With all but one of last year's returning lettermen already out, the Varsity hockey team is quickly rounding into shape for its opening encounter of the season next Tuesday night with M.I.T. at the Boston Arena.

Coach Joe Stubbs' men really have more than one kind of a goal to shoot at this season, namely the fine record established by last year's sextet. George Ford's team was vanquished only once during a long and strenuous schedule, and then by the best McGill outfit in recent years. Yale, Princeton, and Dartmouth were shellacked twice each. Queens, Toronto, and Montreal, the remaining members of the year old International Intercollegiate Hockey League, were beaten once.

Prospects Bright

Of course it is much too early to make any predictions as to where this year's outfit will finish. But on paper, at least, the prospects are bright. The squad has an abundance of material. With the right amount of breaks, it should do as well as last year's team. But with a schedule of at least fourteen games, any hockey team, no matter how good it might be, is fortunate to get through a season without more than one defeat. To expect an undefeated season, above all, would be foolhardy.

It would seem that the positions left vacant last year by the graduation of George Ford, Louis Carr, Leo Ecker, and Specs Mahoney would be hard to fill. Each of them was a superb hockey player. But lack of hockey material has not been a problem at Harvard for a good many years. Thus Joe Stubbs has many left-overs of last year and a few new men who ought to be capable of making the loss from graduation practically negligible.

Many Lettermen

Except in the goalie position, there are innumerable lettermen available. At defense, Ecker was the only loss from last year. But with Hicks, Russ Allen, Charlie Houghton, and Gene Emerson back, there seems to be no cause for immediate alarm. The only drawback is that Allen, still recovering from his injury in the Army game, will probably not be able to participate strenuously until after the Christmas vacation. However, he is expected to be on skates by this Friday.

In the forward wall lettermen will fill over two lines. Since the football players have reported quite recently, there are not yet any definite indications as to just what the combinations will be. But it is safe to say that Johnny Mechem, Ned Cutter, George Roberts, Austie Harding, Ralph Pope, Joe Patrick, Win Jameson, and Pete Stone will figure in the first two or three combinations.

The real and most immediate problem so far lies with Skeeter Canterbury, who has been turning out good goalies year after year without fail. In this department there is not one lettermen to work with.