For the first time in many years the Freshmen were downed 4-2 by a good Belmont Bill School sextet last Saturday in the Arena. With the score 2-2 at the half-way mark, and hard body checking by Chandler and Summers breaking up many potential scoring threats, Harvard looked like the top team for a time.

Two late goals on Taylor, who turned in a good game at the net, clinched the issue. "Superior passing was what beat us," said Coach AI Dewey. "Although our defense was better than average the forwards lacked the necessary experience."

All Clark Hodder would say was, "we deserved to win." But Dewey added, "You can't blame the boys, it's rather a lack of practice that has hampered us. They just haven't had the opportunity to improve." Also the loss of Ayres, first string center due to sickness, and four others who are on probation has made the coaching problem more difficult.

This evening at 7 o'clock at the Skating Club, the team meets Cambridge Latin. If then faces a stiff schedule, including Andover and Exeter, both of whom were at Lake Placid during the Christmas holidays. Dewey, realizing that most of the teams he plays are well ahead in experience, intends to concentrate on a hard-checking, defensive type of hockey.

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Harvard's Varsity hockey fortunes showed an upturn, when Clark Hodder's team turned in a surprise 4-2 win over highly-touted Queens in the Garden Monday night. That is, everyone was surprised except Clark.

"I wasn't so amazed," he said at Varsity practice yesterday. "You can't give these Canadian teams like Queens or Toronto the jump too often, because they are faster than we are." In answer to whether the Toronto flasco was due to poor defensive play, Hodder stated:

"We would have done much better, had our wings checked back as they did against Queens."

An outstanding performer for the Crimson was Dave Eaton, second-line center, whose poke-checking harried the Canadians and broke up their attack consistently. He also figured in Harding's second period goal.

Monday's game was characterized by the fine defensive play on the part of Bill Coleman and Win Jameson, who also scored a goal each. Bodychecking was hard, in contrast to the pansy playing against Toronto.