I remember the first guy the best, because he had that silly all knowing grin on his face.

Only moments before Greg Olson had scored the second Harvard goal of the opening period. It was one of the prettiest goals you'll ever see Tommy Murray slid a pass to Olson at center ice, the flashy winger took the puck all the way in on Husky goalie George Demetroulakas, and tucked it in the net on the fly.

The Boston Garden scoreboard read Home 2, Visitors 0, and the Crimson was well on its way to a shocking 10-2 win over Northeastern in the opening round of the Beanpot.

And then this guy arrived, late because he got stuck in traffic or maybe he's a B.C. fan or just because he's one of those people who is always late. And always wrong.

"Hoooo boy. It sure didn't take those Huskies long to bring it to 'emhuh' knew they'd bounce back. Of course, against a team like Harvard, you can't really tell, right?" And he broke into that self-assured laughter that is best left on the sit-come set.

"Uh. excuse me sir, "I broke into the aura of joyfullness, "but whatever might you be talking about?"

"Hey, who had the goals, anyway?" he screamed, disregarding my interruption. "Beadle? McDougall? Or was it 'Hell of a line, those three. Hell of a line."

"Sir," I continued, "the first goal was scored by Greg Britz. And the second, which you just barely missed, was scored by Greg Olson Harvard is the home team Harvard is ahead."

"Well, I know that, son. I was just what did you say?" he paused, finally taking a breath.

"I said, or at least tried to say, that Harvard is beating Northeastern, 2-0. Harvard, seven-game losing streak still intact, is beating Northeastern, 12-2 record and all.

He started for a minute, swallowing the grin all at once--no easy feat. Just then Harvard's Mark Fusco ripped a vicious slap shot from the point by a bewildered Demetroulakas. Home 3, visitors 0. Mumbling something about finding some popcorn to go with his pride, he pardoned and excused himself all the way to the aisle, disappearing into the crowd.

It was like that for much of last year's opening game in the Beanpot, a half-full Garden watching with disbelief slightly-regarded. Harvard seen the East's top-rated team searching for a puck to hide under. Late arrivals mostly B.C. fans, the real ways late to the Beanpot would glance at the end of the first period, and 7-1 in the middle of the second, and pity poor Harvard for having as Beanpot sported by a first-round encounter with powerful Northeast- ern.

You could only correct them and sit back and try not to get too excited as Olson added another goal. Michael Watson popped in two more and it went on and on until the Harvard fans were singing "Gooooodbahhh Huskies!" and Harvard had won the opening round, 10-2. Not since the Crimson rapped the Huskies five year before, 9-0, had a Beanpot crowd witnessed such devastation. Not since the year before, when Cinderella Northeastern won its first Beanpot, had they been so surprised.

It was Beanpot magic at its best.

In the second game of the opening round. Boston College handily dispatched with Boston University, leaving the Eagles with the enviable task of snapping the Crimson out of its Beanpot dream and back to reality. The Brahmins had had their day. There was little question in anyone's mind that the 1981 'Pot was at the end of B.C.'s rainbow.