From here on in, almost every game is going to be a crucial one for the varsity hockey squad, and on the basis of their showing in the last two games it, looks as if they realized that fact and were going to do something about it. As a result, perhaps, of their untimely defeat at the hands of Northeastern last week, they really buckled down and played hockey against Devens and Army.

Barring the unforeseen, they are in a better position to keep up the good work than they have been for several weeks. The recovery and return of Shaw McKean to his regular first-line duties bodes good for the offense as a whole, which has been crippled by constant shiftings in personnel since mid-years. The second line has improved steadily as a scoring threat to provide an effective alternate to the McKean-Key-Sears combination. And Larry Ward is permanently up from the jayvees to fill out the third line.

Defenseman Charlie Coulter Returns

The graduation of Johnny Crocker, by all odds the best stick-handler and defensive forward on the squad, was a sore loss to the Crimson, but is compensated for by the return of defenseman Charlie Coulter to service. Although shaky in his first couple of starts, Coulter started to display his 1947 form against the Cadets, as he and Bill Allen were instrumental, to say the least, in breaking up the Cadet attack. But on the basis of Johnny Chase's recent displays of prowess, Harvard would not need any defensemen at all as long as this young goalie fills the nets. Using the "fielding average" system by which his namesake and coach picks starting goalies, Chase will be on the ice for the face-off against B.U. at seven o'clock tonight.

This game should be an accurate yardstick for things to come. The Terriers have one of the strongest teams in New England, and in a previous fray with the Crimson set them down 8 to 2. Their attack is dazzingly fast, but even in the last Harvard game they only outplayed the Crimson for one period, so the conclusion about tonight is by no means foregone. And if the Crimson can down B.U., they ought to be able to do the same for almost anyone else on the agenda, with the possible exception of Dartmouth.

Yale Odds Look Good

By the old if not infallible method of comparative scores, the strong Princeton sextet which will play host to Harvard on Saturday should be little more than an even choice, while Yale is a decided underdog. But a lot depends on the team's power to stay "up" for nine remaining games and that, according to Coach Chase, is a harder thing to achieve in hockey than in any other sport.