Harvard's hockey hopes received a severe setback last night at Rye, N. Y., when the Crimson blew a promising 3 to 1 first period lead to the St. Nicholas Hockey Club and eventually ended up on the short side of a 6 to 4 score.

Center Fred Moseley, who captained Harvard's great 1936 team, accounted for most of Coach John Chase's misery. He figured in all but one of the St. Nick's scores, with three goals and two assists to his credit.

Third Line Scores Two

The Crimson's scores came from unexpected quarters, with Chuck Griffith, second string defenseman, and the hitherto unheralded third line accounting for three-fourths of the total. And apparently the Harvard defense at the end of the evening left plenty to be desired.

Moseley scored first, but then the Crimson seemed to catch on fire, and the action in the first period boded ill for Harvard's future opponents. Griffith's unassisted goal tied matters at 1 to 1. Then Earl Acker, center of the Sophomore third line, put the puck chasers out ahead with a marker on which Marc Beebe assisted. A runaway seemed imminent when Gordy McGrath counted for the first line on a pass from "Gipper" Gebelein. At the end of the first period the Crimson thus had a substantial 3 to 1 lead.

The tide ebbed during the second 20 minutes of play, and the St. Nicks worked of the score to a 3 to 3 tie, before Johnny Burton of the third line put the Crimson son ahead once more. Acker and Beebe assisted.

In the final period the Crimson fell completely apart. Moseley scored twice to put his team ahead 5 to 4, and then made bad matters worse by assisting on the final tally of the game.