When Harvard men's hockey Captain Scott Fusco whips into the corner after a loose puck this season, he won't have to worry about being separated from his shoulder. Last year, that was a serious risk.

And when freshman defenseman Chris Biotti slams a Boston College Eagle into the boards at the Beanpot, he can be sure no stick will find its way into his eye.

Harvard icemen can play harder--and feel safer--this winter, thanks to recent perfections of hockey equipment.

After years of producing inadequate gear, manufacturers are now marketing drastically different--and much safer--equipment.

And Harvard is on the cutting edge of this revolution.

From face to foot, the Crimson is outfitted in spanking new, hi-tech garb this season.

"Everything's new," Equipment Manager Chet Stone says. "Everything's different. The game has changed a little bit--it's gotten a lot more physical. The old equipment just wasn't protective enough."

Or good enough for the Crimson, who need championship equipment for a championship caliber team.

Masking the problem

NCAA regulations require all nongoalies to wear protective face masks. Most teams use a simple wire shield, but no mesh of wires covers Crimson cheeks.

In fact at first glance, nothing seems to be covering the Harvard visages. But on closer inspection, nothing materializes into a deluxe unbreakable windshield.

The Itech "Face-Off Shield" is a solid, clear barrier made of Plexiglass-like material. Attached to the Crimson's Cooper helmets, the shield turns the puckster's headgear into a motorcycle helmet.

And more and more hockey players may resemble Hell's Angels in the future. "Last year we were the first that I know of to use the [Itech] masks," Stone says. While few teams followed suit at the time, Crimson Coach Bill Cleary predicts "more and more teams will be wearing it."

Fusco gives the mask full approval: "It didn't take me very long to get used to. There's no comparison [with the old wire masks] in vision."

Like a windshield, a face shield is prone to fogging up or shattering. The shield's manufacturer, International Forums, Inc.--never a company to let fog grow on its masks--has solved those problems by treating the shield with polycarbonate for strength and with an anti-fog inner coating.