In only corner, wearing the Crimson and white trunks, we have the defender. A surprise winner the last time the title was up for grabs, but in virtually the same shape as a year ago, the champions chomps at the mouth-piece for the chance to make it two in a row. Directly opposite, decked out in scarlet with white trim, waits the contender. Alive down to the last punch a record number of times, and boasting more championships than anyone else, the challenger hopes to renew a recently tainted reputation.

Their rivalry goes back a long way, covering more than 100 contests. The most recent was two months ago, a nontide boar in which the challenger knocked the champ down several times and hung for the decision. Tonight, at Boston Garden, the bell rings for Round Two.

And it ain even the featured attraction.

When the Harvard University hockey team faces off tonight in the opening round of the Beanpot against Boston University, they will not be playing in the second, highlight of-the-evening game as originally scheduled. The Crimson--last year's Cinderella Beanpot champion and provider of some of the most exciting hockey ever to shake the ratters of ot Boston Garden--the Terriers--for so long the holders of the key to the trophy case, with 22 Beanpot finals (including 16 straight) and a record 11 'Pots to their credit--have been pushed to the undercard. The supposedly more attractive Boston College-Northeastern showdown will fill the featured slot and the headlines.

And so Harvard and B.U. will christen the 30th annual Beanpot tourney tonight, a situation that doesn't bother the coach of the defending champions. "It doesn't make any difference to me whether we play first or second," says Harvard's Bill Cleary. "The ice is a little better for the first game anyway."

The ice treated the Crimson pretty well in the first game of last year's Beanpot, when Harvard shocked pretourney favorite Northeastern, 10-2. Led by the goaltending of tournament Most Valuable Player Wade Lau, the Crimson went on to treat itself pretty well on the second February Monday of 1981, handcuffing a powerful Boston College squad, 2-0, to take home the beans for the first time since 1977.

Despite last year's heroics. Harvard will once again enter the Beanpot as the decided underdog, with losses this season to both B.U. and B C. The Crimson has not played Northeastern yet this year, but the Huskies as a team have been scoring with Gretskyan an efficiency and currently rate among the top squads in the East.

Of course, it is part of Beanpot legend that the expected will be damned when the puck hits the ice on the first Monday night in February at the Boston Garden. And for the last two seasons (Northeastern in '80 and Harvard last year), the underdog has had the 'Pot in its lap when all was said and done. But if you're expecting it to happen for the third time in a row, watch out. Remember, the expected be damned.

Eight-time Beanpot champion Harvard (5-7-1 ECAC, 5-9-1 overall), despite its recent slide under 500 and an extended schedule which left the team with only two practices to prepare for tonight's game, could conceivably turn in a repeat performance. The team started out 5-3-1 in ECAC play but then suffered its annual January thaw, dropping four straight conference games, including a 4.3 loss to B.C. at home before breaking for exams two weeks ago. Last year, the team dragged a seven-game ECAC losing streak into the tournament and proceeded to knock North-eastern into Section 64 But Cleary is to reads to make comparisons.

"A year ago we were just playing poorly," he says. "This year we've had our chances. We haven't played that badly defensively, but we've got to start putting the puck in the net.

"If we can regain that scoring touch: I think we'll be there. I've got a good feeling about it."

The scoring touch was certainly there on opening night last season and with all but three forwards back and some hot-shot freshmen to boot. B.U.'s coach. Jackie Parker, knows he does not want to get into a run and gun game with the Harvard Icemen.

"Our major concern with Harvard," he says, "will be to try and make sure it doesn't become a wide-open, high scoring affair. They have more fire-power than we do" Adds Cleary "B.U. is not going to outskate us."

The way to stop a fast team is to hit them, to harass them, and to play tight defense. "We would like to have a close-checking, tight game, something like 5-4 or 4-3." Parker says. "We don't have a lot of big scorers. But I think we may be a better overall defensive team than Harvard."

The last time out, when B.U. won, 5-2, on December 2, Dr. Parker got just what he ordered out of his Terriers, who forechecked and backchecked the Crimson out of its skating flow and broke open a tight game with three goals during he last seven minutes of the second period.