When we last left the Harvard hockey team, it was a chilly March weekend and the icemen were finishing fourth in the ECACS.

Since that time some eight months ago--time really flies when you're taking hourlies--most of last year's offense has skated off with diplomas, but the defense (excepting Todd Nieland) all returns. Brian Petrovek is back in goal. And can you believe that B.U. will be here two weeks from Wednesday?

All of which bodes reasonably well for a team which is supposedly in the second year of a rebuilding process, but if every team managed to rebuild its way into the ECAC semi-finals in one year, there would be no use for the term second division.

So for the second year skating, expect the Crimson to rebuild its way into the top eight, and worry about the rest in March.

The fact that Petrovek, who people claim had an off-season a year ago after being All-Ivy, East and America in '74-75 (if you had over 700 pucks shot in your direction, you'd have an off-yea too) returns for a final season in the nets does little to hinder Harvard's chances, but neither does the fact that unlike last season, Petrovek will be working with a defensive corps with which he's more than just vaguely familiar.

"We should have a much better year," the senior goaltender said last night. "The improvements on defense will help tremendously, and we know each other better."

Petrovek's buddies include returning starters Jon Schuster, Kevin O'Donoghue and Jim Trainor, sophomore Franco Scalamandre and freshmen John Hughes and Bob Fowkes. There is so much depth on the blue line, in fact, that Jim Liston and Bob Leckie, regulars a year ago, are not even dressing for tomorrow night's opener at Vermont.

Offensively, things are not nearly as pretty, but then again, as Petrovek said, I'm not worried about scoring. We'll always score."

This winter, the we-who-always-score will be a bunch of relative newcomers to the varsity scene. Relatively new, that is, but not entirely so.

Take the first line, for instance, which will include Bill Hozack centering for captain Bill Horton and sophomore Murray Dea. Hozack and Horton were two-thirds of Harvard's most improved, "watch them dig in the corners" line last season; Hozack was the team's third leading scorer, while Dea took the shuttle between the freshmen and varsity squads throughout the winter.

Then there is the George Hughes (John's brother)-Gene Purdy act on the second line. Hughes and Purdy were freshmen sensations in '75, this time they are experienced sophomores, and Hughes returns to defend his point-scoring title.

Sophomore Doug Thompson fills out this line, and at this point, you can speak of all newcomers. Third-liners Randy Millen, John Cochrane and Jon Garrity have yet to get their skates sharpened, as the former two are up from the freshmen team, the latter from Milton Academy, while fourth-liners Bryan Cook and Charley Peterson were, and pretty much still are, reserve forwards.

Basically, it's the same story as a year ago this time, but in reverse. Then there were experienced forwards, inexperienced defensemen, now it's vice versa, but the man with the most experience, Petrovek prefers the present situation, and who's to argue with a guy who as a sophomore led Harvard to the NCAA semi-finals.

One factor which might prove uncooperative is the schedule, which Petrovek terms "Harvard toughest ever." In addition to Vermont, which should be ready to make the headlines again after a tremendous schoke last year, and traditional biggies B.U., B.U., Cornell, you get the picture, there are contests with UNH, St. Lawrence, Notre Dame, Minnesota and Wisconsin; schools which only seem to surface, as far as Harvard is concerned, when the referee drops the puck.

So take out the down lining, warm those insides and get psyched for a wild winter at Watson Rink. And don't worry about the team because remember, "we'll always score." Just ask Petrovek.