Quintet Wins Tourney; Hockey Team Bows to Midwest Foes

The varsity hockey team spent a disappointing Christmas vacation in the midwest, playing five teams and losing six games. Before leaving on this trip however, the Crimson showed it was still a power to reckon with in the East by easily defeating Middlebury, 7 to 1.

While the sextet may have gained valuable experience from the trip, it lost one of its best defensemen in John Copeland. Copeland broke his wrist in a game against Minnesota on Dec. 27 and will probaly be out for the remainder of the year.

Against Middlebury on Dec. 20, the varsity looked as good as it has all season, beating a team that had previously defeated St. Lawrence. The varsity was in command throughout and was a different team than the one that lost to the Larries the day before.

But one week later against powerful Minnesota, the varsity ran into a different brand of hockey and came out the worse for wear. The Gophers simply out-skated the Crimson for the first period and then let loose with a salvo of goals to win easily, 7 to 2. It was in this game that Copeland broke his wrist. He was driven into the boards by an average body check, but as he swung around to skate for the puck, his arm hit the boards and his wrist was broken.

The next day, the same two teams met again, and this time the varsity played its best game of the trip, losing 3-2 in over-time. Harry Pratt played the whole game in goal for the varsity and played some very good hockey for the rest of the games.

The U.S. National Amateur hockey team beat the varsity handily, 9 to 3, on Dec. 30 at Des Moines. The Amateurs, who will go to the world championships this year in Oslo, played even with the Crimson for the first period and then erupted for a string of goals in the second period to win the game.

North Dakota, along with Minnesota one of the best in the Western Hockey League, was the next sextet to beat the varsity as it won easily, 5 to 1. The game was played in North Dakota's "Winter Sports Palace" in 2 degree below zero weather.

The Duluth branch of the University of Minnesota and Michigan State both beat the varsity by the same score, 6 to 2, on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4. In both these games, the Crimson held its opponents even for the first period and then would begin to slow down while the opposition was speeding up. The result would be two or three quick scores against the varsity, and the game would be wrapped up.