Coming to the end of the grueling reading period schedule of six games in two weeks, the Harvard hockey team hosts St. Lawrence, another one of the ECAC's dark horses, at 8 p.m. tonight at Watson Rink.

The Larries have been skating with the best teams in the East all season, and their 7-4-1 record includes two one-goal victories over highly-rated Clarkson. St. Lawrence finished second in the Madison Square Garden Invitational over Christmas, losing to Notre Dame, 4-2, after getting by Brown, 6-5.

St. Lawrence's biggest asset is their goalie, Alan Howes, who came up with 44 saves against Notre Dame. Howes was named most valuable player of the tournament, and if he has a good game, it could be a pretty frustrating evening for Harvard's forwards.

Harvard's 5-2 victory over Northeastern on Monday was not particularly satisfying, and the Crimson are looking for a solid victory tonight to prove that last Saturday's loss to New Hampshire was a fluke.

In Monday night's game at the Boston Arena, the Huskies seemed more interested in physical contact than in scoring goals, and Harvard was unable to gain momentum despite numerous man-up situations.

One encouraging sign was Larry Desmond's two-goal performance, Desmond, who was MVP on the junior varsity last year as a sophomore, moved onto the first line with Tommy Paul and Bob Goodenow during the Christmas Tournament in St. Louis. He now has four goals and nine assists.

A definite factor in tonight's game will be the Crimson's pre-exam blues. "It's impossible to maintain the right competitive attitude during reading period," captain Paul explained. "On a normal game day, when I get back from the four o'clock training meal. I think about the game and maybe relax by listening to some records. But now I have to spend that time studying for exams, and it makes a big difference."