Three former Crimson hockey stars--Bill and Bob Cleary, and Bob Owen--continue to lead the U.S. national hockey team in the World Championships now being held at Prague, Czechoslovakia. A fourth varsity alumnus, Bob McVey, is now out of action with a back injury suffered in a collision with a Czech player ten days ago.

In its best world tournament performance to date, the U.S. nationals crushed East Germany last Friday, 9 to 2, to clinch a spot in the six-team, round-robin finals. Captain Bill Cleary, his brother, and Owen all scored for the Americans. The three ex-Crimson aces have been less effective since then, as the U.S. teams has absorbed two straight lickings by the Russians.

Just five days before his injury, McVey starred against a tough Finland squad at Tampere, tallying two goals in a 5-3 U.S. triumph. Bill Clearly added one marker in a game featuring the "gentle" American style of play against the more rugged Finnish brand. Three days later, Bob Cleary scored once in a losing effort against a Czech team.