Hockey Team Tackles Twice-Beaten Cornell

After losing two out of its last three games, Harvard's hockey team is not exactly flying, and the Crimson's slump comes at an unfortunate time. Cornell, the team Harvard has been aching to beat for the last four years, will take on the Crimson tomorrow night.

Furthermore, the Big Red will have the considerable edge of playing on their own ice in Cornell's notorious snake pit, Lynah Rink. Harvard will have to revert to the early season form that took it through its first six games without a defeat if the Crimson is to overcome the Red.

Cornell has had its disappointments this year, but its momentum is heading in the opposite direction of Harvard's. After a miserable early season that saw the Red's 30 game winning streak crumble with two straight losses to R.P.I. and Brown. Cornell has come back to rip off seven wins in a row.

Cornell's resurgence is largely attributable to the return of its high-scoring center, Kevin Petit, and the seasoning of a large group of sophomores off the Red's unbeaten '67-70 freshman team.

It's hard to tell just how good Cornell has become, however. Although its victories over U.N.H. (6-2) and B.C. (12-2) in the Boston ECAC's were impressive, the Big Red has yet to face a team with the potential of either B.U. or Harvard. And Cornell did not look overwhelming in defeating Penn on Wednesday, 6-3.

Despite the remaining element of uncertainty. Cornell must be given a slight edge on Saturday. The fanatical upper-New York State fans that stand in line at four a.m. in sub-zero weather to buy tickets will not be friendly, and there are easier teams to break out of a slump against than Cornell.

Still, Harvard has the material to win, and the Crimson usually rises, or drops, to the level of its opponent. In the end the key may lie with the ability of Joe Cavanagh's senior line to snap out of a scoring drought. In any case, it's a sure bet that Billy Cleary's skating drills on Monday will be a lot more unpleasant than the Cornell crowd if Harvard doesn't bring home a victory.