Lining Them Up

With Pentagonal Hockey League leadership currently held by Dartmouth's high-flying sextet, the experts are waiting only for tomorrow morning's contest in Hanover to see the final page written in the 1946-1947 pennant race. A Green victory over the Crimson by a decisive margin in their first clash this year would show the Hanoverians superior to all opposition even though the schedule has barely reached mid-season, and should insure them of any easy coast thereafter to the League championship.

As opposed to this, the Crimson must win tomorrow to remain in first place contention. They will face a team that has not lost on its own ice since 1940 and that boasts a potent attack led by forwards Bruce Cunliffe and Bruce Mather. Their renowned hard-checking defensive duet of George Pilliam and Soup Campbell, and goalle Dick Desmond will add to coach Johnny Chase's difficulties, as well as the fact that the first 12 of Eddie Jeremiah's Varsity performers are returning lettermen.

Army, Yale and Princeton normally round out the League, although the Tiger's this year are not in the running. While Dartmouth now rides the crest of the wave, the West Point Cadets are scraping rock bottom with no prospects of rising. Four League losses topped by a 9 to 1 shellacking at the hands of the Elis round out a generally dismal season. Wingman Art Snyder lines up as their only real scoring threat, while goalie Gerald Wojciehoski has stood up staunchly in the nets under a hall of flying pucks.

Between these two poles lie Yale and Harvard, now locked in a tight battle for second place. The Chasemen's 8 to 1 walkaway on West Point's Smith Rink Saturday all but equaled Yale's earlier win on the same ice, while the men in blue invaded the Boston Arena February 1 to nose out Boston University 6 to 5 and match the Crimson's December victory over the Terriers on the same rink by the same margin. Yale's high scoring forwards--Artie Moher, Gordy Ritz, and Fred Pearson--are pushing on 30 points apiece. Wait Allen and Jack Calhoun are strong at defense, while highly-touted goaltender Captain Terry Van Ingen rounds out the Eli sextet.

To face this competition, Crimson coach Johnny Chase has many hopes and a few disappointments. Outstanding individual skaters are high scoring forwards Wally Sears and Dave Farrell, and recently-converted defenseman Lou Preston. Slim, fast and aggressive, Sears played three years for Thayer Academy; Farrell picked up his wide experience and powerful shot at local Watertown High School; and Preston comes from perhaps the greatest manufacturer of college hockey stars, St. Paul's School in New Hampshire. Teaming with Farrell on the first line are Bob Feloney and Captain Johnny Crocker both of whom figured prominently on last year's Varsity, while Sid Greeley and Shaw McKean round out the second string trio. Feloney never played hockey during his pre-College days at nearby Cambridge High. Now tipping the scales at a scant 140 pounds, he has a good shot and natural skating ability. Crocker was an all-around athlete at Groton, McKean once captained a St. Paul's School team, and Greeley played three years for Framingham High. Sid's brother, Dick, now teaming with Preston at defense, is one of the recent additions to the squad, while defending the Crimson nets is tall and resolute Jack Lavalle, also a St. Paul's graduate.

Somewhat inadequate to date is the teamwork of Preston and Greeley, the new starting defense. Both excellent skaters individually, they were sometimes split by Holy Cross and the B.A.A. Unicorns to allow occasional solo jaunts goalward. Should this due tighten up tomorrow, the Big Green may find themselves hard pressed.

Johnny Chase has remained silent on his expectations, but the outcome of this vital game in the League standings will bring about one of two conclusions a sure pennant for Dartmouth or a second glance by the experts at the standings to evaluate a sudden new contender for the lead.