Harvard squandered an early 3-0 lead as the Irish came around to tie the tilt in the third period. Then John Cochrane fired his second game-winning goal of the season at 13:07 of the final period to give the Crimson its sixth win of the season. Phil Evans, Bob Leckie, and Jon Garrity also had tallies for Harvard.
The icemen travel to Canton, New York tonight to face surprisingly tough St. Lawrence University. St. Lawrence, a perennial doormat in the ECAC, already has a 4-3 Division One record which includes a victory over Cornell. Last season the icemen de-canonized the Saints with a 10-0 sandblasting at Watson Rink.
THE NOTEBOOK: George Hughes went over the 100-point mark during the Holiday Tournament in Colorado Springs with a two-goal, two-assist performance. Hughes now has 102 career points, 11th on the all-time Harvard scoring parade.
Brian Banks made a go of it against the Crusaders' tough front line in the first half before fouling out in the second frame, as Michael Vicens and Ron Perry led Holy Cross to a 101-79 victory.
Then came the post-Christmas fireworks in Motor Vity, December 26 and 27. The fun started in the opener against 20th ranked Detroit, as Harvard ran to a 14-point halftime lead.
With the Motowners shooting a pitiful 27 per cent, the Crimson outrebounding the Titans 17-3 at one point, and the Harvard offense running like a well-oiled Cadillac, an upset was in the making.
That's when Detroit got in gear, sinking ten of 11 shots to outscore the visitors, 20-4, in the first five minutes of the second half. Led by Banks (28 points, ten rebounds, seven blocked shots) and Fine (15--yes 15--assists), Harvard stayed in the game throughout, but could not muster the final challenge needed for victory.
Despite a letdown from the loss, the cagers came back the next day against Long Island, leading virtually the entire game an route to their first road trip victory. The Blackbirds threatened near the end, but six unanswered Harvard points put the game away.
Roosevelt Cox banged home 16 points in his first appearance of any significant length this season, and Fine dished out nine assists.
For their efforts, Banks and Fine won berths on the All-Tourney team, while Brian was also named the best defensive player and Glenn walked away with a "Mr. Hustle" award.