Three stories from Saturday ...
 
HARVARD-NEW HAMPSHIRE
 
By JOEL STASHENKO
Associated Press Writer
   ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Sean McCann's slapshot
started a five-goal barrage in the third period
Saturday night, carrying Harvard to a 7-1 victory
over New Hampshire in the quarterfinals of the NCAA
hockey tournament.
   Harvard (24-4-4) advances to the NCAA semifinals
for the first time since 1989, when the Crimson beat
Minnesota in overtime for the championship. Harvard
has given up only two goals in its three playoff
games this season.
   Trailing 2-1, New Hampshire (25-12-3) appeared
ready to take Harvard down to the wire in a
close-checking, puck-control game before the Crimson
exploded in the third period.
   McCann, a defenseman, took a cross-rink pass from
Steve Martins and ripped a shot past New Hampshire
goalie Trent Cavicchi from the top of the circle for
his 21st goal of the season. It was Harvard's second
of three power-play goals in seven attempts.
   Just 34 seconds later, Harvard's Chris Baird streaked
down the left boards and fed Perry Cohagan, whose wrist
shot made it 4-1.
   Less than three minutes after that, Baird finished
off a 3-on-1 break by poking the puck past Cavicchi.
   New Hampshire brought in backup goalie Mike Heinke,
but it made no difference. Jason Karmanos scored from
in front of the New Hampshire goal with 8:17 to play
to put Harvard up 6-1, and Cory Gustafson one-timed a
shot past Heinke two minutes later on another power
play to complete the rout.
   Harvard also scored the first time it had a man
advantage. With New Hampshire's Scott Malone in the
penalty box for high-sticking, Harvard's Brian
Farrell circled to the left of the New Hampshire
goal and flipped a backhand high over Cavicchi's
left shoulder with 6:51 gone in the game.
   Harvard made it 2-0 when Martins intercepted
a pass near center ice, skated into the New Hampshire
zone and beat Cavicchi high with a 30-foot slapshot.
   New Hampshire clamped down on defense in the second
period and drew within 2-1 when freshman defenseman
Dean Woodman picked up a loose puck near the Harvard
goal and lifted a shot past Harvard goalie Tripp Tracy.
   Tracy was otherwise steady, with 16 saves.
   Harvard will play Thursday in the semifinals in St.
Paul, Minn., against the winner of a West Region
quarterfinal between UMass-Lowell and Minnesota.
 
 
MASSACHUSETTS-LOWELL VS. MICHIGAN STATE
   EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Ian Hebert and Norm Bazin
scored power-play goals late in the first period Saturday
and Massachusetts-Lowell held on for a 4-3 victory over
Michigan State in NCAA West Regional first-round play.
   The Chiefs will play Minnesota at 5:30 p.m. EST Sunday.
In the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, Lake Superior
St. meets top-seeded Michigan at 2 p.m. The Lakers advanced
with a 6-5 victory against Northeastern as Mike Morin scored
the winning goal 15 seconds into overtime.
   Michigan State put heavy pressure on Lowell goalie Dwayne
Roloson in the third period, but the Spartans were unable to
score. Roloson made eight of his
24 saves in the final period.
   Lowell, which leads the nation in penalty-killing
percentage, allowed only one goal in the Spartans' nine
power-play chances.
   "I thought we had to kill too many penalties," said
Lowell coach Bruce Crowder. "Other than that, we played
well. We controlled the puck in the offensive zone and
we did a good job of blocking out in the neutral zone to
nullify Michigan State's speed."
   The Chiefs took a 4-3 lead into the final period.
Michigan State's Anson Carter cut the margin to one with
3:51 left in the second period. Carter took a pass from
Steve Guolla at center ice and broke in alone on Roloson
for his team-leading 30th goal.
   Lowell's Christian Sbrocca opened the scoring at
6:54 of the first period. A Michigan State shot from
the point was blocked, Sbrocca picked up the loose puck
and scored on a breakway when goalie Mike Buzak fell
attempting to cut down the angle.
   Guolla tied the game at 13:08 while the Spartans were
shorthanded, but Hebert and Bazin scored power-play
goals in the last 5:27 of the first period to send
the Chiefs to the locker room with a 3-1 advantage.
   Steve Suk cut Lowell's lead to one goal 58 seconds
into the second period. His slap shot from the point
on the power play hit defenseman Travis Tucker in
the back and caromed into the net.
   Lowell regained its two-goal margin at 5:19 when Mike
Murray's wrist shot from between the faceoff circles beat
Buzak, who was screened by two of his defensemen.
   Crowder said he felt Minnesota, which was idle
Saturday, would have a slight advantage in Sunday's game.
   "That's why teams try to get the first and seconds
seeds, so they don't have to play back-to-back," he said.
"We play a lot of Friday-Saturday games in Hockey East so
we're used to this. We've even played better on the second
night."
   Murray said he felt his shot, which turned out to be the
game-winner, might have caught the Spartans by surprise.
   "The D stayed up so I took a quick shot," he said. "I
don't think they were expecting it."
   Michigan State coach Ron Mason wasn't upset with his
team's performance.
   "We can't play a lot better, but we can finish the
plays better than we did tonight," he said.
 
 
BOSTON UNIVERSITY-WISCONSIN
By JOHN KEKIS
AP Sports Writer
   ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Mike Prendergast scored two goals
and the Boston University defense stifled Wisconsin
Saturday night, sending the Terriers to a 4-1 victory
over the Badgers in the second round of the NCAA East
Regional.
   The Terriers (31-7-1) held Wisconsin (26-15-1) to just
13 shots on goal to earn their second trip in four years
to college hockey's final four.
   The Terriers demonstrated throughout why they're the
top-ranked team in the nation, especially in the second
period when they scored twice and held the Badgers to just
two shots on goal.
   Jay Pandolfo broke a 1-1 tie at 2:26. Shane Johnson
started the play, gaining control of the puck at the left
point. His blazing shot through traffic clanged off the
right goalpost right to Pandolfo, and he tapped it into a
wide-open net for his 17th goal of the year.
   The fourth line, led by Jon Pratt, set up BU's third goal.
Pratt lugged the puck up the left side and fed Kaj Linna,
who relayed a goalmouth feed to Ken Rausch for an easy
tip-in past Wisconsin goalie Jim Carey at 8:53.
   The Terriers could have had more, if not for Carey's
brilliant play. He stopped Pratt on a breakaway less
than  a minute after Pandolfo's goal, stymied Rich Brennan
and Bob Lachance on a pressure-packed BU power play, and
got help from the left post on a blast by Lachance midway
through the period.
   BU outshot Wisconsin 11-2 in the second period and 31-14
overall.
   Prendergast gave BU its three-goal margin of victory on a
power play at 8:53 of the third period. Jacques Joubert
poked the puck away from Wisconsin defenseman Brian
Rafalski in the slot and Prendergast's quick shot whizzed
past Carey before he could react.
   Both teams scored once in the first period, also
dominated by BU. Wisconsin's fourth line struck first at
3:09. BU goalie Derek Herlofsky made a pad save on a drive
from the right point by Chris Tucker, but Mike Doers
pounced on the rebound and poked it in before the BU
defense could clear. It was their lone mistake of the night.
   The Terriers evened the score 75 seconds later off a
goalmouth scramble. Steve Thornton took the initial shot
at Carey, who ended up sitting in the crease and thought
he had the puck covered. But Doug Friedman poked it loose
and twice tried to jam it home before Prendergast finally
did at 4:24.
   When the Badgers did get chances, the BU defense was
always there. Wisconsin didn't get its second shot on
goal in the third period until 4:05 remained. But
Herlofsky managed to stay sharp despite his inactivity,
snagging a hard drive by Jamie Spencer with his glove.
 
 
 
 
 
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|                   Lynn Burke    Newport News, Va.                     |
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