Harvard, B.U. Machines to Collide on Ice

The battle for Eastern hockey supremacy begins tonight, Harvard should be right in the thick of it.

The Crimson will face its first big test against Boston University at Watson Rink, and the winner will automatically be ranked with Cornell as a team to beat in New England hockey this season.

B.U. was the number two team in the nation last winter, losing to Cornell in the NCAA finals. Just as awesome is the string of seven victories the Terriers can boast over Harvard.

Harvard's last win came at the Arena in January, 1964, by a 4-3 margin. Since then, the Crimson has fallen three times at the Boston Garden, three times at the Arena, and once at Watson. The lone home loss was the closest--a memorable 1-0 overtime thriller back in December, 1964.

Two more recent defeats still rankle the current Crimson squad. Two years ago in the Beanpot Tournament the Terriers humiliated Harvard 9-2 before a packed Boston Garden. The physical beating was just as bad, and Ben Smith and Bob Carr were among six players ejected from the game for fighting.

Then last winter, at the Arena Christmas Tournament, underdog Harvard held a 5-4 lead with only seven minutes to play. Two-goal performances by Kent Parrot and Bobby Bauer had given the Crimson a shot at the year's biggest upset. But late tallies by Herb Wakabayashi and Fred Bassi and an open-net goal by Serge Boily pulled out a 7-5 Terrier win.

Graduation Losses

B.U. may be weaker this year, and Harvard may be stronger. The Terriers certrainly lost more through graduation, including forwards Jimmy Quinn, Mike Sobeski, and Fred "Bear" Bassi, a Crimson nemesis. Defensemen Pete McLachlan and Brian Gilmour formed one of the country's strongest and highest scoring defense duos, and goalie Wayne Ryan was one of the best.

But no one across the river is crying, or talking of a building year. The Terriers so far have beaten Memorial University of Newfoundland, 8-2; New Brunswick, 13-3; Yale, 9-1; and New Hampshire, 7-3.

The all-time high-scoring sophomore line of Wakabayshi, Boily, and Mickey Gray is back, though coach Jack Kelley has split them up. Gray is now centering the third line with sophomores Dick Toomey and Larry Davenport.

At left wing on the second line with Wakabayashi and Boily is another junior, Ed Wright, who played with Wakabayashi in Canada for five years.

Broken Wing

Captain Jack Parker centers the all-senior first line with veteran John Cooke on his right wing. Billy Riley, a three-year starter at left wing, fractured his against Yale and has been replaced by John Crawley and Paul Fontas, also seniors.

The Terriers scoring punch has not been diminished at all, as evidenced by the 37 goals in four games. If B.U. is weakened it is at defense.

Junior Bill Hinch and Darrel Abbott played second defense as sophomores last season, but both can be beaten. Mike Hyndman, a big 23-year-old sophomore plays left on the second defense and has posed a strong scoring threat, with three goals and four assists in the two ECAC encounters. Pairing with him is a former forward, Wayne Decker.

Goalie Jim McCann, who backed up Ryan last year, has hardly been tested, making only 17 and 19 saves in the last two games.

Harvard Ready

Harvard received a big scare when goalie Billy Diercks and wing Bob Fredo didn't show'up at practice Monday but both skated yesterday and should be close to top form tonight.