It took longer, much longer than anyone had expected.

On Friday night, the Harvard hockey team earned its fifth win of the season. It was a huge 6-1 triumph over the nation's sixth-ranked team. It was a game that could turn around a struggling season. It was the Crimson's best outing of the year.

And it was also the 316th win for Harvard Coach Bill Cleary, making him the winningest hockey coach in Harvard history. The victory brought his career coaching record to 316-194-22 in 19 seasons.

There has been talk about the record--set by Cleary's mentor, Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, in 1971--since the season opened in November. If all went well, the word was, the record would come in Game Five, against RPI in late November. All did not go well.

So then the team was hoping to pin down the final win in Minnesota, to present the record-breaker to Cleary just in time for Christmas. It didn't happen.

When it finally came on Friday night, however,the record was an afterthought. And no onedownplayed it more than Cleary himself.

Oh, he celebrated after the final buzzer wentoff, there's no doubt about that. He raised hisarms in the air in triumph, did a little dance onthe bench and went out to slap all his players onthe back.

"This was a big one, a really big one," Clearysaid afterwards. But he wasn't referring to hisown exploits.

"It's not my wins that are important," he said."It's not my record we should be thinking aboutit. It's the team's."

And so he talked about John Murphy's excellentperformance and the perfect penalty killing andAllain Roy's quick stick in goal.

"He really wants to win for us, not forhimself," junior Pete Ciavaglia said. "What'sgreat about Coach is that he really cares aboutus. He cares about what we do off the ice."

He has brought half of his teams to the NCAAtournament--three to the finals--and claimedHarvard's firstever NCAA crown last April. He hashad but five losing seasons. He is, by allaccounts, a "winner." But winning is neverforemost on his mind.

Harvard has four offensive lines, and, ineven-strength situations, all four lines taketheir turns on the ice. Even when the team islosing. Even when it's overtime and the nationalchampionship is on the line.

On Saturday night, Cleary put Mike Francis, hisnumber three goalie, between the twines. No matterthat Harvard was playing St. Lawrence, one of theleague leaders.

The risk paid off--Francis played anoutstanding game--but if it hadn't, Clearywouldn't have regretted his decision.