BROOKLINE:--The Boston College women's ice hockey players know how to skate.

At least a few of them do.

Last night at McHugh Forum, Harvard plucked the Eagles, 10-0. The Crimson scored every way but short-handed and even earned a couple of good chances two men down.

B.C. was awful.

Harvard, not a strong offensive team, launched a barrage of shots and probably should have scored more than 10 times. The icewomen didn't match their offensive output of last year's 12-0 contest or the 13-2 blowout of two years ago.

But there was satisfaction after Saturday night's overtime loss to Brown, 3-2.

"We needed that," Harvard Coach John Dooley said after the B.C. game. "We're a young team. We needed to regain our confidence. We've been hitting the iron and we're going to hit it again Thursday."

The iron is Northeastern, the toughest team in the area. The last two years Harvard has been drubbed in the regular season by its crosstown foes, but has rallied in February to earn crucial Beanpot victories over the Huskies.

Taking last night off to rest for the big game was senior All-Ivy goaltender Cheryl Tate. In her place in the Crimson net was three-year backup Tracy Kimmell.

Kimmell, usually relegated to opening and closing one of the Crimson bench doors during games, came through in her first start. The junior posted six saves en route to the shutout and upped her career totals to 204 minutes played without a goal allowed.

The Eagle netminders didn't have things so easy. Here are the gory details:

After a long offensive surge, center Pam DiRubio broke open the scoring with a stuff shot four minutes into the contest: Picking the puck up behind the Eagle net, the freshmen skated in and jammed it past the left post.

A few minutes later, senior Kathy Carroll shot the puck off what seemed to be everyone in the arena's stick to earn the second tally. Half a period later, after a Carroll face-off win, right wing Kelly Landry pumped the puck between the goalie's legs, Goal three.

With 1:17 left, the Crimson's usually unused third line got into the act as Genie Simmons notched the fourth score.

In the opening minute of the second stanza, Landry got a nice feed from her left wing. Co-Captain Diane Hurley, and twanged the twines. Six minutes later, the third line came through again. Simmons took a pinpoint Chris Dooley pass and fired it home for goal number six.

After a pair of Harvard penalties presented Kimmell with her first and only serious challenge, the Crimson onslaught slowed.

At 3:25 of the final period, a B.C. penalty gave Harvard its first power play opportunity. The number one line took 10 seconds to convert it. Hurley did the honors, scoring off a Landry behind-the-net feed.

With another Eagle in the sin bin six minutes later, the Crimson tallied again. Landry completed her hat frick after two complete passes from linemates Hurley and Carroll set her up perfectly. The tally gave the junior six on the year to lead the team.

When the same line took its final shift later in the period, it produced two goals in two minutes. Hurley and Carroll each picked up their second goal of the night as the Crimson scoring machine picked the Eagles apart.