Cautious Hockey Team Defeats Brown, 5-1

LYNN, Mass., Feb. 22--The varsity hockey team combined a cautious offense with its finest defensive work this season to score an impressive 5 to 1 victory over Brown tonight at the North Shore Sporting Center.

Center Bill Cleary paced the Crimson's careful attack, notting a hat trick and an assist to move within 17 points of a new national collegiate scoring record.

A tame Brown Bear surprised and probably disappointed a capacity crowd of 3,500 as the Providence sextet stayed within one goal of the Crimson for two periods without incurring a single penalty. The varsity finally broke loose in the final period, when Captain Scott Cooledge notted the Crimson's third goal at 7:41 and Cleary added his last two tallies within two minutes of each other at 12:23 and 14:28.

Ivy League Leaders

The win gave the varsity undisputed possession of first place in the Ivy League. A victory over Yale Saturday would assure the Crimson of at least a tie in its bid for its second consecutive League championship.

The varsity, still smarting from the Bruins' surprise tie last month at Providence, never left a man uncovered in its zone. The team replaced its usual offensive rushes with blue and red-line shots, chasing the puck only after it had rebounded off the boards or Brown goalie Dave Halvorsen.

The Crimson line-ups characterized coach Cooney Welland's emphasis on defense, as Doug Manchester only twice left his blue-line post and the forward line power was continually shifted to assure balance.

Brown tied the Crimson at 11:46 of the opening period as Tommy "Sipper" Thompson poked the puck past a mix-up in front of the varsity goal. After the lone tally, however, the Bruins consistently failed to capitalize on solo breaks by linemen Pete Tutless and Dan Keefe as hasty passes in the varsity zone could not find receivers.

Afraid that its national reputation was also at stake, the Crimson sextet was quick to check back to defend its goal each time a Bruin skater grabbed a loose puck or intercepted a pass. Although the varsity held the edge on the game's offensive play, goalie Charley Flynn was continually forced to match brilliant saves with Halvorsen