Crunch time is here.

For all of the frustration that has marred the 1996-97 Harvard men's hockey season, the Crimson (8-13-2, 7-7-2 ECAC) still finds itself in an somewhat enviable position for the stretch run.

Locked in a three-way tie for sixth place in the ECAC along with Colgate and Union, Harvard is on course to secure a first-round ECAC Tournament bye if it can maintain its top-six ranking.

This weekend's road trip to the barren winter wasteland of upstate New York is thus pivotal, both in determining the outcome of the Crimson's regular season and in building momentum essential for a successful playoff run.

Friday night, the Crimson takes on the Big Red of Cornell (13-6-4, 10-4-2) before travelling to Hamilton, N.Y. for a Saturday showdown with the Colgate Red Raiders (13-11-2, 7-7-2).

Harvard's first game, though less significant as far as the standings are concerned, is sure to be a hard-fought contest, featuring two Ivy League rivals with storied hockey traditions.

The Valentine's Day game was appropriately scheduled as Cornell was Harvard's opponent in the 1969 movie, "Love Story," with Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw. Current athletic director Bill Cleary '54-'56, then the Harvard freshman coach, stood in for O'Neal in skating scenes.

However, recent battles with Cornell have been anything but a love story for the Crimson, who haven't beaten the Big Red since the 1994-95 season.

In order to buck this trend, the Crimson must find a way to jump-start its anemic offense, which has managed just four goals in its past three games.

"We have had trouble scoring goals lately," freshman forward Scott Turco admitted. "But we have a lot of talented forwards who are bound to start producing soon."

Though the Crimson will surely be focusing on offense, the defense will also be heavily relied upon against the league's third-ranked offense.

However, the Harvard defense, also ranked third in the ECAC, is anchored by the phenomenal play of freshman goaltender J.R. Prestifilippo.

The young goaltender has been pulling more than his share of the weight lately, allowing just four goals over the past two games.

Prestifillippo and company will again be tested by a potent offense when the Crimson travels to Colgate on Saturday. The Red Raiders are led by All-American Hobey Baker candidate Mike Harder, who is one of the top-ten scorers in the ECAC (7-15-22).

In recent years, Harvard has had tremendous difficulty with Colgate and has dropped three straight games to the Red Raiders over the past two seasons.

With just six games remaining in the regular season campaign, the Crimson must get back on the winning track. Harvard's current tail-spin has seen it drop four out of its last five games and eight of its last eleven.

Regardless of where Harvard finishes in the regular season standings, it must head into the postseason on a more positive note to avoid an early playoff exit.

Then again, the Crimson lost the final nine regular-season contests then streaked through the ECAC playoffs past Saint Lawrence and Vermont.

Cornell was the only obstacle between Harvard and the NCAA Tournament; only a 2-1 decision in Lake Placid denied the Crimson from extending its season even further.

Maybe late season losses aren't that important after all.