The Brown University Bears opened ECAC regular season play with an
impressive 4-1 victory over long-time rival Harvard on Friday night at
Bright Hockey Center in Cambridge, MA.  Junior goaler SCOTT STIRLING was in
mid-season form for the Bears as he turned aside 28 shots and was
particularly acrobatic in the first period when the Crimson carried the
play offensively with 15 shots on goal.
 
        Brown Captain PAUL GIBLIN scored the Bears' first goal of the
season on a power play opportunity at 12:00 of the first period, senior
forward ADRIAN SMITH padded the Brown lead by tipping junior forward
MICHAEL BENT's blazer from the top of the face-off circle past Crimson
goaltender J. R. Prestifilippo on another power-play at 10:33 of the
second, before senior winger JADE KERSEY shocked the Crimson at 18:50 of
the middle stanza.  After serving a two-minute minor for slashing, Kersey
exited the penalty box, curled through neutral ice, took a pass from junior
winger TYLER GARROW, and then skated in alone on Prestifilippo.  While the
Crimson netminder held his ground, Kersey flashed two nifty dekes and shot
high into the right corner of the net to provide a 3-0 bulge after two
periods.  Following a rebound goal by Bear sophomore forward JOHN PETRICIG
at 7:16 of the third, the Bears continued to thwart the Crimson attack
until Harvard forward Brett Chodorow beat Stirling at 11:31 when the Brown
netminder skulled an attempted clear and directed the puck to Rob Millar
who, in turn, fed Chodorow to close out the scoring.
 
        The win was particularly satisfying for the Bears in that none of
the Brown upperclassmen had tasted victory over the Crimson (last win at
Meehan in 1994, 4-3; last win at Bright in 1991, 6-5) and the breakthrough
provided a strong dose of confidence for the entire team as it prepares for
the first two-game set this weekend against Colgate and Cornell at Meehan
Auditorium.  Also encouraging was the performance of all three freshman
defensemen (JOSH BARKER, CHRIS DIRKES and DARREN McPEAK) who are clearly
ready for prime time and bring bulk, strength and power to the defensive
corps.  Speedy frosh forward GIANNI CANTINI also stood out for the Bears as
he scooped up a loose puck in neutral ice during the second period, broke
in on Prestifilippo, and fired a 20-foot blazer which barely missed finding
the mark inside the right post.  Finally, junior forward Michael Bent must
have taken particular satisfaction from his two assists on the night as he
had transferred to Brown from Harvard a year and a half ago and then sat
out until the second semester last season to regain his playing
eligibility.
 
        So, with Brown atop the ECAC standings and the home opener set for
Friday evening's match-up with the Red Raiders, Bear fans are looking
forward to the balance of the conference schedule with great anticipation.
 
Scoring Summary:
 
First Period:
Brown   Giblin (Bent, Warrington)         12:00   (PP)
 
Second Period:
Brown   Smith (Bent, Warrington)         10:33   (PP)
Brown   Kersey (Garrow, Lawler)         18:50
 
Third Period:
Brown   Petricig (Dirkes, Kersey)           6:32
Harvard  Chodorow (Millar)                  11:31
 
 
Penalties:
Brown           5 for 10 minutes
Harvard        7 for 25 minutes
 
 
Saves:
Stirling, Brown                 15-4-9 = 28
Prestifilippo, Harvard          5-8-5 =18
 
 
 
Bill Corrigan
 
LET'S GO BRUNO!
 
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