COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO., March 14--An unbelievably fast and tough Colorado College sextet advanced to the finals of the NCAA Hockey Tournament tonight by defeating a scrappy but outmanned Clarkson team, 5 to 3.

Clarkson goalie Ed McDonald turned in an inspired performance in the goal, stopping 55 Tiger shots. The Knights got as close as 3 to 2 in the final period, but they could not match the speed and power of he Colorado team.

Bob McCusker scored the hat trick for the Tigers while Bunt Hubchick and John Andre each added one goal for Colorado. Bob VanLammers scored twice for Clarkson and Don Gilchrist tallied the other goal.

Colorado's first line of McCusker, All-American Bill Hay, and Ike Scott completely controlled the puck whenever it was on the ice. They are extremely fast, their passing and plays are very polished and their back checking is ferocious.

CC's defense is not particularly big, but it played a very tough game tonight. The Tigers' only weakness seems to be their goalie, Bob Southwood, who looked very bad on two of tonight's scores for the Knights.

McDonald looked about as good tonight as any goalie could. His performance was something like the game that Yale goalie Jerry Jones turned in against the Crimson at the Boston Garden except that McDonald was not as lucky. His reflexes were amazingly quick, fast enough to thwart Hay on two solos.

Clarkson defense man Don Seale was the only Knight who used his body defectively, and he subsequently found himself in the penalty position three times.