PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The Harvard women's hockey team went into the first round of the Ivy League Tournamount at Providence Saturday with the sense of confidence that belongs to an up-and-coming underdog.

Harvard had qualified for the tourney with a strong finish to the season, winning five of its last six contests, including crucial decisions over Ivy rivals Cornell and--in a do-or-die confrontation last Wednesday--Dartmouth. The Crimson was the last seed in the four team draw, with nowhere to go but up, and it was on a roll.

But unfortunately for the icewomen, the Pandas of Brown came into the game with the sense of confidence that belongs to a team that has just won its second consecutive regular-season Ivy title while posting an 8-0-2 conference record.

And midway through the first period, after the Pandas' fearsome first line had tallied its third unanswered goal, it became clear that a fired-up Brown squad would entertain no possibility of a Harvard Cinderella story.

The final score was a decisive 8-2, and the loss ended a Harvard season that had seemed so promising just a few days ago in the wake of the Dartmouth victory.

"We came accross a red-hot team," said Crimson Coach John Dooley, who guided his squad to a 12-10-1 record on the year.

"I kept thinking, 'What happened to the one and two-goal games?'," Harvard Co-Captain Genie Simmons said, referring to earlier 3-2 and 3-1 losses to the Pandas.

But a tight contest wasn't in the cards this time. Less than two minutes into the game, Brown Captain Mardie Corcoran walked in alone on Harvard goalie Jennifer White and tallied from in close. Seven minutes later she scored again from almost the exact same spot.

And, as if the fates were torturing Harvard, just two minutes after her second score, Corcoran again had the puck right in front of the Crimson cage. But this time she passed to linemate Kim Les, whose tally put Brown up, 3-0.

Harvard got on the board before the end of the first period with Co-Captain Julie Sasner's long slapshot, but it was already too late to stem the Brown tide.

"Momentum is a big part of the game," Dooley said, "and when you score early it starts going your way. We missed a few opportunities that would have made it a different kind of game."

But nothing could stop the Panda first line of Corcoran, Les, and Lisa Bishop. On the afternoon, the senior trio chalked up six goals and five assists on breakaways, precision passes, and various other displays of offensive skill.

"Their first line is a powerhouse," White said. The freshman netminder stopped 42 shots of the Brown on-slaught, many in spectacular fashion.

"Jen White had a great game," Dooley said, "even if they did get eight in on her."

Indeed, Harvard as a team had nothing to be ashamed of in its performance. The icewomen dug in the corners, attempted to make plays happen in the offensive end, and played aggressive defense.