In the jostling that precedes the March Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference hockey tournament, teams play with one eye on the puck and the other on the league standings.

The prize is the home ice advantage for the top four teams in the ECAC for the first round of the tournament. Harvard is currently ranked third, and St. Lawrence is fourth. They play tonight at the Watson Rink, and the loser stands a fair chance of slipping from the top four.

The Larries, as usual, have turned out a fine hockey team. They sport a 13-6 record, including an 8-7 overtime win over B.C. and a 6-1 victory against R.P.I., a team that topped Harvard 7-2.

Punch

St. Lawrence's top scorer, Gary Croteau, is sidelined with an injury and may not see action. But center Don D'Angelo and wing Bill Wilkinson still give the Larries plenty of scoring punch.

St. Lawrence also enjoys the luxury of two competent goaltenders, senior John Went and sophomore Jerry Healey. Went began the year in the nets for the Larries, but recently he and Healey have been dividing the task about equally.

Harvard should be fresher than their opponents from upstate New York. St. Lawrence had a game last night against a rugged University of New Hampshire sextet, while Harvard has been idle since its 4-1 Beanpot defeat by B.U. Monday night.

St. Lawrence and the Crimson share one characteristic: both are strong third period hockey teams. Harvard, in 18 games this year, has outscored its opponents 32-24 in the first period and 31-24 in the second. But in the final period, the Crimson has tallied 47 times while giving up only 17 goals.

The Crimson's record now stands at 12-6 overall, 11-5 in the ECAC, and 7-1 in the Ivy League.