Harvard's varsity hockey team emerged Saturday night from a 19-day exam break to demolish NYC city club team St. Nicholas, 10-1, in an exhibition game scheduled primarily as practice for tonight's semifinal Beanpot contest against arch-rival Boston University.

The line of Randy Roth, Jim Thomas and Bob Goodenow collected seven goals and nine assists to pace Harvard's victory. Sophomore Roth contributed four goals and three assists, classmate. Thomas earned five points (1-4) and junior Goodenow scored twice and added two assists.

The Crimson power play converted three times in five man-up situations. Roth tipped in a pass from Bob McManama to score the only goal of the first period while former Crimson star Joe Cavanagh was serving a high-sticking penalty.

Goodenow tallied at 7:59 of the second period to give Harvard a 2-0 advantage, but Cavanagh's linemate, "Cooch" Owen, scored a short-side goal less than two minutes later to narrow Harvard's two-goal margin. Thomas, Dave Hynes and Goodenow each collected a goal during the remainder of the period to put the Crimson ahead, 5-1.

Third Period

In the third period. Bill Corkery converted on a power play, Roth scored three times and Mark Noonan scored once to give Harvard a 10-1 victory. The Crimson outshot St. Nick's. 33-19.

Harvard coach Bill Clearly changed the lineup Saturday, moving Larry Desmond from center to wing on the third line and alternating sophomores Jim McMahon and Leigh Hogan as the third-line center. Harry Reynolds moved down from the third to the fourth line, where he alternated with Steve Dagdigian.

McMahon or Hogan will center either the third or fourth line against the Terriers. Senior defenseman Doug Elliot, who played for the first time since the Great Lakes tourney, will play tonight. Elliot recovered from his ankle injury over the exam break.

Boston University goes into tonight's battle in the Garden at 9 p.m. having forfeited eleven early-season victories, including a 9-0 trouncing of Cornell. The Terriers lost the wins when the ECAC upheld its ruling which declared Dick Decloe ineligible.

Cornell's athletic director, Jon Anderson, made the initial inquiry into Decloe's eligibility. "The inquiry was made on behalf of one of our players, who played and was declared ineligible last January," Anderson said yesterday.

"The ECAC decision will just help our team," Decloe said yesterday. "It made the team angry, and the players will skate better because they know their backs are against the wall. They have to win almost every remaining game to make the [ECAC Division I] playoffs."

Because of the forfeitures B.U. now holds a 4-7 instead of a 8-3 ECAC Division I record. The Terriers stand 6-15 overall instead of 17-4. Harvard is currently 10-1, including a slim 6-5 victory over B.U. earlier this season.

The senior line of captain Dave Wisener, Steve Dolloff and Ray Cournoyea lead the B.U. attack. In the last two games against Clarkson and the University of Massachusetts the line collected 26 points, and Dolloff and Cournoyea have earned 42 and 39 points respectively so far this season.

Top Scorer

Sophomore Paul O'Neil, the Terriers' top scorer, has compiled 29 goals and 14 assists with 5 hat tricks this season. O'Neil centers the second line, flanked by freshman Ken Kuzyk and Bill Robbins.

Ed Walsh, who will start in the nets for B.U., has surrendered 60 goals and stopped 595 shots this year. Dave Warner and Mike LaGarde will protect Walsh on first defense, while freshmen Peter Brown and Vic Stanfield, brother of the Boston Bruins' Fred Stanfield, pair together on second defense.

Boston College meets Northeastern tonight at 6 p.m. in Boston Garden, and the winner of this semifinal contest will face the victor of the Harvard-B.U. game next Monday.