Garden-Arena May Curtail College Hockey Next Season

Local college hockey practice and games at the Boston Garden and Arena may be greatly restricted next season according to indicatons which cropped up early in vacation period. But Carrell F. Getchell, business manager of the Har-Athletic Association, yesterday stated that he did not believe Harvard hockey would be affected by any new scheduling arrangement.

On December 21, Walter Brown, president of the Garden-Arena Corporation, announced that the expense of refrigerating the two ovals might make it necessary to curtail or even eliminate all college practice and most college games in the '51-'52 season, and to throw out all high school hockey. Expansion of a union among Garden and Arena employees has led to an expense of nearly $1,000 per day to keep ice in both buildings on a 24-hur schedule.

Although all schools pay for practice hours and most games make a small profit, the annual deficit for the past two years has been between $25,000 and $50,000.

According to Getchell, probably only late-night and morning practice will be eliminated. Harvard practices in the afternoon. "We're one of their better customers," Getchell explained, "and if this would after us seriously, I'm sure Brown would have let us know."

There is no indication yet as to the affect of this pronouncement upon the future of House hockey. Brown is in New York on a business trip and could not be contacted.