DURHAM, N.H.--The finest season in the 10-year history of Harvard women's ice hockey is over.

Saturday's ending wasn't as pretty as the rest of the season, as Harvard--making its first appearance in the prestigious ECAC tournament--fell, 4-1, in the first round to the top-seeded University of New Hampshire at UNH's Snively Arena in Durham.

But simply competing in the four team tournament, which featured the three perenial powerhouses of women's hockey--UNH, Providence, and Northeastern--was an indication of how successful this year has been for the Crimson.

Harvard finished the year with a 19-4 overall mark, and posted a 10-0 record in the Ivy League on the way to hanging its first Ivy championship banner from the rafters of Bright Center.

Saturday, the Crimson came in with slight hopes of a shocker over UNH, but knew that in all probability its first-ever defeat of the heavily-favored Wildcats would have to wait for another year.

The Crimson didn't even bother making hotel reservations in Durham in the unlikely event that it would pull off an upset and be around for an appearance in yesterday's final.

"They're the best team around," Harvard Co-Captain Julie Sasner said, "though we definitely went in with the attitude that we could upset them. Anything can happen."

What did happen was all-too predictable, however. A faster, stronger and just-plain-more-skillful UNH team raced to a 4-1 first-period advantage, and kept the underdogs scrambling thereafter on the way to victory.

"Their skill level is so much higher than ours," Crimson Coach John Dooley said. "For us just to be competitive with the scholarship schools is tremendous."

And despite being thoroughly outgunned, the Crimson did manage to keep the game competitive.

After UNH got on the board first with 4:09 gone in the opening period, Harvard's Brita Lind answered just 50 seconds later with a tenacious, length-of-ice drive and dish to Julia Trotman, who tucked the puck past Wildcat goalie Cathy Narsiff--considered by many to be the finest netminder in the women's game.

Parity was short-lived, however, as UNH's Sue Hunt stuffed the go-ahead goal past Harvard's Jennifer White just 47 seconds after Trotman's tally. Two goals by the Wildcats Janet Sidall later in the period put Harvard in a 4-1 hole. It seemed a rout was in the offing.

Luckily, White caught fire in the nets for Harvard. The sophomore standout mixed fast stickwork and excellent positioning to stop all 20 UNH shots in the second period, and all 12 in the third. White finished with 44 saves.

"They play such a fast-paced game," White said,"that I had to work much harder just to get aroundand get in front of their shots. I only havepraise for them. They're very good."

Keeping the potent Wildcats off the scoreboardfor the final two stanzas was a moral victory forthe hustling Crimson. "The best two periods ofhockey we've ever played," Harvard Co-CaptainJohanna Neilson said.

"It turned out to be a good game," UNH coachRuss McCurdy commented. "We thought we werepulling away, but their goalie had a lot of poiseout there."

Tournament poise and experience were what theCrimson hoped to gain in its first-ever ECACTournament game, and afterward the team felt thatthe effort had been successful.

"Our kids are going to be so much better forthis experience," the ever enthusiastic Dooleysaid. "It's going to bring them to a new level."

With the Ivy championship, the Crimson hasalready reached a new level this season. Andlosing only a single senior--Pam DiRubio--tograduation bodes well for next year.

But whether Harvard will be truly competitivewith the likes of the Wildcats in the nearfuture...well, tune in next winter