After devouring Red Raider cookies for 20 or so straight minutes, the Harvard men's hockey team decided to take a short nap. It woke up with an awful tummy ache, which could have turned into something much worse.

Like an ulcer, or an exploded appendix.

The Crimson, which munched its way to a five-goal lead, snapped out of Dreamland just in time to salvage a 5-4 win last night over Colgate at Bright Hockey Center.

Instead of sleeping easy going into today's battle with Cornell, Harvard players went to bed last night sick to their stomachs and reliving a nightmare featuring big ugly monsters named Brown, deBlois and Wilde.

"We dodged a bullet tonight, gentlemen," Harvard Coach Ronn Tomassoni told doughnut-stuffed scribes after the game. "We were awful lucky to escape with a win. Colgate controlled this game from the middle of the second period on."

Mommy, get the Pepto-Bismol.

Son, I just hope this will teach you a lesson.

Harvard started the game whistling "New York, New York." A weekend against two of the weakest ECAC squads seemed like dessert after a tough win over Brown and a tough loss to Boston University.

At the beginning, it certainly seemed like the Crimson wasn't going to get caught with its hands in the cookie jar--not before getting a full stomach, at least.

In the first period, Harvard took a 2-0 lead thanks to junior Chris Baird's deflection and senior Matt Mallgrave's slider from the side of the crease.

Harvard netminder Tripp Tracy meanwhile occupied himself by tossing aside the black rubber biscuits that Colgate sent from center ice during the first half of the contest.

A Harvard win seemed guaranteed by junior Brian Farrell seven minutes into the second when he tore through two defenders and gave Captain Ted Drury the honor of placing the sugar-coated puck on the top-shelf.

Toss in a cannonball slapshot by Sean McCann that notched the top corner and Ben Coughlin's grounder past Raider goalie Shawn Murray: Harvard's little box of confectioneries seemed stuffed and ready for Christmas.

Colgate started biting back, though. With less than seven minutes left in the second; junior Craig deBlois tipped home a wide shot by Dan Gardner.

In the last minute of the period, defender Alan Brown cut the lead to three goals with a slapshot that bounced noisily against the crossbar and pipes after passing over Tracy's blocker.