The varsity hockey team, still in the throes of its worst slump of the season, will skate onto West Point's Smith Rink this afternoon knowing that the Cadets offer the last breather before the league games which end the schedule.

Although the Crimson has lost its last four games, its overall record of nine wins and seven losses is still far above that of the Cadets. Army has been able to earn but one tie in eight tries.

Coach Cooney Weiland doesn't plan any major change in the lineup that faced B.U. John White will continue at his new defense position because "we need his aggressiveness," the coach explains. Even though White is helping to fill the the defensive gap, the Crimson still misses the injured Bill Bliss.

Weiland, still trying to solve the problem created by the incapacitation of wing Nat Harris, will leave Walt Greeley and Amory Hubbard on the second line with either Bill Timpson or Morgie Hatch. Bob DiBlasio will center a tentative third line of Doug Anderson and Jim O'Brien.

"We've been slow," adds Weiland. On numerous occasions in the past few games, the forwards have missed scoring opportunities, failing to tally merely for lack of a quick burst of speed. Weiland hasn't lost confidence in the team, however. "We'll get going," he says. "I hope we start playing again as we did on the Western trip."

Army, on the other hand, can not blame its trouble on extended injuries. The Cadets, mostly juniors, just don't seem to be able to score. They've totalled only 18 goals and their leading scorer, football quarterback Bab Blaik, has nine of these. Captain Bill Depew has seven, and the rest of the team only three.

Jack Reilly, the former Dartmouth giant who coaches the Black and Gold, has had defensive woes, too. The Army backline has been so weak that Reilly has had to move Blaik to defense. Depew will move over from wing, but the offense will be much less dangerous.

The probable lineups:

Varsity: Corning, g; Burke, rd; White, ld; Marshall, rw; Kittredge, c; Preston (C), lw.

Army: Harris, g; Blaik, rd; Wardrop, ld; Miller, rw; Depew (C), c; Johnson, lw.