In last night's game Harvard got stingy defense, great goaltending and maintained constant pressure on Boston College. Oh, and by the way, BC won. It was really that kind of game. Looking at my impressions of the game all my notes are about Harvard players and their heroics. Aaron Israel had a HUGE game, maybe bigger than Tripp Tracy's in last year's final. The ending was almost tragic--did Israel simply run out of gas? The goal seemed to be almost a replay of the Ciavaglia goal in the US/France game. It wasn't even a hard slapper, just a nice straight wrist shot from just in front of the blue line. Wierd. My notes read: (second period) "Conley stoned by Israel at 2:00 mark. HUGE save by Israel on Chase, etc. etc." Not to take anything away from BC's Taylor. He obviously had an equally great game. And he won. But for half the game it seemed Harvard's offense was left in Cambridge. Midway through the second period the Channel 38 announcer said Harvard had only made something like 6 shots. Along with Israel, Lou Body played a superior game. He can play for my team anytime. When he was on the ice he seemed to smother everyone in his path. I thought the entire Harvard defense played a great game. This was certainly not the same defense I saw at the Houston Fieldhouse in December. The Harvard offense seem a little tentative. Steve Martins never seemed to be much of a factor (was he shadowed by BC's third forward?) And the BC defense never allowed Harvard's big guys a chance to camp out in front of the goal. The dearth of scoring gave announcer Norton the opportunity to analyze each scoring play intimately, and he is truly a delight to listen to. On Harvard's first (and only goal) he used the telestrater (sp) to show the Crimson set up, and how Martins used the puck to draw the defense to him. The dish to McCann was cool, and McCann's top shelfer was no routine shot either. On the tying goal from BC Norton did another great job of analysis. Norton exclaims "La Ferriere is wide open! He holds it holds it, he gets rid of it too late. Score Chase!" If that isn't textbook commentary, I'll listen to the Time-Life recording of Tom Mees' Greatest Calls. Finally, so this post doesn't seem too one-sided, what a superior game plan by BC. This win undoubtedly will be the highlight of their season. It was interesting to watch that third forward hang back, constantly waiting for the expected Harvard rush. Then the time-out in the third, the change in strategy, and the sudden tying goal. Great drama. And of course the game would be won by a guy who had only scored 2 previous goals; I assume Tommy Ash must play on BC's fourth line. Listening to him being interviewed after the game really brought out the essence of college hockey: the little known player who slaves in the shadows all those years and suddenly has one great moment in the spotlight. It was almost amusing to listen to his awkward responses to Thorne's inquiries. The perfect ending for a Cinderella story. _ "NYS // Hockey" Go 'Gate // Brian Morris Go RPI // Albany, NY ______// [log in to unmask] (______/