Hockey Team Tops Yale to Gain NCAA Bid

NEW HAVEN, March 9--The varsity hockey team met and fulfilled its severest test of the season tonight. Playing under the utmost pressure, it defeated and completely out-played an inspired Yale sextet, 4 to 0, before a horn-blowing, violently partisan crowd at the New Haven arena.

The pressure on any Crimson team playing at Yale is necessarily high, but more was at stake tonight than just a victory over the Elis. Sitting in the stands, just behind the Yale bench were Duke Nelson and John Kelley, two members of the three-man NCAA selection committee. Along with John Murdock, Yale hockey coach, and third member of the committee, they were to decide after the game which two Eastern sextets would go to the NCAA finals at Colorado.

Happily, the Crimson's victory could not have been much more impressive. Yale played way over its head in holding the varsity to four goals, and in doing so, certainly played the best game of the season. The Elis went as far as hustle and determination could carry them, but as a hockey team, they simply could not match the speed and power of the Crimson sextet.

Bob McVey, playing one of his finest games of the year, led the Crimson in scoring with two goals and an assist. Bud Higgenbottom and Bill Collins, both on the third line, each added a goal.

With just an average goalie in the cage for the Elis, no one could possibly guess what the score would have been. But Yale's Gerry Jones again performed incredibly in the nets, especially in the third period when practically the only defense the exhausted Yale team could throw up was to lie down in front of the net to stop the shots of the Crimson.

The Crimson's second line of McVey, Dave Vietze, and Dick Fischer completely dominated play when it was on the ice. It was far faster than any line the Elis could offer and its back-checking negated any offensive the home team could muster. The varsity's third line of Higgenbottom, Collins, and Dick Reilly also played its best game of the season in the opinion of coach Cooney Weiland.

X-rays on Thursday revealed that lineman Paul Kelley is suffering from a cracked bone in his leg and he did not even dress for tonight's game. However, Maurice Balboni took over for him and played a fine game.

Freshmen Win, 7-3

The freshman sextet overcame a 1-0 Yale lead at the end of the first period, crushing the Elis at New Haven Saturday by a score of 7 to 3. The victory gave the team a 14 won, 2 lost final record for the season.