Hockey Team Whips Yale 9-1, Assuring, NCAA Title Bid

It takes more than eagerness to best the varsity hockey team. An ineffectual Yale sextet learned this the hard way, 9 to 1, last Saturday.

The heavily-favored Crimson forgot the tradition which insisted on an underdog victory and coasted to an easy win by playing a new enthusiastic brand of offensive hockey.

The triumph, combined with an upset over Clarkson by Providence College, assured the varsity of its first NCAA Tourney invitation and at least a first-place tie in the final Ivy League standings.

The young, determined Eli squad, which had hoped to surprise the Crimson with the same old-fashioned hustle that Dartmouth and Princeton used unsuccessfully, never actually got a chance to get started. Before the game's first three minutes were over the varsity had already clinched its victory with two snappy goals.

Bill Cleary shared scoring honors with linernate Crehore as he netted two goals and four assists to more within nine points of tying the national collegiate scoring record of 84, set in 1949 by Boston University Jack Garrity.

The varsity's all-out offense left no defensive problems this time. Some of the season's smoothest passwork, es- pecially by the new line of Cleary, Crehore, and Captain Scott Cooledge, continually enable the sextet to dominate play and goalies Charlie Flynn and Jimmy Bailey totaled only nine saves throughout the game.

Even the Elis' heralded netminder, George Scherer, could not stop the powerful Crimson sextet and made only 22 saves, ten below his season's average, while allowing five goals more than his normal game average.

The Eli's offense was hardly worth the effort. When a daring forward attempted play inside the Crimson zone, he was either crushed between New Almy and Pete Summers or had the puck stolen away.

Terry O'Malley's sparkling play on the second trio with New Bliss and Frank Mahoney emphasized the sophomore's value to the team and made Crimson fans realize how much his ineligibility will mean during the NCAA Tournament.

Cleary and Doug Manchester delighted the standing-room-only crowd of 5,800 at the Arena with an exhibition of their famous penalty-killing passwork and got away three shots at Scherer while using up the time of the game's only penalty.

Coach Cooney Weiland frequently substituted defenseman Mario Celi after the first period and may intend to use the improved junior regularly along with Arty Noyes when shifting his lines for the NCAA Tournament.

The third line of Noyes, Tom Worthen, and Derek Nicholas again held its own against opposing first and second trios and should prove to be espable when needed against the Canadian players on the Western teams.

Cleary's opening goal at 1:45 of the first period was one of his most spectacular this year and set the Crimson right. O'Malley boosted the sextet's slim 2-1 lead in the second period on a pass from Mahoney, and the first line followed with another pair of tallies to give the team a 5-1 margin after two stanzas.

In the final period in was only a question of how many goals to Crimson would add to its total. The Yale attack fell apart completely and resorted to blue-line shots which never reached the cage or the boards.

Manchester and Cleary teamed up for two scores at 4:30 and 14:42 after faking out the entire Eli team. The final tallies were added in the last two minutes.

The varsity will have two chances this week to clinch undisputed possession of its second consecutive Ivy title when it meets Princeton on Tuesday at the Garden and Yale again next Saturday at New Haven. A victory or tie in either game will give the sextet enough points