BU blitzed by Crimson in shootout

By Joe Concannon, Globe Staff, 02/14/1989

The time on the scoreboard clock had finally expired, and when this tumultuous championship game of the 37th Beanpot was history last night in the steamy Garden, Harvard captain Lane MacDonald hoisted the trophy above his head and took that elusive victory skate around the rink.

"It was a real relief," he would say when the tumult subsided, "after being so frustrated for so long."

This was a time to exult, a time to savor the Beanpot. The Crimson, beaten in the opening round for seven straight years, rose to the occasion and beat Boston University, 9-6, to win their first Beanpot since 1981 in the highest- scoring championship game in tournament history. In the process, they presented coach Bill Cleary with his 300th career victory.

"Just to see a smile on these kids' faces was worth it," said Cleary. ''Just to see them experience a Beanpot win. We've had a lot of good teams and players who haven't won a Beanpot. I've won one myself. I just wanted the kids to experience it. We played before family and friends. It's such a big event now. That's what it is. An event."

The game was a turbulent exhibition of offensive hockey that saw the Crimson take a 3-0 lead and then trail, 4-3. BU scored a pair of goals 16 seconds apart in the second period, and Harvard got one 30 seconds later. There were four goals scored within a 2:11 stretch.

"We were talking between the second and third periods about what lousy coaches we were," said BU coach Jack Parker. "Neither team could play defense."

This was Parker's Beanpot farewell. He was a part of 13 of BU's 14 Beanpot championships as a player (three), assistant coach (four) and head coach (six), and he will move up to athletic director and assume the role of spectator next year.

"Before the game, I'm smiling because of all the guys who came down to the bench," said Parker. "There were a lot of former players who came down. Once the game started, I forgot about it all."

Goalie Peter Fish, who has been the heart and soul of BU's recent resurrection, was downcast in the wake of the avalanche.

"I'm not going to use any excuses," Fish said. "I didn't stop them when I had to. I couldn't come up big for us. I put too much pressure on myself. I didn't stop them when I had to. They scored six goals and that should be enough to win."

Fish was asked if this 20-2 Crimson squad was the best team in the country.

"I hope so," he answered.

There was a measure of vindication for the Crimson, who have been to the NCAA title game twice in these years of their Beanpot drought.

"I'm not used to feeling this way," said senior defenseman Josh Caplan. ''I'm used to being out of here around 8:30. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but after being here for four years, I'm just relieved.

"I was tired of coming in here the best team in the tournament every year and not winning it. We showed it tonight."

The Crimson, beaten Saturday night at Colgate for just the second time this season, surged to a 3-0 lead in the first 10:49 of the game. C.J. Young converted a power-play set-up from Peter Ciavaglia (6:05), and Paul Howley, a senior left wing on the money line, made it 2-0 when he poked in a rebound (7:40). The Crimson made it 3-0 when Mike Vukonich fielded a pass from Ted Donato and rifled it into the far corner.

Parker called time out.

"We were standing around and they were skating," said Parker. "I told them to settle down and stop running around in our own end.

"I wish I had a timeout in the second period. They set the pace and, boy, did they set the pace. I couldn't believe the mistakes by both teams in their own end. We got all excited and our emotions took us right out of it.

"The game was not our style. It was too helter-skelter."

The Terriers (13-16-1) started to click when Mike Lappin deflected a shot by Mark Krys from the left point past freshman goaltender Allain Roy at 16:51 of the first period.

The shootout began in earnest in the second period. Phil von Stefenelli scored his second goal of the season at 2:48 to pull the Terriers within one, and two goals within 16 seconds put them in the lead.

Mike Kelfer sent a blistering shot past Roy at the 4:11 mark, and David Tomlinson intercepted Nick Carone's centering pass in front of Roy and scored to create a 4-3 lead at 4:27.

The Crimson returned the favor 14 seconds later when John Weisbrod finished off Ciavaglia's set-up to tie the game, 4-4. Vukonich lifted the Crimson to a 5-4 lead with a shot from the top of the circle that broke off Fish's glove at 6:22.

MacDonald, the tournament MVP, made it 6-4 when he scored a shorthanded goal as he sank to his knees.

So it went.

Roy juggled a shot by David Sacco to cut the deficit to a goal on a power play. Donato's shot on a break up the left wing made it 7-5, and then the game came down to a few desperate moments in the early stages of the third period.

The Crimson's Kevan Melrose had been given a 5-minute major and game disqualification for a butt end as time ran out in the second, and MacDonald was called for hooking by Hockey East referee Joe Albert 59 seconds into the third.

Joe Sacco took a pass from brother Dave and cut it to 7-6, and there was still 3:39 left on the power play because of the major.

The Crimson won this game in these minutes when they killed off the penalty. Tod Hartje scored an insurance goal (16:19) and Weisbrod finished it off with 1:20 to go in this cauldron.