I've been won over.

The Harvard women's hockey team has at least one more fan after last night's thrilling victory in the opening round of the 17th Annual Women's Beanpot.

In front of an intimate crowd at the Bright Hockey Center the Crimson outlasted Boston College, 3-2, and advanced to next Tuesday's final.

For those of you unfamiliar with women's hockey, it is a much purer game than the one played by the men. There is less checking and contact, which reduces the number of penalties and play stoppages.

This allows for more continuity in the game, as well as cleaner puckhandling and passing.

The players are concerned with actually putting the puck in the net rather than crushing the opponent against the boards.

Yeah, this brand of hockey may take away from the violent nature associated with the sport, but it brings with it more artistry and makes it easier to follow.

It is also a game at which Harvard is doing quite well. The win raised the Crimson record to 10-7-1 on the season, with an even better forecast for the coming years.

This year's squad features only three seniors, and is led in large part by a sensational group of sophomores and juniors.

Additionally, this is Harvard's first year with a full-time coach, Katey Stone. As a full-time coach Stone will be able to concentrate on recruiting and add depth to the relatively thin Harvard roster.

Enough about the future, though; there is still a season and a Beanpot to finish this year. In next Tuesday's Beanpot final, Harvard will face Northeastern, who was a 24-0 winner over Boston University.

The Northeastern-B.U. game was so bad the Zamboni driver only had to clean the half of the ice where the Huskies shot.

A defense and plea must be made for B.U., though. Their team is only on a club level and was thrilled just to be back competing in the Beanpot after a hiatus of several years.

It seems the B.U. athletic department might take a look at the success of its own men's team and have the desire to properly fund the women's program and build a winning squad of its own.

But the story this night was not the first game's rout. It was Harvard's night, a night in which there were many heroes for the Crimson.