HOCKEY

The Dartmouth hockey team went home for Christmas knowing that it had turned in two fine performances, first defeating Norwich 9-4 and then bowing to a strong Boston University team 4-3. It was also an excellent start for Ab Oakes '56, who is filling in this year for Eddie Jeremiah '30, who is on a leave of absence to coach the U.S. Olympic hockey, team.

The key to the 1963-64 season will be in the development of the sophomores, four of whom are already playing important roles. But the sophomores are the "icing," for Coach Oakes has nine lettermen back from last year's team, and it's around them he is building his first two lines and his defense.

For the first time in several seasons, the Indians will have three good lines. Coach Oakes stresses the point that he considers all three lines close to equal. In the first two games, the first two have shared in the scoring department.

Captain John Carpenter from Johnstown, N. Y., centers the first line, while on the wings are John Fiske, another senior, and Jay Wholley, who has returned to College after an absence of two years. The second line has junior Chip Hayes at center, and Phil Cagnoni and Dean Mathews on the wings. Hayes was third highest in the scoring column last winter with fifteen goals and fifteen assists, while Mathews tied for scoring honors on the highly successful freshman team with sixteen goals and seventeen assists.

The third line is all-Minnesota. Dick Larson, who tied Mathews in freshman scoring, is the center, and Jack Stebe, a sophomore, and Jim Cooper, a junior, are the wings. Paul Rosendahl, originally had made the third line at wing, but an injury to his knee in the Norwich game, forced Coach Oakes to move Cooper up from defense. With Rosendahl's return sometime in January, the third line could then become all-sophomore as well as all-Minnesota.

The Green should be strong behind the blue line with junior Chuck Zeh, a six-foot, 205-pounder, and sophomore Charlie Stuart, the two starting defensemen. Zeh, a letterman, looks improved over last year and has the potential, according to Coach Oakes, to become an outstanding defenseman. Stuart, a Princeton, N. J., native, is considered a real hustler and also has the potential for future stardom.

Senior Fran McGrath and junior John Case are the second defense, while John Steinbauer, a sophomore, and Jim Cooper may also see action at these positions.

Terry Guiney, who earned the starting goalie assignment last winter as a sophomore, is back in the nets. After a shaky first period against Norwich, he put on a fine demonstration of goal tending. He also did an outstanding job against B. U. making 37 saves and shutting out the Terriers in the third period. Behind Guiney, the Indians list only one other goalie, Brewster Gere from Clinton, N. Y., a sophomore.

The Boston University game, though it was a defeat for the Indians, was important for one reason. It showed the Green would not buckle under to a strong team. The Indians were trailing 4-1 late in the second period, but a goal at 19:21 by Cagnoni put them back in the game. The third period saw the Dartmouth defense at its best as Guiney made twelve saves and other rushes were checked by the defense. Another Dartmouth goal at 2:10 off the stick of Carpenter closed the gap and the Indians kept pressing for the equalizer until the final buzzer. The Terriers were undefeated in their first five games and had victories over two other Ivy League teams.

If the Green sextet can continue to show the same kind of hustle, it should improve on last year's record of 8-12.