Icemen to Face Elis

Breathe easy, Yale has saved The Whale.

It didn't take a U.S. task force. Or a Soviet peace mission. Or even a million-plus dollars. But the Yale Whale--officially known as Ingalls Rink--has had its life extended temporarily.

Over a week ago a leak was discovered under Ingalls Rink--the New Haven, Conn. home of Yale hockey--which threatened to put the facility out of commission for the Elis' game against Brown last Saturday, and possibly move Yale's matchup with Harvard Tuesday night (8. p.m., WHRB 95.3 FM).

The Whale has been temporarily repaired, but will require a major overhaul next summer.

Harvard (15-0 overall, 13-0 ECAC) probably wouldn't have minded if The Whale dried up and died. Ingalls has not been a friendly place for the Crimson.

"I've always found that [The Whale] is a tough place to play," junior John Murphy said. "The way it's shaped really builds up the noise."

Until last January, Harvard hadn't won a game in The Whale since the 1976-77 season. Two seasons ago, the Crimson headed into The Whale with a 15-0 record and crawled out with a 4-2 loss.

Harvard puts another 15-0 mark--and a number-one national ranking--on the line when it takes on the ailing Elis (5-12-1 overall, 4-7-0 ECAC).

"[Harvard's] ranked number one, and rightly so," Yale Coach Tim Taylor said. "They've got an awesome amount of offensive ability. We're going to have to play well without the puck, something that we've not been able to do real well this year."

On paper, the Crimson looks like a clear favorite in the ECAC and Ivy League match-up. But intangibles--such as The Whale, the rivalry and Harvard's two-week layoff because of exams--add another dimension to the game.

"You can never look past a team, especially Yale," junior Tod Hartje said. "And especially since we haven't played a game since St. Lawrence [January 14]."

Eighteen Crimson icemen have exams tomorrow--which means, until tomorrow night, practices are unofficial and irregular.

"I think [the layoff] will definitely take its toll," senior defenseman Josh Caplan said. "It's been tough for everyone to keep their legs and to keep the lines and defensive pairs in sync."

Yale has been following a regular schedule the past two weeks, but don't expect harmony on the Eli lines either. A rash of injuries has kept Taylor busy creating new combinations.

For the Crimson, junior defenseman Scott McCormack is out until mid-to-late February after suffering a collarbone injury in Harvard's 3-2 win over Vermont January 7. Junior Brian Popiel, who filled in for McCormack at Clarkson and St. Lawrence two weeks ago, is expected to be on the Crimson roster. Freshman Allain Roy (1.96 goals-against average) will start in goal.