim Madich's stick and bounced up into the net.
Three minutes earlier, a Brown power play goal had been scratched because All-American Bruin defenseman Keith Smith was in the crease. Both teams went scorcless for the remainder of the period, and Harvard led, 1-0, after the first stanza.
Brown tied the score at 7:08 of the second period when junior defenseman David Given beat Crimson netminder Jim Murray with a shot from just outside the right face-off circle.
Harvard regained the lead within a minute, however, when left-winger Jim McMahon carried the puck around the back of the Brown net and scored from the left side of the crease, as the puck bounced of Bruin Rick Heimbach's leg past Madich into the net.
Two minutes later Goodenow set up Bolduc on a two-on-one break, but Bolduc's shot was ruled no-goal by the officials, who said the puck hit the front crossbar. Sophomore Kevin Carr tallied on a high shot from the right side at 11:02 to give Harvard a 3-1 lead going into the third period.
Brown's first-line center, Brian Stapleton, received a ten-minute misconduct penalty 45 seconds before the second period's end, forcing him to miss half the final stanza.
Dagdigian Scores on Rebound
Dagdigian collected his fourth goal of the season during a power play at 3:10 of the third period, tipping in a rebound after Madich had saved Roth's initial shot. Bolduc scored on a high shot from the left side into the far corner at 16:01 to give the Crimson a 5-1 lead.
Roth notched Harvard's final goal at 18:24 on a power play, and a subdued chorus in the crowd began singing goodbye to Brown coach Allan Soares. Bruin forward David Stevenson scored a token goal with 63 seconds left in the game, making the final 6-2.
Murray made 22 saves while Madich blocked 36 shots.
"Harvard's overall speed impressed me," Brown's Smith said-yesterday. "The forwards are not big but they're quick, and they took advantage of the opportunities we gave them.
"The officials did the usual incompetent ECAC refereeing job. They didn't favor Brown or Harvard, but they couldn't skate to keep up with the play, so that they didn't see the game," Smith added.
Harvard faces its next opponent, Minnesota, on December 27 in the St. Louis Invitational Tournament. The Crimson meets Notre Dame December 29, in South Bend, Ind.
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