But four minutes after that, Barakett pumped in another shot from close range to send the visitors into the locker room with a seemingly solid 2-1 lead.

But from then on, Draper proved why the standing ovation he received during pre-game introductions was well deserved.

He shut down the Firing Line--minus sophomore forward Lane MacDonald who, with defender Chris Biotti, played for the U.S. Junior National team over the Christmas break--and limited the Killer B's (Bourbeau and Barakett) to the two early goals.

"Our forwards came back and took the pressure off our defenders," Catamount Coach Michael Gilligan said. "And Draper came up with the big saves."

While Draper had his day Saturday, Harvard goalie Grant Blair turned in a typically fine performance against RPI (11-3-1 overall, 5-2-1 ECAC) Friday.

Blair, apparently not rattled by the plastic Pepsi bottles--each containing a handful of popcorn kernels--that the 5000 fans shook throughout the game, recorded 27 saves while surrendering only a pair of second period goals to lead the Crimson.

The victory was especially sweet because in the last four meetings of the two clubs, the Engineers had come away victorious each time.

"They're one of the top teams in the league," Harvard Captain Scott Fusco said. "You've got to beat those kinds of teams, especially on the road."

Fusco's driving smash into the lefthand corner of the net with nine minutes gone in the game gave the Crimson a lead it would not relinquish.

The RPI band--huddled on a stage behind the Harvard net-- struck up a funeral march after Fusco's score.

But although the Engineers were indeed doomed (especially after forward Tim Smith and center Rob Ohno pumped in two goals to begin the second stanza), they gave the civil throng in Houston Field House a chance to unlcash some leftover New Year's cheers by scoring twice within two minutes late in the period.

RPI forward Neil Hernberg stole a Crimson clearing pass at the blue line, charged to within 10 feet of the Harvard cage and, one-on-one with Blair, smashed the puck by the senior netminder for the Engineers' second score.

With the Cantabs leading only 3-2 and the momentum apparently with RPI, Harvard found itself in a tight spot.

"We were controlling the game until that point," Fusco said. "And after their two goals, we didn't give up."

Bourbeau's scoop into the Engineer twines with six minutes left in the period gave Blair an insurance goal.