Harvard's varsity skaters will try to hurdle their first obstacle on the way to the Beanpot Tournament Championship tonight when they meet Boston College in the Beanpot's semi-final round at 9 p.m. in Boston Garden.

The Crimson hopes to overcome the disadvantage of a nineteen-day layoff period for exams. The team has not practiced together regularly in the past two weeks, and ten skaters have exams today.

"The kids are mentally and physically prepared, but because they haven't played under game pressure in close to three weeks, I just have to wait to see how they'll do," Crimson coach Bill Cleary said.

Boston College holds an 11-8 overall record with five wins and seven losses in ECAC Division I play, while Harvard currently stands 6-7-1 overall with a 6-5-0 ECAC Division I record. Earlier this year the Eagles edged the Crimson, 6-5, in B.C.'s McHugh Forum.

The Eagles are a young team, and only three seniors are scheduled to play tonight. Ned Yetten will guard the nets, captain Ray D'Arcy will skate on the fourth line, and Jim King will play third line right wing. Yetten recently returned to action after missing nine games with knee and collar bone injuries.

B.C.'s top scorer, sophomore Richie Smith, centers the first line with classmates Mike Powers on right wing and Mike Albrecht on the left. Smith and Powers have been playing together since their high school days at New Prep, although Powers missed the early part of this season because he was ineligible for disciplinary reasons.

Eagle coach Len Ceglarski pairs two veterans with two rookies on defense. The squad's most physical player, junior Richie Hart from Charlestown, teams with another Charlestown skater, freshman Bud Yandle, on the first unit.

No Major Changes

Cleary does not plan any major changes in Harvard's lineup, and like Ceglarski, he will skate four lines. "Using four lines will be especially helpful tonight because the Garden rink is warm, and the players get tired more easily," he explained.

Defending Beanpot champion Boston University clashes with Northeastern at 6:30 p.m. in the other semi-final contest.