PROVIDENCE, R.I.--There was a feeling in the air that this might finally be the weekend.

For the Harvard women's hockey team, a weekend sweep of Yale and Brown would have meant not only a rise from near the bottom of the Ivy League standings, but also a momentous shot in the arm to counter the inconsistent play that had consigned a good team to mediocrity all season long.

But the wave of Crimson momentum generated by a 3-1 victory Friday night in New Haven came to a crashing halt here Saturday night, as the icewomen fell victim to a more experienced and fancier-skating Brown squad, 2-1.

"We skated hard, but we just weren't together like we were at Yale," Harvard Co-Captain Julie Sasner said. "It was tough after playing such an emotional game last night."

Indeed, despite a determined effort, the littlethings that so often make the difference in ahockey game just didn't click for the youngCrimson (6-6-1 overall, 2-4-1 Ivy). Passing inboth the offensive and defensive zones wastoo-often imprecise, and pucks that should havebeen cleared weren't.

"We're a young team, so we're going to makemistakes," Harvard Coach John Dooley said, "but wehung tough out there."

The league-leading Pandas (now 8-2-1 overall,7-0-1 Ivy) immediately got in front of thevisiting Crimson with a tally just 32 seconds intothe contest. The goal was a product of Brownpressure, poor Harvard execution, and a littleluck--the three forces that weighed against thepucksters all night long.

Taking the opening face-off, the Pandas'strong-skating and fancy-stick-handling first lineof Lisa Bishop, Kim Les and Captain MardieCorcoran swooped in on the Crimson cage.

When Harvard netminder Jennifer White's attemptto clear Les's blast hit one of her defenders'skates, Corcoran--who fell to the ice with theeffort--was able to flip a wobbling-duck shot overWhite's outstretched arm.

Brown's first line continued to give Harvardfits all night long. "They can smell each otherout there all over the place," an impressed Dooleysaid.

But after the early misfortune, White--whostopped 25 of the 27 shots she faced on thenight--was able to turn aside rush after rush fromboth the Pandas' first and second lines.

"Jen White was fantastic tonight," Sasner said.

The freshman netminder's stinginess allowed theCrimson plenty of time to battle back, anopportunity it exploited 10:45 into the periodwhen Brita Lind knocked in the rebound from KarenCarney's powerful backhand missile from the rightpoint.

With the score knotted at one, there was plentyof backslapping and encouragement exchanged on theHarvard bench and on the ice. But all theenthusiasm in the world couldn't prevent yetanother Brown breakaway from paying dividends withless than a minute to go in the period.

This time it was Les who got the goal,backhanding Bishop's feed from across the creaseinto the Harvard twines.