You would never know it from the blanket of snow which covers Ohiri Field, but the lacrosse season is upon us. The Harvard men's team opens up the 1996 campaign today against Holy Cross, wintry conditions permitting.

The Crimson is coming off a solid season in which it finished 4-2 in the Ivy League (8-5 overall), good enough for third place behind co-champions Princeton and Brown. Those same two teams figure to be tough this year, with the Tigers ranked No. 3 in the nation and the Bears No. 9. Harvard itself is ranked No. 18, two positions below another league rival, Cornell.

With the benefit of another year's experience under its belt, the Crimson should once again challenge for Ancient Eight supremacy. Last year's squad was youthful, but showed promise.

"We had a young team last year with lots of freshmen," sophomore attackman Jim Bevilacqua said. "This year we have some much needed leadership in Mike Eckert."

Eckert, an honorable mention All-American, led the team in scoring last season with 66 points on 28 goals and 38 assists. This year he will take on the added role of co-captain, along with fellow seniors Timothy Browne, Pat Marvin and Chris Wojcik.

Sharing the Crimson attacking burden with Eckert will be Bevilacqua and sophomore Mike Ferrucci, who tallied 26 goals and 20 assists last year.

"Last year I was a fourth-quarter player, coming in when games were already decided," Bevilacqua said. "This year I expect to be more of an impact player."

With the loss of last year's leading goalscorer, Jamie Ames (49 goals), to graduation, this year's attack has its work cut out if it is to up the team win total.

Fortunately for the front line, the entire game does not rest on its shoulders. Returning to anchor the midfield are seniors Chris Wojcik and Pat Marvin, both of whom are potent attackers and good playmakers. Wojcik, who was also captain of the men's soccer team this past fall, adds a dimension of athleticism to the heart of the team as well.

Rob Lyng will once again serve as the Crimson's last line of defense. The junior goaltender reclaims his starting job this season after posting a .621 save percentage and allowing an average of just 9.1 goals per game last season.

One question mark hovering over the squad this season is whether the lack of outdoor practice time will hurt Harvard in the early going. Boston was particularly hard hit by the winter snows, and while this should not prove to be a disadvantage against the likes of Holy Cross or Cornell, it will make a difference against Duke and Princeton.

Nonetheless, with so many returning players and a healthy measure of confidence, the Crimson should prove itself more than worthy of its preseason ranking among the nation's elite.

And with a schedule worthy of a national contender, a strong performance could allow it to exceed expectations and win its first Ivy title since 1990.