'The time has come,' the Walrus said

"To talk of many things'

Of shoes and ships and sealing wax

Of cabbages and kings Lewis Carroll, in   Through the Looking Glass

The feeling in the Harvard locker room Saturday night was that the time had finally come. Twenty tow wins, eight losses and tow ties into the season, the icemen finally find themselves where hey knew they would be, headed for Grand Forks, N.D and the final four of the NCAA tournament.

"It's North Dakota now," senior defenseman Mitch Olson said. "That's what we've wanted all year."

Winning their second straight Ivy Division title wasn't enough. Winning the Crimson's first ECAC championship since 1971 wasn't enough Downing CCHA champion Michigan St. in a two game NCAA quarterfinal series wasn't enough. Not while there was business to do in icy North Dakota.

"The ECAC's didn't satisfy anybody on the team forward Greg Britz said. "We knew going in that we were the best team in the East. We have yet to play a team that's better than us."

Perhaps that's why the icemen looked less than inspired during much of the series against the Spartans. Armed with the confidence in its own ability, the Crimson nearly self-destructed, making it to the final four by just a one goal margin.

"We didn't really play as well as we cold in these two games," said Rob Wheeler, who tallied the security goal that became the decisive tally of the two games series.

"We had a little letdown," Olson said.

But no one predicts a letdown when Harvard takes the ice against Minnesota Friday night. The Golden Gophers have knocked the Crimson out of the semis twice before, and the icemen don't plan to take Friday's duel lightly.

"We'll definitely be ready for them," Olson said.

We should be at the top of our game," Wheeler agreed.

And Harvard feels that at the top of its game it can capture are NCAA championship.

"There's no one that we can't beat," said sophomore Greg Chalmers, who assisted on Britz's goal.

Goalie Grant Blair echoed Chalmers' sentiments. "We can play with anybody," he said. "I've been to North Dakota before," the freshman added. "It's not too great. But I think we'll take care of it with two big victories."

The seniors were more workman like in their comments about the upcoming games. The class has seen Harvard hockey rise from the depths of an 8-15-3 season freshman year to a Beanpot championship the next season to an Ivy Division title their junior year. They feel there is still more to accomplish."

Said defenseman Mark Fusco. "It's only two more games. This is what it's all about."