One shouldn't have to drive two-and-a-half hours to see the Brown men's hockey team play. Watching the Bears renew the oldest rivalry in college hockey was not worth the ridiculous traffic we had to endure, sitting on I-95 amidst the droves of people who for some odd reason wanted to go to Providence for their Friday evening.

Brown is an awful hockey team with no speed or stars. Thank God, a little squad from Harvard was there to make the night worthwhile.

The Crimson unveiled its freshman-laden offense on Friday night and while Brown isn't much of a marker of anything, Harvard passed its first test with a 3-0 victory.

The first impression the Crimson made is that it's fast. Its top three lines can all move considerably faster than the clunkers on I-95. From assistant captain Chris Bala on down, these boys can fly across the ice.

Bala has raised his game another level this year. One of the prime beneficiaries of Assistant Coach Ron Rolston's offseason workout regiment, he has added strength to his world class jets. He showed that off with about two minutes left in the second period as he flew down the left wing with a Bears defender draped all over him, and forced Brown goalie Brian Eklund to make a tough blocker save.

The Crimson lines were not often able to translate its speed into prime scoring chances, but that was because the players are still not used to each other. Yet.

"We have made a major improvement in team speed this year," Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni said. "With that, we are allowing the players to be far more creative than they were last year."

Friday night was a game not only of first impressions for the whole team but of first impressions for particular players. Like the entire freshman class. Mazzoleni brought in nine recruits and five played extensively.