Yardling Sextet, Grapplers Master Winning Formulas

Harvard's freshman grapplers, "one of the best Yardling wrestling squads in the last 10 years," according to Coach John H. Lee, finished off the first third of its season by throttling Pennsylvania, 29-9, last Saturday. In boosting their record to 3-0, the aggressive matmen dropped only three of 10 contests to the weak Quaker frosh.

Penn was the easiest match of the young season for the Crimson as the better-conditioned Yardlings overcame their lack of experience in the lower weight classes. Pins by Pat Coleman at 167 pounds, John Imrie at 191, and Tom Tripp in the heavyweight division, the third in a row for each, ensured the victory.

The freshmen found it more difficult to down Connecticut, 26-17, before Christmas, and M.I.T., 28-14, last week, however. Hampered by erratic performances from the lighter men, they had to rely on strong winning efforts from the heavy end of the line-up to carry the team.

Against Connecticut, probably the second strongest opponent it will meet this year. Harvard trailed 17-0 at the end of the 145 pound match. Tremendous comeback performances by Bart Harvey in the 152 pound class, and Coleman, Mike Faller, and Imrie, who pinned their men at 160, 167, and 191, managed to overcome the Huskies seemingly insurmountable lead. Tripp's pin in the top class capped off the win.

In the M.I.T. contest an improved freshman squad surprised the Crimson by capturing a 14-0 advantage, once more at the expense of the lower weight men. Coleman, Imrie, and Tripp came through with timely pins, however, to spark Harvard's successful comeback. Tony Rayner, who did not wrestle against UConn, contributed a pin over his 177 pound adversary.

Harvard faces the roughest part of its schedule next semester as it takes on the Columbia. Springfield, and Princeton freshmen in consecutive matches. Powerful Princeton, which has already defeated Eastern wrestling power Lehigh's freshmen, will be the toughest team the Yardling grapplers will compete against this season.

Brown and Yale, however, caught up in the process of rebuilding their wrestling programs, should provide little real competition for the Crimson in its last two contests.

Center Joe Cavanagh and goalie Capain Bruce Durno turned in their best performances of the year to power the Yardlings to an 8-4 trouncing of Dartmouth's Baby Redskins.

Released from the infirmary only four hours before the tap-off, Cavanagh registered a game high total of four goals, while Durno turned away a fantastic 41 shots.

In an impressive showing of team depth, the Crimson's third line played inspired hockey to account for three of the eight scores, and the second line produced a superior defensive effort to repeatedly stall the Redmen attack. Third unit center Steve Barker accounted for two goals, and right wing Ford Fraker tipped in a single tally. Led by left wing Paul Sweeney's especially strong puck grabbing, the second line managed to shut out Dartmouth completely while it was on the ice.

`Hardest Shooter'

Harvard jumped out to a 4-1 lead at the end of the first period on two scores by Cavanagh, one by Barker, and one off the stick of left defenseman David Jones. Jones, described by Coach Gene Kinasewich as probably the "hardest shooter at Harvard, including the varsity," took advantage of a bad clear by his Dartmouth counterpart to drill a wrist shot from the blue line over the Hanover goalie's shoulder.

Employing a gambling forechecking game strategy, both teams traded goals in the second frame. Cavanagh registered his third goal at 5:41, and Fraker's came less than a minute later.

In a sloppy last period, Harvard and Dartmouth chalked up a total of 38 combined penalty minutes. Final marks by Cavanagh and Barker ended the Crimson scoring, and the defense held the little Green scoreless until the last 15 seconds of play.