ALSTON, MASS. — All the screenwriters in Hollywood couldn’t have scripted a more a perfect scenario for Jason Kuczmanski’s first collegiate goal.
On the road, at Harvard, with championship hopes hanging in the balance, the freshman forward scooped a loose puck in the Crimson zone and cranked a rocket shot past net goalkeeper Oliver Jonas at 12:58 of the opening period to score what would be the men’s hockey team’s game-winning goal on Saturday night.
By holding off a third-period surge from the home side and preserving a 2-1 victory, Cornell (11-6-4, 9-3-2 ECAC) not only displaced Harvard (10-9-1, 9-5-1 ECAC) from the first place in the ECAC standings but it also knocked the Crimson off the top rung of the Ivy League table as well.
“That was a great job by a lot of guys,” said an exuberant Mike Schafer ’86. “This was a gutsy performance.”
Coming a night after a physical 2-1 overtime win at Brown, the Red dominated most of the play against the Crimson. But for short span in the third period that was characterized by defensive lapses, it not only held Harvard’s forwards — its primary strength — in check but it also was able to apply continual pressure on Jonas. Cornell managed 36 shots during the game, while Harvard could only accumulate 23.
Although the Crimson was presented with several power play opportunities in the first 20 minutes, it was Cornell which struck first on the man advantage. At 4:02, sophomore forward Stephen B