"I think it's important to see a different style of play," Tomassoni said. "Games like these can only make you better down the road."
Those dedicated parents (and yes, there are some) who will make the trip up to Fairbanks will see quite a different Harvard team. These tow games will feature several lineup changes for the Crimson.
Defensemen Ashlin Halfnight and Michel Breistroff will both miss the series. Halfnight will be playing in the World Junior tournament for Team USA in Calgary, Alberta, while Breistroff is representing his native France in the Izvestia Cup.
In addition to those absences, senior Steve Martins will sit out the first game, serving a one-game suspension for a game misconduct collected in the Dec 10 win over Colgate.
The Alaska games will feature other players getting an opportunity to see playing time. Keith McLean, a senior more used to logging minutes on the JV squad, will likely spell Martins in game one, and backup goalie Steve Hermsdorf will also get the start in the opener.
"How many times do you get to go to Alaska?" Tomassoni said. "A trip like this can only bring the team closer together."
How strange that the further a team gets from the Ivory Tower of Harvard, the closer together they become.
Eric Adelson of WHRB contributed to the reporting of this article.