Overall

There is plenty of potential on this team, but what it needs most is time. Everyone needs to adjust to their new system, new roles, new linemates, none of which will be completed overnight.

Mazzoleni has quite a few old habits to break and more importantly, he needs to teach this squad what it means to be a winner. Fortunately for Harvard, its schedule this year is backloaded with the most of grueling road trips after the Christmas break.

While Mazzoleni has pledged to restore the glory of the Harvard program, it probably won't come this year. Harvard most likely will not make the NCAA tournament. And with some expected stumbling early on, it won't contend for the ECAC championship as its preseason ranking of fifth in conference seems about right.

But if nothing else, the Crimson should be an exciting team that could become very dangerous late in the season and in the playoffs. Most importantly, the framework should be in place for greatness in the future.

"We are trying to establish a program here that our alumni base and the Cambridge and Boston community can be proud of," Mazzoleni said. "We are committed to returning this school to national prominence. I just hope people are patient."

A return to national prominence, that's the promise of the Mazzoleni era. And it's good to have genuine promise again.