Waslen is right behind Fusco on the list of the nation's top scoring leaders with a fifth-best 2.18 points-per-game average. Fusco, fourth in the nation, owns a 2.29 points-per-game average.
The Red Raiders (15-13-2 overall, 9-11-1 ECAC) have also lost four of their last five ECAC games, including a pair to Vermont and RPI last weekend, and have not beaten the Crimson in six games.
So even without Fusco, Harvard is likely to storm past Colgate.
If Harvard beats the Red Raiders, it will play the lowest seeded quarterfinal winner in the second semifinal game March 14 at 9 p.m. at Boston Garden.
What does this mean?
If seventh-seeded St. Lawrence (16-13 overall, 10-11 ECAC) knocks off number two Yale (19-8 overall, 15-6 ECAC), the Crimson will face the Larries.
If sixth-place Vermont (17-12 overall, 11-10 ECAC) beats third-seeded Cornell (16-6-3 overall, 13-6-2 ECAC), Harvard will battle the Catamounts.
And if fifth-seeded Clarkson (15-10-3 overall, 12-6-3 ECAC) knocks off fourth-place RPI (20-9-1 overall, 13-7-1 ECAC), the Crimson will get a chance to avenge its loss to the Golden Knights.
And if all the favorites win, Harvard will face defending tournament champion RPI.
Instead of starting Blair in net against Clarkson, Cleary went with McEvoy.
The junior netminder, owner of a 2.35 goals-against average in 153 minutes of action this year, had not started since the Northeastern game four weeks earlier.
McEvoy made 29 saves against the Knights--seven more than he did against the Huskies--but allowed four more shots to slip by him.
"We thought about Dickie playing for a long time," Cleary said. "It's a long season and we wanted Grant to go out on a postive note [after the St. Lawrence game.] We're not giving away the house if we start Dickie."
THE NOTEBOOK'S NOTEBOOK: Bourbeau is eighth in the nation with a 2.00 points-per-game average. Boston College's Scott Harlow, one of Fusco's rivals for college hockey's prestigious Hobey Baker Award, is a notch behind Bourbeau with a 1.97 point-per-game average. The nation's top scorer is Western Michigan's Dan Dorian, owner of a 2.68 points-per-game average...Fusco made the ECAC Honor Roll for his two-goal effort against St. Lawrence...McEvoy and fellow backup goalie John Devin finished in a tie for first place in Ivy League goals-against average. McEvoy didn't allow a goal in his 16 minutes of Ivy action against Brown in early February and Devin blanked Dartmouth in his 10 minute Ancient Eight cameo in late November.
FINAL ECAC STANDINGS Team W L T GF GA Overall Harvard 18 3 0 129 53