Christmas break was not full of cheer for Harvard, however. First, the team made a brief stop at Matthews Arena for a showdown with Northeastern. After cruising to an early 3-1 lead, the Crimson's attack faltered, allowing the Huskies to unload three unanswered goals and escape with a 6-4 win.

Crimson breakdowns were not a regional phenomenon, considering that the same kind of mental lapses plagued Harvard in Wisconsin at the Badger Showdown. Against both the host team in the first round and then B.C. in the consolation game, the Crimson exhibited periods of greatness that were invariably followed by defensive lapses leading to quick, unanswered tallies for the opposing teams.

In front of a rowdy crowd of 12,801 Badger fans, the Crimson came out flat and Wisconsin responded with four goals in the first 23 minutes of play. Harvard eventually found its rhythm and outscored the home team throughout the remainder of the contest, but the damage had already been done, and Harvard walked out of the Bradley Center with a disappointing 6-3 loss.

"We gave them that first period," said captain Jeremiah McCarthy, who was the sole Crimson representative on the All-Tournament team. "We gave them breakaway after breakaway and they capitalized on them. We gave them three early goals on our mistakes, and you just can't spot teams that many goals."

Even more disturbing than the mental lapses, however, were the physical losses incurred from the tournament. Not only did captain-elect Adams receive a brutal hit resulting in a season-ending shoulder injury, but on the team's return home, Prestifilippo was diagnosed with mononucleosis. Freshman netminder Oliver Jonas was given the nod and forced to play 10 games in Prestifilippo's absence.

"J.R. wasn't at the top of his game in Wisconsin, and when we came back home and had him tested, we found out why," Tomassoni said. "And losing Adams was a big blow for us as well. He is such a big part of our team and a tough competitor. We certainly missed him."

In the face of adversity, Harvard rebounded with a solid 6-6 tie against the Eagles, but the same type of inconsistency displayed in the holiday tournament would follow the Crimson back to Cambridge. Finishing out the regular season, Harvard struggled with its league foes, dropping games to St. Lawrence, Princeton, Yale and even cellar-dweller Vermont.

As fate would have it, however, no one else in the ECAC was winning either. So despite a mediocre 8-11-1 league record heading into the final weekend of play, Harvard found itself in a precarious position. With seven teams within four points of each other, the Crimson could have finished anywhere from fourth to 11th place.

Picking its moments well, Harvard responded with its first weekend sweep of the season with impressive victories over Vermont and Dartmouth. Not only did the sweep boost Harvard into the fifth-place slot, it also gave the Crimson crucial home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

"We went into the weekend knowing that we could have finished anywhere from fourth to 11th, but I don't think that we expected [to finish as high as we did]," said Higdon, whose team went on to sweep Colgate in the quarterfinals for a semifinal berth to Lake Placid. "All we wanted to do was go out and put two wins on the board like we did and let everything else take care of itself. And it did."

In the city of Olympic miracles, the Crimson was dealt a final blow by Clarkson in the form of a 6-2 loss. A consolation win over No. 10 Yale the next afternoon did offer a certain amount of comfort, especially for the four seniors who have been the sacrificial lambs for a rebuilding program. Throughout their careers, Harvard has posted an unusually dismal 46-65-8 record and has made it to Lake Placid only two of the four years.

The Yale victory, however, cushioned the blow. Although Higdon was forced to watch from the sidelines because of a season-ending knee injury in the Colgate series, the other three seniors--McCarthy, Geordie Hyland and Doug Sproule--all took to the ice for the final time together. In fitting fashion, Sproule was the one who sealed the Crimson's victory with a short-handed tally in the waning minutes of the contest. It was his third of the season and the 17th of his career.

"It was kind of strange ending the season with a win," Hyland said. "It's been an honor for me to play at Harvard, and it was nice to end with the win. It meant a lot to the team."

It is indeed appropriate that the 1997-98 season ended in such a bittersweet manner--a victory over a top 10 opponent--for the periods of inconsistency seemed always to be overshadowed by the fleeting moments like those experienced at the Beanpot.

Still, a 14-17-2 record is nothing to smile about.