Contrary to popular belief, the Harvard men's ice hockey team did not lose Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals Monday in its 2-1 overtime defeat against Boston University.

In other words, despite the heartbreak of the Beanpot final, there still is a regular season to return to.

This season finds Harvard traveling to Princeton and Yale this weekend for two critical conference games. The team currently stands in fourth place deadlocked with RPI and Cornell. Harvard's performance over its remaining eight games will determine playoff positioning.

"These are big games," said senior forward Doug Sproule. "We are in the league homestretch with eight really winnable games. We feel that if not first then at least second place is ours for the taking."

Harvard first has to put the Beanpot loss behind them.

"Undoubtedly it was very disappointing to lose," said sophomore forward Trevor Allman. "However, we are thinking that B.U. was the No. 2 team in the country and with a bounce our way we would have beat them."

Moreover, even putting the Beanpot aside, the Crimson has other team problems to address.

Over its past three games, Harvard has had a difficult time putting the puck into the net. It managed only three goals against a weak Union team (one was with an empty net), and had only one tally apiece against RPI and B.U.

While the Crimson certainly has had its chances, good goaltending has combined with erratic shooting to keep Harvard off the scoreboard.

"If we want to be successful in the coming games, we need to convert our chances," Sproule said.

One of the players expected to provide some of that offense will be freshman Chris Bala. For his two-goal performance against B.C., he received the ECAC Rookie of the Week award.

"It's certainly a nice honor," Bala said. "But I really don't have more to say on that."

Harvard, though, has received a boost with the return of sophomore goaltender J.R. Prestifilippo. If he plays as well as his did Monday against B.U., he can provide the Crimson with a little margin for error and compensate for any defensive lapses.

"Getting J.R. back certainly brings us some added confidence," Allman said. "But we are confident with both our goalies."

The Crimson will have to be on top of its game as it embarks on this weekend road trip.