And adding insult to injury, this was the same team that the Crimson had defeated 1-0 in the season opener in October.

When asked about his team's inability to capitalize on opportunities and prevent game-winning errors, Mazzoleni was unable to pinpoint the problem.

"Of course we have to give credit to our opponent, but that's two times in a row that we've come out of the chute at home and we haven't gotten it done," Mazzoleni said. "It's not acceptable."

With its winning record hanging precariously in the balance, Harvard knew that last weekend would be an important turning point in the season. Another pair of losses would tarnish its league standing and further undermine the confidence of the team.

Being pitted against RPI, however, was a most difficult way to begin weekend. One of the top ten teams in the nation, the Engineers' ECAC record is no reflection of its current performance.

Harvard has not defeated RPI in a regular season affair since 1996-97, but it did defeat the Engineers 2-1 in Game One of the ECAC Quarterfinals last year.

Unfortunately, the Crimson could not snap RPI's two-game streak in the series, falling 3-2 to extend its losing streak to three games.