That was painful.

No. 7 Dartmouth came to Bright Hockey Center Friday and stunned the No. 1 Harvard women's hockey team in overtime, 5-4. That was the first time Harvard had lost in 33 games.

It was also the first time I have watched this team lose--ever. For those of you who don't glance at The Crimson's sports section often, no other beat writer has had that luxury since I've been here.

As my younger sister is obligated to ask every Passover, why on this night? On all other nights, life is normal. Last Friday night, Harvard raised the 1999 AWCHA national championship banner before the opening face-off, reliving the greatest sports moment I have ever witnessed in person. Exactly two minutes into overtime, the Big Green skaters were mobbing junior winger Jen Wiehn behind the Harvard net--directly under the brand-new banner. Why?

Because of too many breakdowns in the defensive zone, that's why. And not enough passing on offense. Playing the first game of the year without senior goaltender Crystal Springer (sprained knee) and junior center Kiirsten Suurkask (dislocated shoulder) didn't help, either.

Dartmouth took Harvard to overtime when it came to Bright last February, but the Crimson prevailed in the extra period (not to mention blowing out the Big Green in the ECAC Tournament semifinals, 8-1). On Friday, both teams played the same way they did last year--Dartmouth likes to lay a body on opponents to slow down the game, while Harvard thrives on its speed and continuous cycling in the offensive zone.

In overtime last year, it was just a matter of if, or when, Harvard would score and avoid the tie. Dartmouth never cleared the zone, and winger Tammy Shewchuk converted one of her 51 goals to win. Harvard also controlled the puck for the first two minutes of overtime on Friday, but then Dartmouth junior center Lauren Trottier forced a turnover in the neutral zone and threw a shot on goal. Wiehn knocked in the rebound.

Give Dartmouth credit. The Big Green has improved its offense, and its forecheck was as aggressive as ever. The last 12 minutes of the contest were fairly even, with both teams having plenty of chances. Any game that goes into overtime is up for grabs, and Dartmouth came through.

But this game should not have gone into overtime. The Crimson outshot the Big Green, 43-32. The problem, a recurring theme from last season, was careless defense in the first period.

Dartmouth pounced on Harvard early. Just 1:22 into the game, a horde of Big Green skaters crowded in front of the net, pelting sophomore goaltender Alison Kuusisto with shots until junior winger Kristina Guarino knocked one in.

Ten minutes later, Dartmouth freshman center Carly Haggard found herself all alone inside the right circle, where she flipped a backhander past Kuusisto. With 32 seconds left in the opening period, Haggard fed a backdoor pass to classmate Lydia Wheatley, who scored from point-blank range.

"We have got to give Kuusisto some support," said sophomore defenseman Angela Ruggiero, an All-American blueliner last year. "In the first period we were playing Dartmouth loose and not latching on. We picked it up by the third period, but it wasn't enough."

The three first-period goals were so crucial because, once Dartmouth had a comfortable two-goal lead, it could lay back and pack in the zone on defense. That's what the Big Green did in the second period, when Harvard peppered Dartmouth junior goaltender Meaghan Cahill with 16 shots--its most productive period of the game.

Cahill came through in a huge way for Dartmouth. For the final 1:43 of the second, with Harvard enjoying a five-on-three advantage, the Crimson reeled off a sequence of excellent scoring chances. But Cahill turned them all away, including a sprawling deflection of a shot from Shewchuk at the doorstep, to preserve the two-goal lead.

But Harvard was not fazed by Cahill, or by her teammates' physical defense. The Crimson needed two goals in the third period, and that was just what it got. Playing shorthanded, Ruggiero fought her way into the crease to cut the deficit in half 1:41 into the final period. Junior winger Angie Francisco got the equalizer 10 minutes later by putting back the rebound on a shot from Shewchuk, her linemate.

After that I was certain Harvard would deliver the game-winner, as it had done so many times last year. But Cahill refused to let that happen. Late in the third she hustled out of the crease to prevent Francisco from scoring on a breakaway that would have given Harvard its first lead of the game. That play gave Dartmouth new life, and the Big Green cashed in during overtime.

Which brings me to the bottom line. As much as Harvard struggled, it still had plenty of chances to win. Take away one costly turnover in the neutral zone during overtime, and the unbeaten streak could have lived on. But how important is a winning streak, especially one from a season that is already over?

Although I wasn't in Providence when it happened, Brown did beat Harvard last year--coincidentally, in the fatal second weekend of the season. There is a long way to go until the postseason rolls around in March, and in the long run this game was no more important than Saturday's 7-2 shellacking of helpless Boston College.

"It was good for the freshmen to see the banner go up, but tonight reminded us that this is a new season," Ruggiero said. "After losing to Brown last year we tightened up our defensive coverage, and I think we can do that again. If we're going to lose, I'd prefer to lose in November."

Keep in mind that I have just spilled a lot of ink about one loss (good thing I'm not the beat writer for the 1-7 New Orleans Saints). I can do that because this team will not lose often, and the road to this year's national championship will still go through Cambridge.

So let's get on with it. Harvard will have a shot at redemption Saturday when it travels to archrival New Hampshire. With a consistent defense and more passes in the offensive zone, the Crimson should be able to beat the Wildcats and reclaim the No. 1 ranking.