Harvard led, 4-0, the clock read 12:52, and Cornell's Eynah Rink was so quiet you could hear a puck drop.

In the next 63 minutes, that center of serenity became an axis of insanity. Trash, newspapers, tennis balls, and sleeves blanketed the ice, drawing two Big Red delay of game penalties, the mob thundered louder than a heavy metal band, and Cornell blitzed Harvard 6-1 to earn a 6-5 shocker.

For the eighth time in 11 trips to Ithica, the Harvard men's hockey team had an extra long bus ride home.

"They said a few things we didn't take too kindly," sophomore Tim Smith recalls. "We know we gave the game to them."

Since that December 10 meeting, Cornell has played itself out of contention in the ECAC Ivy Division. The Big Red (9-14 overall, 7-11 ECAC) has lost eight of its last 10 games.

But when Cornell skates onto the Bright Center ice tonight--where the Crimson has won three of its last four meetings with the Big Red--an Ivy League title might be at stake. At 5-1 against Ivy opponents, Cornell is the main challenger to Harvard (4-1-2 in league play) for the league crown.

"We have to win," Crimson Coach Bill Cleary said Tuesday night.

"We" has changed, as two recuperated skaters return to the Crimson lineup tonight. Senior cetner Phil Falcone, who led the team in scoring until he bruised his thigh in Czechoslovakia, will play his first game of the month and a half old year. Fellow center Tim McMahon also returns tonight, back from a hyperextended knee.

"The doctor told me [Wednesday] that he feels I'm ready," Falcone says. "All my leg strength isn't there, but it's good enough to play. I'm pretty psyched about it, finally getting to play."

Smith, who moved from defense to forward earlier this season, will move back to the blue line for the last of the year. Smith says he won't have any difficulty making the adjustment.

"Almost my whole life I've played defense," the Burnaby, B.C. native says. "That's where I feel the most comfortable."

The whole team seems comfortable with the idea of play Cornell again, before a standing room only crowd of Crimson supporters.

"The fans go nuts and there's tennis balls all over the place and coaches turn beet red," says Jay North. "It's a lot of fun."

Yale toppled New Hampshire, 4-1, last night at New Haven, so Harvard is still two steps away from an Ivy Division title. The Crimson has three games left, the Elis have one. Any combination of Harvard wins and Yale losses adding up to two gives Harvard the division championship and home ice for the ECAC quarterfinals. For the Crimson, the first step is tonight.

"It's a big game," says Falcone. "everyone's really psyched about it. I don't think we'll have any trouble winning."

Healthy players, an Ivy Division title, home ice for the playoffs and an Ivy League crown all should provide ample motivation for Harvard tonight. But one little thing may outweigh all of the above.

Says Falcone, "We owe 'em one."