The Harvard hockey team rested its case on two goals scored in the fifth minute of play and was awarded a barely-contested 2-1 victory over the St. Nicholas Club of New York at Watson Rink Saturday night.

The exhibition was scheduled as a warm-up for Tuesday night's Beanpot Tournament opener against Boston University, and it proved to be little more. The disinterested crowd was swelled to 350 by friends of the St. Nicks players, who ranged from Princeton '58 to Brown '66.

Second-line center Jack Garrity converted his second breakaway chance of the evening to open the scoring at 4:02. Bobby Bauer, centering the third line, added to the Crimson output 22 seconds later with a 12-foot drive that glanced in off the goalie's stick.

Steve Cook (Princeton '66) tallied the Nicks' goal with six minutes remaining in the game, on a long shot that hit the nets over goalie Bill Fitzsimmons's left shoulder. Action then picked up briefly but quickly subsided.

Fitzsimmons recorded 23 saves, and Dave Ferguson, an All-Ivy netminder at Brown last year, made 24. In addition to Ferguson, the Nicks' muffled guns included Bob Gaudreau (Brown '66), Bill Lamarche (Harvard '64), Peter and John Cook (Princeton '60 and '63), and captain Pete Bostwick (Middlebury '58).

The inevitable and inexplicable new lines designed by Coach Cooney Weiland were Ben Smith with Kent Parrot and Pete Waldinger on one, Pete Mueller with Garrity and Bob Fredo on two, and Barry Johnson with Bauer and Dwight Ware on three. Don Grimble was back on defense with Dennis Clark.

Chip Otness and captain Dennis mcCullough also saw action up front, as did Tag Demment, who dressed for the thrid period only. Lines were affected last week by the loss of sophomore George Murphy, who is taking a year's leave of absence.