About 750 people lined up in front of Harvard Hall yesterday to purchase tickets to this weekend's NCAA hockey quarterfinals at Bright Center.

Students staked out room in the basement of Harvard Hall early in the morning, even though tickets weren't available until 2 p.m. Even though Harvard's opponent will not be known until today, many of the Crimson faithful quickly claimed positions in line to purchase the best seats, regardless of the visitor.

While they waited, the early birds busied themselves by reading or listening to portable radios or cassette players. Some split shifts in line with friends, while others had pizza and Chinese food delivered to them.

Before the tickets went on sale, a list was circulated for people waiting indoors to keep track of the line's order. At 1:10 p.m., the 25 people who had waited inside since 9 a.m. got their chance to buy tickets. Within 40 minutes, more than 320 of the 4000 seats available for the weekend's action had been sold.

The furious pace of ticket-buying reminded many of a similar scene four years ago when Harvard played Michigan State in the NCAA quarterfinals at Bright, although there were a few differences. "[The students] were outside at seven in the morning," said Eric Barron '85 of the ticket sale in 1983.

Despite the length of the line, which at peak hours streched out to Johnson Gate, some fans weren't worried about getting tickets. "I'm pretty much a veteran at this," said Joshua F. Thorpe '88. "I waited for [1986] World Series tickets and got them."

Other fans had a more humorous attitude while waiting. "I'm hoping to get the front row. I love Elvis Costello," quipped Fred R. Pletcher '88.

The line shortened from approximately an 85-minute wait at 2 p.m. to only 45 minutes a couple of hours later. "I arrived at 3:30 and got my tickets at 4:15," said Edna T. Yeh '88.

By 4:30, Saturday's game had sold out, and few tickets for the Friday contest remained. But most fans were happy just to get a ticket. "It's not a matter of where you sit, just that you're there," said Thorpe.