"We have a tendency to get complacent when we have a lead," Harvard forward Tim Barakett said.
Complacency probably would not doom the Crimson tonight. Collapse, however, might.
"I remember when I was in junior high school," Crimson wing Lane MacDonald said, "and I was watching Wisconsin play Colorado College [in a league playoff]. Wisconsin was leading 8-1 after the first game and Colorado College came back to win the second night, 9-1."
The Crimson can't nest on its lead. The Falcons wouldn't stand for that. Instead, the home team must pretend that what the scoreboard says at the beginning of tonight's game--Harvard 0, Bowling Green 0--is true.
"We don't want to go defensive," Cleary said. "We want to continue to attack. We have to take advantage of what we do well--skate. Our plan is to use our speed because we certainly aren't going to run anyone over."
"We can't get comfortable," MacDonald said.
One team's comfort is another's anxiety. A six-goal deficit isn't something you like to sleep on. But after tonight's game, Bowling Green and Coach York will at least get satisfaction in the knowledge that it's over. Really.