"We're still sweating it out for Bill Cleary," Manager Jack Mately of the U.S. Amateur hockey team said yesterday.

Tryouts for the team which will represent the U.S. at the World amateur championships in Moscow next February started last week, but as of today the squad was still missing its star.

According to Mrs. William Cleary, Sr., the former Crimson hockey high-scorer was scheduled to join the squad when practice started but instead was shipped out of Germany and is now expected Oct. 24.

Cleary, who was a major factor in the U.S. surprising second place finish in the Olympic hockey standings last winter, will again take a leave of absence from the Army to compete in the Amateur playoffs. Over the past year he has also played shortstop and managed the football team of his Army company.

Besides Cleary, three other ex-Crimson standouts are also competing for the 17-man U.S. squad. They are: Mario Celi '56 and Joe Crehore '56 from last year's Ivy Championship team, and Doug Manchester '55 who played wing on Cleary's line on the Crimson's Eastern Titlists in 1956.

Although the squad's final cutting date is set for Nov. 21, the sextet will play Harvard, B.C. and either B.U. or Northeastern in its first practice game on November 17 in Boston. The college teams will each play a period of the match.

Another former Crimson hockey player, Jim O'Brien '53, was injured in his first day out yesterday. There was no sign of last year's captain, goalie Charlie Flynn, and ex-All American.

The U.S. team will tour the country in January and may play the Crimson on the one open date it still has in the Boston area.