So Sweeney headed for Cambridge, prepared by his years at boarding school for the academic load, and all set to join the other seven freshmen on Coach Cleary's squad.

What waited for him was yet another situation calling for quick adaptation.

Despite starting the year on defense, where he had played all his life, Sweeney soon found himself at forward, as Cleary experimented with different line-ups.

"When I was moved up it hit me hard at first--I like it much better on defense, 'Sweeney said. "But I knew the coach did it a reason. He wants to make every player into a better player."

"We tried Don at forward and boy can he shoot," Cleary noted. "It's nice to have versatile players, we consider that a great asset, it makes him a better player."

Now back on the blue line for good, Sweeney skates with Captain Brad Kwong. He has two goals and five assists on the season--including the gamewinning tally in Harvard's first meeting with Princeton and an assist in the Beanpot consolation win over Boston College.

Sweeney's aggressive play--he is one of the squad's leaders with 11 penalties on the season--reflects the drive of an athlete striving for a permanent niche in Harvard hockey. The competitive spirit, however, does not spill over to his relations with the other team members, particularly his fellow Yardlings.

"All of the freshmen really fit well together," Sweeney stresses. "There are seven of us, but it's not a competition. If you start having a competition, you're going to be fighting for four years."

Instead of feuding, the freshmen and upperclassmen have blended together to produce a stable, stimulating environment.

And Don Sweeney has adapted to that environment in a way that's got to make any Harvard hockey fan awfully glad that the latest of his many moves has brought him to Cambridge