There was 3:47 remaining in the third period. Harvard led Northeastern 10-2. (Ten to two.) Really. And finally, the small but respectably vocal contingent of Crimson fans in the balcony decided it was safe.

"Gooooooooood-baaaaahhhh Huskies...Gooooooood-baaaaahhhh Huskies...Gooooood-baaaahh Huskies, we're glad to see you go."

The chant wafted out over the Garden ice last night, gently settling on the Crimson skaters savoring the magic moments almost nobody expected, over the top-ranked college hockey team in the East, now humiliated, going through the motions and waiting for the agony to end, and finally coming out to rest on the sparkling eyes and iridescent dome of William J. Cleary, who had been waiting for this one for a long, long time. He grinned, clenched his fists in victory, and then applauded lustily.

It was that kind of night. For once, the ritual incantation of "Jeez the puck just wouldn't go in for us," did not echo through a sonber Crimson dressing room. Instead, backslaps and shouts of congratulations prevailed. When quiet occasionally did intervene, it was the sound of quiet satisfaction.

"I'll tell you, I loved it," the Crimson coach told a small forest of microphones and tape-recorders. "It's been going the other way for too long."

Trapped in a season of frustration, when even strong efforts had produced only the negligible solace of milimeter-slim margins of defeat, the Crimson looked to last night as a chance for salvation. They wanted to prove something to themselves and, less important, to everyone else. They did both.

Harvard did not go into last night's Beanpot opener awed by Northeastern's 13-2 record (best in ECAC), its number four national ranking, its glowing press notices and glorious scoring stats. When the two teams, met November 25 at Boston Arena, the Huskies won, 11-5, in as sloppy, as poorly played a game as they come.

But the Crimson came away embarassed, not impressed. And so the icemen did not resort to gimmicks, trick strategies, computer-analyzed line match-ups. They just went out, skated hard, forechecked, backchecked, and made the most of their chances. And they blew the Huskies away.

"We just played our game," Greg Olson said. The difference was, everything worked. The passes that were just a little behind the man--were pulled in, onsides. The shots that just missed--were converted on the rebound. The 2-on-1 breaks that used to bring one pass too many--ended up in the net. There was always someone back on defense, just in case. And all game long, Harvard's men were just a stride ahead of Northeastern's.

The results were golden, or rather, glowing red. While Wade Lau remained steady in the Crimson cage, the Huskies' George Demetroulakas--and, after 26:24, Mark Davidner--allowed nine goals in two periods. The goals were as varied as they were frequent: a delicate Britz tip in' a patented Mark Fusco meteor; a Mike Watson rebound; a Turner 2-on-1 conversion; a high-wire shorthanded act by Olson, the puck possessed as it burrowed into the net while Olson slid into the boards.

From Tom Murray, the senior captain who turned in an outstanding game despite evident wear and tear, came the observation felt by anyone who has followed Harvard hockey: "The breaks just came our way...and once we went ahead, the confidence just snowballed."

Did it ever, Not since Harvard rapped the Huskies 9-0 five years ago had the Beanpot seen such devastation. It was a far cry from last year, when the Crimson pulled away to a quick 3-0 over heavily favored Boston College, only to see it dissipate, disappear and dissolve into a gut-wrenching 4-5 defeat.

"I remember that," said Murray. "I remember 11-5, 14-5 as a freshmen, over time losses." Did this make up for it all?

"Not quite. Wait 'til next Monday."