Not Quite a Classic

UNIONDALE, N.Y.--It was called Long Island's version of the Beanpot, and even though the crowd here last week at Nassau Colliseum never equalled the sellout crowds at Boston Garden, the Harvard men's hockey team finished last in the Long Island Collegiate Hockey Invitational.

Just like last year's Beanpot.

Playing for the first time in two weeks, and without Ted Donato and C.J. Young (members of the U.S. junior team), the Crimson dropped a 3-2 decision to the University of Illinois-Chicago in the first round, and then fell, 6-3, to the University of Minnesota--Duluth in the consolation game. Fellow Beanpot rival Boston College won the tournament.

"We lost to two teams we shouldn't have lost to," Harvard Coach Bill Cleary said of the Flames and Bulldogs.

The first-round game against the Flames was the first time UIC Coach Val Belmonte, a former assistant coach at Harvard, faced Cleary, his former mentor. The way the Flames played in the first two periods against Harvard, Belmonte thought his first meeting against Cleary wasn't going to be a happy one.

"[Harvard] totally mesmerized us," Belmonte said. "We played like we bought a ticket to the game. We just came to watch Harvard play."

The Crimson took an early 2-0 lead on goals by freshmen Peter Ciavaglia and Scott Barringer. But after a charging penalty by Harvard's Kevan Melrose late in the second period, the Flames took advantage of the power play, as senior Jeff Nelson skated down to the left side of the net and shot the puck past Crimson goalie John Devin.

The Flames tied the game seven minutes into the third period when Bob Melton skated past Harvard defenseman Don Sweeney, and dumped the puck into the net.

And while Harvard played like a team that just came off a two-week layoff, the Flames won the game with two minutes left on a shot by Barry McKinlay that deflected off Rob Klenk for the score.

The consolation game against UMD proved to be just as disappointing for Harvard, especially in the opening period. The Crimson, playing without an injured Melrose, and with freshman Michael Francis in net, managed only one shot on goal in the first period.

"We just played poorly in the first period," Cleary said.

The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Pat Scanlon. But Sweeney, streaking down the right side of the zone in the middle of the second period, evened the game with his third goal of the season.

After Barry Chyzowski's blast from the blue line sailed past Francis and into the net to put the Bulldogs ahead, the Crimson started the final period hungry for a win.

Sweeney's second goal of the game and Andy Janfaza's tally gave the Crimson a 3-2 lead three minutes into the third period, but UMD came back just 20 seconds later on a score by Sandy Smith.

Ciavaglia was then called for a hooking penalty. The call proved fatal for the Crimson, as the Bulldogs reeled off two more goals in a one-minute span to seal the victory.

"We made three bad mistakes in the third period," Cleary said. "And you just can't play that way."