Tonight is the big night of the season for Clark Hodder's first Varsity hockey team as the Crimson six goes into action against Yale at the Boston Garden in what will probably be the deciding game of the 39th ice series with the Elis.

It will be the second time that the two teams have met this year, the first clash two weeks ago at New Haven resulting in a wild 2 to 2 overtime deadlock. Because of that tie tonight's game by mutual agreement of Clark Hodden and Eli mentor Murray Murdoch will be the final and decisive game of the series unless the encounter happens to end in another dead heat.

Crimson Slight Favorite

As far as the record book goes, the Crimson sextet should take the ice as slight favorites to win. Although both teams lost their games to Toronto, McGill and Dartmouth, the Hoddermen beat Princeton twice and Queens once while the Elis were routed by Queens last month and dropped both of their games to the Nassau six.

But the Blue invaders are a potentially dangerous team and have the edge over the Varsity both in speed and in experience. Last year virtually the same Eli team that will start tonight's encounter beat out a very strong Crimson sextet in two games out of three.

DeRahm on First Line

An important change in the Crimson line-up was made after Thursday afternoon's practice session at the Skating Club, when Coach Hodder shifted Freddie DeRahm, who has been playing on the second line this year, up to the position of right winger on the first trio with Austie Harding and Joe Patrick. This shift will put DeRahm back on the same combination that he played with during part of last season.

Warren Winslow, who has been holding down the first line wing berth that DeRahm will take over, will go back to center position that he played last year, probably combining with Skip Ervin and Phil Cutler on the second line.

Austie Harding and Joe Patrick, who have developed into one of the finest combinations in recent Crimson ice history will be counted on for most of the Varsity's scoring punch. The Elis have three almost equally strong lines, and despite the probable strengthening influence of the De-Rahm-Winslow shift, Hodder's first trio and especially Harding will still have to supply the brunt of the attack.

The men to watch on the Yale sextet tonight will be Fred Burr, of the Eli first defense, goalie Harry Holt, and Captain Gil Humphrey, Burr, a Junior, is rated the fastest player on the Eli sextet, and Humphrey, along with his line-mate Dud Humphrey, is leading the team in scoring. Holt, who is considered by many the best net-minder in the League, turned in a beautiful game against the Crimson in the Yale nets last year.

With two hard-fighting evenly-matched teams taking the ice tonight and with one of the most exciting Eli-Crimson hockey clashes of recent years in prospect, a big turnout is expected at the Gardon-probably over 8,000 fans. Unless the game results in another deadlock thus necessitating a play-off next week tonight will be the last chance for Crimson rooters to see the seniors on the squad-and that includes Harding, and Patrick--playing in Harvard uniforms