With the season of 1920, under the coaching of W. H. Claflin, Jr., '15, the post-war renaissance of Harvard hockey began. The first two years of this regimen were marked by four straight victories over Yale, in an advancing progression, with scores ranging from 3-0 to 13-1. Two more consecutive triumphs followed in 1922, but in the following year, the first of a long, ambitious schedule, Bulldog turned and bit back, and refused to be downed without the bitterest struggle that a Harvard-Yale hockey series has ever produced.
Finale a Catastrophe
Early in the season Harvard took the first encounter by a score of 3-2. By the end of February Yale had polished up its game, and at the meeting in New Haven held the Crimson skaters in check while themselves poking in the only tally necessary to win by a 1-0 count. The deciding game in the Arena in Boston was the climax.
The close of the regular three 15-minute periods found the teams deadlocked at 1-1. An extra five-minute session was called, and then another, but the Blue defense held off the repeated assaults of the Crimson forwards, led by Captain George Owen '23, one of the greatest hockey players to don a skate in a Crimson uniform.
A consultation was held at the close of the second overtime period, and it was determined to play until a score came--what is called a "sudden-death" period. After about a minute of play Owen shook loose, wormed through the Blue line to the mouth of the net, and flicked the rubber past the eager stick of the Yale goalie.
The next two years saw the greatest of Yale sixes, under the leadership of George Jenkins, stellar goal-guard, take Harvard twice in succession in the series. The 1924 mix-ups went in straight games, 3-0 and 6-1, but Harvard forced the next to three games. Since that time six successive games have gone to Harvard, all hard-fought, but decisive.
Much of the spice in the Harvard hockey seasons of the past few years has been added by the international flavor of the contests with Canadian colleges. The University of Toronto has been the most persistent opponent of the Crimson skaters, and the series between them now stands at four victories for each, with one tie game.
Toronto came out of the north in 1922 and sent Harvard down to a 6-1 defeat at the Arena, and repeated the following year at 7-5. The Canadians laid the Crimson low in 1924, by 2-1 in New York and by 4-2 in Boston. But in 1925 the story was reversed, and through the work of W. M. Austin '25 and Clark Hodder '25, Harvard eked out a 2-1 victory. A 2-0 triumph rewarded Toronto in 1926, but the invaders fell, 4-1, the next year, and tied at 1-1. Last year's contest resulted in a 4-1 win for Harvard.
McGill, the other perennial Canadian college to oppose the Crimson, has taken four victories without being even tied once. Pushing a 4-3 decision to three overtime periods at Madison Square Garden, New York, on New Year's Eve, 1926, has been the closest to victory that Harvard has come.