The Harvard men's hockey game against Colgate Saturday night had one defining element.

Defense--all defense.

All the goals were scored within a span of four minutes, and no team tallied for the last 38:17.

Colgate managed a scant 13 shots (two in the second period).

And neither team connected on a total of 11 power plays.

It was that type of game. Through physical defense, Harvard managed to outlast Colgate, 2-1, and emerge with its first win in four games.

"I just thought it was a heck of an effort defensively," Harvard Coach Ronn Tomassoni said. "We allowed Colgate only 12 shots, and we shut down their power play. It's a real achievement."

Harvard sophomore defender Sean McCann, who played a leading role on the blue-line this weekend, agreed with Tomassoni's assessment.

"It was a strong effort on everyone's part. We weren't wasting time in the other end. Everyone, including the forwards, was getting back," McCann said.

Perhaps the most immediate concern for Harvard, however, was the absence of the offense for the third game in a row.

The Crimson couldn't connect on five power play chances and looked dangerously out of the loop for parts of the game.

"We were a little tired coming out," junior forward Steve Flomenhoft said. "One concern we have to have is scoring. We have to think about crashing in and putting all our shots on net. Improving our special teams play is key."

Colgate, for its part, performed superbly in keeping Harvard away from the net.

"We really worked hard to play good defense tonight," Colgate Coach Brian Durocher said. "It's our achilles heal. We slipped up a little on the first goal."

The win pushed Harvard's record to 12-4-6 overall, 11-1-6 ECAC, putting Harvard in sole possession of first place (28 points) in the conference.