Improved Icemen Host Speedy B.C.

The Harvard hockey team will find itself in its usual role of underdog tonight when it faces Boston College at 8 p.m. at Watson Rink. The explosive Eagles will be the fastest skating team Harvard has faced so far.

With a 5-4 overtime defeat of Boston University last Friday, B.C. pulled its record up to 9-3, fourth-best in the East. Only three powerhouses--Brown, Colorado, and Northeastern--have managed to pull down the high-flying Eagles.

Although B.C. is the only major hockey team without a Canadian on its roster, it still has the best group of skaters in the East. Its only weak spot seems to be in the goal, where Coach Snooks Kelley has been alternating two inexperienced juniors.

Harvard's 4-7 record may not make any Eagle eyes pop out, but the Crimson still has plenty to be optimistic about following the weekend's 7-3 victory over St. Lawrence and the 5-1 loss to Clarkson. In upstate New York, Harvard finally found some concentrated scoring power.

The new first line of Baldy Smith, Jorge Gonzales, and Dennis McCullough accounted for six of Harvard's weekend goals. Gonzales scored three times against St. Lawrence, almost certainly becoming the first Puerto Rican ever to get a hat trick in American collegiate hockey.

McCullough added two goals against St. Lawrence, the second time he has scored twice in one game. He and Smith now share the Crimson scoring honors with eight points apiece, while his total of five goals is matched only by Gonzales.

The line of Kenny Burnes, Pete Sahlin, and Pete Miller didn't do any scoring over the weekend, but Burnes and Miller established themselves as Harvard's best penalty-killing combination. Former scoring leader Burnes is now runner-up with seven points.

The Crimson may currently have only one high-scoring line, but it now has two good goalies. Despite sophomore Bill Fitzsimmons' fine job in the net over the Christmas vacation, Coach Cooney Weiland decided to go with senior Wade Welch against the two upstate New York schools.

The move paid off handsomely as Welch made some great early saves against St. Lawrence to keep Harvard in the game, and had little or no chance on the goals that he finally did allow in the two games. Weiland now feels he has two goalies of equal ability, and plans to rotate them. Accordingly, he expects to go back to Fitzsimmons tonight.