NEW HAVEN, CONN.--Bill Cleary reached into the sea of blue jerseys and shook Mike O'Neill's hand.

O'Neill, Yale's senior goalie, was surrounded by his teammates after the Elis' 3-1 victory over Harvard last night at Ingalls Rink. But Cleary, Harvard's coach, knew who had been most responsible for dealing Harvard, the nation's number-one ranked team, its first loss of the season.

O'Neill made 46 saves, including 18 in the final period, to turn Harvard's record from a pristine 15-0 to a spotted 15-1.

The Elis are well behind Harvard in the ECAC playoff race. Harvard is first, Yale eighth. Eight teams make the playoffs.

"It puts us back in the playoff hunt," O'Neill said. "It's a confidence builder."

But this game was special. Forget national rankings. Forget the jockeying for post-season position. For Yale, shut-out of the playoffs last year and struggling this season, this game was a season.

"It will make our season no matter what happens from here on in," O'Neill said. "It is a game I will remember for a long time."

Raves for O'Neill came from all quarters.

"He's a great goaltender," Yale Coach Tim Taylor said. "There were a lot of other people making it difficult for Harvard to score, but he was miraculous."

"He was unbelievable," Eli Captain Dave Baseggio said. "He played the greatest game I've seen him play."

"Young Mr. O'Neill had an outstanding game," Cleary said. "What can you do? You've got to tip your hat to a performance like that."

O'Neill had turned aside more shots in a game. On November 22, he recorded a career-best 51 saves in a 2-2 tie against the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. But this game was special. This was against Harvard. At home. In front of howling, adoring fans.

"I know I've been this busy before," O'Neill said. "But I've never been this tough to score on."

Harvard has been on this sea before. Two years ago, Harvard sailed into Ingalls Rink (better known as The Whale) with a 15-0 mark and fell, 4-2.

Like two years ago, Harvard was coming into the game after a two-week break for exams. The Crimson was sluggish. And Yale was filled with dreams of a major upset.

"It was a tough loss," Harvard forward Ed Krayer said. "We have to turn it around. It was probably going to happen sometime. Maybe it's good for us."

Cleary stood in a corner in the belly of The Whale. He wore a smile. He has seen a lot of hockey. Victory. Defeat.

He knows he's got a good team. His good team just got beat last night.

"Remind me not to come down here if we're undefeated again," Cleary said.