Northeastern to Challenge Untested Harvard Icemen

The fun is over. The infant icemen emerge from their early-season protective schedule of alumni, amateur club, and second-division college opponents tonight when they face off against Northeastern in the Boston Arena at 8 p.m.

The early games were good for experimentation and building confidence, but they provided no indication of how the Crimson will fare in the brutally competitive world of New England hockey. Tonight's game should tell whether the promising Harvard hockey team will be in contention for Ivy League and E.C.A.C. honors or will have to content itself with the spoiler's role.

Northeastern graduated only the fourth defenseman and a third-line wing from last year's team, which posted an 11-10 record, including series splits with Harvard, Brown, B.C., and B.U.

The Huskies performed dismally in their opening 8-3 loss to Ivy champ Brown this year, but since then they have knocked off Princeton, 6-2, and Yale, 4-2.

A rundown of the Northeastern starting lineup is enough to make one wonder when Boston became a province. Five of the six starters are from Canada and they are backed up by seven receives from north of the border.

Junior defensemen Don Turcotte and Ron Jeanneault, one of the best tandems around, have played together for ten years--at Northeastern and at their home in Kapuskasing, Ontario. Goulie Gary Thornton, another Ontario junior, has rounded into top form since the Brown game. He will anchor a defense which is stiffer than either Bowdoin's or St. Nicholas's

Bill Seabury, the only local product in the Husky starting six, centers the first line. Captain Larry Bone, Northeastern's second highest scorer, plays left wing, with sophomore Eric Porter on his right Seabury, all-New England with Bone, led the team with 25 goals last year. (In comparison, Pete Waidinger, Harvard's high scorer, had 9.)

Tickets for the game can be purchased for $2 at 60 Boylston St., or at the Arena. To reach the Arena, take a Dudley bus from Harvard Square.

Also in Boston tonight, B.C. will take on Brown in a contest that will further fill out this year's Eastern hockey picture. After routing Northeastern, the Bruins whipped the Colby squad that tied Harvard, 3-1.

B.C. will will be trying to bounce back from a 3-1 upset by Cornell that has knocked the Eagles from their pre-season rating as the East's top team and vaulted Cornell's squad to the top along with B.U.

B.U., second in the pre-season polls demonlished Yale, 7-0, and Princeton, 7-3. They play B.C. Saturday.