They say you have to run twice before you can be president. You have to suffer before you can be happy. You have to break out of the egg before you can fly.

And, in the Harvard hockey team's case, you have to finish second in a national title game before you can win one.

Last year, the Crimson made it all the way to the NCAA final before falling to Michigan State, 605. Everything was new and exciting for the 20 skaters who took the ice for the Crimson that night in Providence. May be too new and exciting.

The magic and majesty of being in the title game might have taken away from the real purpose: to win it.

This year, Harvard has an excellent chance of being back in the NCAA final. The Crimson made the Final Four by beating Bowling Green, 10-1, in a two-game, total-goals series last weekend and will play North Dakota in the NCAA semis Thursday in Detroit.

One step--a difficult one--away from the final. One game nearer to redemption.

"All season we've been thinking about Detroit," Harvard Captain Peter Chiarelli said. "A majority of our players have been there. Last year we were in a little awe."

"Going into last year's game, there was a lot of hoopla and pressure," Tim Barakett said. "You were kind of swept away by everything."

Sixteen of the 20 players on the Crimson roster were in Providence last year. One, goalie Dickie McEvoy--who took a year off between his sophomore and junior seasons--was even in Grand Forks, N.D., in 1982 for the Crimson's firstever appearance in the NCAA final. Harvard fell to Wisconsin, 6-2.

The upperclassmen on the team were also around for Harvard's quarterfinal loss to the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 1985. This year, they hope to show the Fighting Sioux--a young team--just how experienced they are.

"The juniors and seniors have been in the final last year and the quarterfinals the year before," Crimson Assistant Coach Ronn Tomassoni said. "And Dickie McEvoy has been around forever. They know what to expect. There shouldn't be any doubts."

Four Harvard players were not around for last year's title showdown. Senior Rick Haney was playing for the JV team. And freshmen Tod Hartje, John Murphy and C.J. Young were in high school.

They've never felt the pressure, lived through the hoopla, played before the screaming hordes. But they've heard about it.

"All year the seniors, the juniors, even the sophomores who've had experience have been talking to the freshmen and answering their questions," Barakett said. "Our freshmen have shown a lot of character this year. I don't think anything will phase them."

"Everyone on the team has stressed to the freshmen how important it is [to get back to the final]," Lane Macdonald said "They seem to be responding to the pressure."

The Crimson romped through its regular season, finishing with a 22-4 mark. The team stormed to the ECAC Championship two weeks ago and had little trouble knocking off the Falcons last weekend.

With every win, the crowds have grown bigger and the chants of "Detroit, Detroit" louder. The pressures have increased. The mania has grown madder.

But the Harvard players have experienced it all before. For them, the only experience left is the experience of winning the national championship.