Icemen Entertain Hapless Bulldog Six

Trying to come up with a word that adequately describes this year's Yale hockey team is not all that easy. About the only thing that comes to mind that really fits the Eli's plight is the ancient Greek phrase deinoteron horan, which literally means "most terrible to look upon," implying something frightfully wretched.

Yale has won one game this year, a 9-3 decision over Army. Last anyone be impressed with that triumph Army is a Division II hockey squad that would have a tough time in the Chelsea Bantam League.

In its other 18 contests, the Elis have lost 17 and tied one, earning Yale the cellar position in the ECAC League play, its lone tie coming against Princeton.

Army resemblance between the Eli squad that shocked Harvard at New Haven last year and the Blue squad appearing at Watson rink tonight is purely coincidental.

Yale has lost its all-American and all-time scoring leader Bobby Kane, and the Eli offense has suffered for it. Its leading scorer most of the season has been a defenseman, D'Arcy Ryan.

The Elis simply lack scoring punch they had last year, totaling only 65 goals on the season for a 1.5 goal-a-game average, far below most ECAC Division I team standards.

But the Eli defense is its Achilles heel, Goalie Ken Mackenzie, who played so magnificently in Yale's televised win over Harvard last year, is still in the nets, but has no support in front of him. The Blue has given up over seven goals per game so far, and it will take nothing less than a miracle to stop the Crimson from scoring in the double-figures.

Harvard Riding High

Harvard on the other hand is riding high, still atop the ECAC pack after devastating Cornell on Tuesday. The Crimson's 8-2 triumph was the biggest margin of victory over a Big Red team in Ithaca in ages.

The Cornell win assured of at least a first-place tie in the Ivy League. A victory tonight would clinch a second consecutive Ivy crown for the Crimson, the first time since 1964 that Harvard put together back-to-back titles. Harvard also has to win to stay ahead of B.U. in the East and retain its number one ranking.