Talking to members of the Harvard hockey team is reminiscent of talking to the football players early in the fall. As you'll recall, the "experts" had all but counted the Crimson out of the running for an Ivy crown. A rebuilding year they called it, a term that didn't sit too well with the Harvard gridders. And we all know what the Crimson made of that prediction.

Similarly, the experts have called this a rebuilding year for the Crimson hockey squad. The polls show the Crimson ninth nationally. Not bad, but a bit of a comedown from last year's lofty No. 2 ranking.

Quick Rejoinder

Admittedly, it does look like it should be a major rebuilding year for coach Billy Cleary. A highly talented group of seniors, 12 altogether, have departed the premises, leaving a lot of gaps to be filled. But mention "rebuilding" to any Crimson senior and you'll get a quick rejoinder.

"I don't see this as a rebuilding year at all," Captain Kevin Carr said earlier in the pre-season. "We have a lot of talent, and I think we'll surprise a lot of people."

Already the potential of the Crimson has begun to surface, as evidenced by the convincing 5-2 win over the US national team a week and a half ago. Particularly impressive was the showing of the line of freshmen George Hughes and Gene Purdy, and junior wing Dave Bell.

"The freshmen and younger players have really come along well," said Carr. "They're adjusting to playing varsity-caliber hockey."

Head Injury

The Crimson suffered a slight setback when Hughes suffered a head injury in practice Sunday afternoon. Although doctors initially reported no concussion, it was reported that Hughes was having memory problems.

Northeastern should provide a tough opening-game foe for Harvard. The Huskies are coming off a 6-4 victory over Yale Saturday night, and 16 lettermen are returning from a team that last year just missed making the ECAC playoffs, including the highest scoring line from last year.

It will be a little interesting to see how the Huskies, not noted for their clean style of play, will approach the game tonight. In their first meeting last year at the Boston Arena, NU and Harvard players seemingly had more players in the penalty box than out of it, with Harvard taking a 5-3 decision. In the Beanpot game, NU tried a belligerent game, but got whomped 9-0.

So Harvard opens its '75-76 season tonight at Watson, and whether it will be as successful as its football counterparts in making the experts look bad should begin to become clear.