When the Harvard men's hockey team hits the ice at Cornell's Lynah Rink tonight, the icemen should get the kind of reception the Clantons gave the Earp Brothers and Doc Holliday at the O.K. Corral.

The Crimson (6-0, 4-0 ECAC) goes into the contest as the only undefeated Division I hockey team in the nation, while the Big Red boasts only a 3-3 (2-2 ECAC) slate.

But, as the saying goes, throw out the records and the stat sheets for this one.

Tomorrow night, Harvard visits Colgate, to take on the highly touted Red Raiders, but this weekend's focus is on Cornell.

The biggest event in Ithaca, N.Y. is the yearly visit of the Crimson, so the folks who stood in line overnight three months ago to purchase their Big Red season tickets want to get a healthy return on their time investment.

And if history is any indication, a good time at the rink means throwing huge dead fish on the ice, tying squabbling chickens to the Harvard net and jeering the visitors.

Most ECAC, schools have vocal fans who like to razz visiting goalies with "sieve" chants and the like.

But at least they wait until the game begins.

In Lynah the "sieves" will start raining down on Crimson netminder Grant Blair in warmups, as the 4100 fanatics salute each of the Harvard icemen who beat Blair with a practice shot.

Even the Big Red players get into the act. Last year, as the hosts were introduced, they skated out one by one and skidded to a halt at mid-ice, kicking up a spray of ice at the Crimson. Defenseman Mike Schafer topped off the display by cracking his stick over his helmet and furiously shaking the splinters at the visitors.

The Lynah story gets even more bizarre.

Crimson freshman Steve Armstrong who went to Ithaca High School is looking forward to a big homecoming celebration.

The left wing secured 40 tickets for his friends and family and the Armstrong clan had a big night at the rink planned, because Armstrong's sister, a champion teenage figure skater, was scheduled to perform between periods of the game.

But she won't.

According to Donald Armstrong, the girl's father, Cornell Coach Lou Reycroft advised her against skating tonight.