But as a team with just three upperclassmen, the Crimson couldn't stay with a Brown squad that boasted seven seniors and that much more hockey experience.

"They're a senior team," Dooley said. "Hopefully that will be us next year."

The disappointment of the loss couldn't keep the Crimson from reflecting on the season as a positive one.

"It was a great season," Sasner said. "The way we were so inconsistent early, then coming on in the end. When it counted, we played well."

"We finished the season strongly, which is a good indication of what is to come," Harvard Assistant Coach Bill MacDonald said. "It shows maturity and character, and bodes well for next year."

While it may be common when one season ends in disappointment to look forward to brighter prospects in the next, the Harvard women's hockey team has especially good reasons to do so.

Its two leading scorers, Johanna Neilson (14 goals, 20 assists, 34 points) and Karen Carney (13-16--29), as well as Sasner, the anchor of the defense, are just sophomores.

And both White, who boasted an outstanding 2.36 goals-against average coming into the Brown contest, and Saskatchewan native Brita Lind (14-15--29)--who had played only a version of hockey called "ringette," involving sticks without blades used to push a ring around the ice--before coming to Harvard, are freshmen. Both are legitimate contenders for Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

"I can't wait until next year," White said. "That's what we're waiting for. Our time is soon."

Dooley agreed, saying, "We have everything to look forward to next year."

Backing up such Crimson contentions up was the increasing quality and consistency of the icewomen's play as the year wore on. Despite a late-season relapse against a weaker UConn team, the young team improved with the experience of every showing.

"The future is bright," Sasner said, "though it's tough to think about that now."

Two of the icewomen won't be a part of that future, however. Senior line-mates Christine Dooley and Simmons finished their Harvard careers Saturday.

Each concluded her most productive season with the squad, Simmons contributing 13 goals and 11 assists, and Dooley chipping in six goals and 13 assists. It was the emergence of their second line as a scoring force later in the season which signaled the emergence of a more diverse and effective Crimson offense.

Simmons, a four-year team member, "hadn't heard of girls playing ice hockey until sophomore year in high school." But she began playing at Nobles and Greenough, and has been honing her skills since.