HAMILTON, N.Y.--He is the guardian of the fortress. He is the last man. He is the bullet-proof jacket.

Yesterday afternoon here, Wayne Cowley, Colgate goalie, was the last frontier.

Beyond him lay Harvard's seventh straight victory and unquestioned supremacy in the East Coast Athletic Conference. Beyond him lay Harvard's ninth straight win at Starr Rink. Beyond him lay a collection of rare jewels, diamonds even, glove-fulls.

Only Harvard didn't get beyond him.

Yesterday, Cowley--last season's second-team ECAC goalie--picked up 37 saves and allowed only one goal to lead Colgate to a 4-1 triumph over Harvard.

Colgate had not beaten Harvard in four years. Colgate had never beaten Harvard at home.

"Wayne came up with big saves," Red RaiderCoach Terry Slater said.

Harvard scored its only goal late in the secondperiod on a C.J. Young shot on the power play.Before and after, Cowley was perfect. And Harvardis no longer perfect.

"It's not the end of the world," Harvard CoachBill Cleary said. "If we thought we were going tobe undefeated, we'd be dreamers. Colgate playedwell, and their goalie beat us."

Cowley, a long-haired Canadian, changed manyCrimson shots. The Crimson gave him 100 percent,and he gave back peanuts.

With 13 mintutes left in the third period, PeteCiavaglia swiped a puck at the mid-line and brokedown the right side of the ice. He went one-on-onewith Colwey, trying to jam the puck past him intothe right corner of the cage.

Cowley shoved his glove over and batted awaythe puck.

"It seems like that turned the game around,"Cowley said. "We could have gone home with aloss."

Instead, Harvard fell for the first time allyear. A single Colgate player. A single Harvardloss. Sometimes hockey works that way.

"I don't want to take anything away from myteam, I think they played well," Slater said. "ButWayne kept us in. You've got to make five or sixbig saves in a game. And Wayne made them."

"I tip my hat to him," Cleary said.

Colgate has been outshot in every game thisyear, including yesterday's--by a 38-24 margin.But the Raiders are 4-1 in the ECAC, four pointsshy of Harvard.

The Crimson is no longer the leaguefront-runner. A bunch of teams--Colgate, St.Lawrence, even once weak Princeton--are crammedinto the top tier of the league standings.

Before the game, Slater said "his teams bubblemight burst against Harvard." The Raiders seemedready to be blown out.

But not yesterday. Not with wild Wayne in thenet.

"He's a funny kid," Slater said. "Sometimes thegoaltenders we had in the past got tense duringthe week before the game. But Wayne stays loose. Idon't know if he's burning up inside."

Cowley may not have been burning, but he suremade some Crimson players hot with his wildsticks. Cowley doesn't like anyone--especiallyanyone in a visiting uniform--to block his view.So he lashes out.

Yesterday, Cowley was hit with three penalties.And he had to face the consequences--a fearsomeHarvard power play. But Young's goal was the onlypower-play goal the Crimson scored yesterday.

Of course, it was the only goal the Crimsonscored yesterday.

"We took it to them," Cowley said. "Our defensewill give up some shots, but not the one big shotthat will hurt. Our defense will give up mainlyshots from the side. And I'll just knock themaside."

Yesterday, Harvard had to step. aside and makeroom for Colgate near the ECAC apex