There appear to be conflicting reports about whether or not Cornell's hockey team practiced on Saturday, October 18, an illegal date by Ivy League rules. John Powers 70, a CRIMSON reporter who has covered hockey for two years, wrote in the CRIMSON that he had seen Cornell practicing on that date. But then Robert J. Kane, the Cornell athletic director. wrote the CRIMSON a letter denying the charges. Someone does not have his story straight.

Two other Harvard people, both of whom refuse to have their names publicized in connection with the incident, were also told to leave Lynah Rink after they had entered Friday afternoon. They had come to see the rink, and also saw hockey players scrimmaging in practice uniforms. "It appeared to be supervised," one of them said. A student in charge told them that it was a closed practice and that they had to leave. This information cannot be used as incriminating evidence, but it does indicate that if Powers is lying, as Kane charges, then these men are too. because Kane's letter states that Cornell did not practice until October 22.

In trying to determine which party is gully of being untruthful, one should consider the Cornell hockey program. The Big Red team was composed entirely of Canadians last year, and this year is all Canadian except for two rarely used Americans. Defense-man Rick Bertrand is a 28-year-old former Canadian Mountie. Cornell has gone out to get the manpower, and coach Ned Harkness has used it well. Hockey is undeniably a big time sport there. It is certainly conceivable that early practices might fit into their program.

One of Kane's statements is that Cornell does not violate Ivy. ECAC, or NCAA rules. Yet a few years ago, a Cornell hockey player by the name of Bob McGuinn signed a form which linked him to a professional team. Harvard's Dean Robert Watson, who is about to become the new athletic director here, made the discovery while checking through records, and the Ivy League ruled McGuinn ineligible. Later, Cornell officials claimed ignorance of the form, and McGuinn was allowed to play again.

Kane suggested in his letter that the CRIMSON ought to ask Harvard soccer players. who dressed in the rink for a game that morning, if they saw anything. In the first place, we will concede coach Harkness the intelligence not to conduct practice at the same hour that a Harvard team is expected to use the locker facilities. And the charges made by Powers were based on things he saw earlier that morning. The soccer team was not there until 10:45 a.m.

But some of them made interesting observations themselves. "The ice was mashed up when we got there." said Dick Nesto, a soccer player who played hockey here as a freshman. "It was obvious that there was skating going on there before we arrived, and it was a little early in the Fall for public skating." Harvard dressed in the freshman hockey locker room. which was extremely well organized at such an early date. Nesto said the names were taped on the lockers, and that throughout the grates in the lockers one could see the uniforms hanging up. "There were broken sticks and lots of tape around." he added. Freshmen must also refrain from practice before October 22. but perhaps Mr. Kane has an explanation for all this evidence of activity.

The most unfortunate aspect of Cornell's attempts to deny the charges by Powers is that Kane and Harkness have contradicted themselves in efforts to correct us. Harkness told Robert Savett of the Daily Pennsylvanian that he was helping out with Fall lacrosse. "I was not at the rink; you can't be in two places at once, " he explained. We agree with his reasoning, but in an article by David Golomb, sports editor of the Cornell Daily Sun Harkness is quoted as saying he was at a press luncheon at the time.

It was Kane. however, who committed the most incriminating error. In the article by Savett, Kane says, "Our team had not been on the ice. It was our freshmen, just skating with some Ithaca High School skaters." But in the letter he mailed to the CRIMSON three weeks later, Kane seemed to have changed his mind. "There was no one on the Lynah Rink ice Saturday morning, October 18. I repeat: no one, " he wrote.