Heading in to this weekend against Ivy rivals Princeton and Yale, the Harvard men's hockey team is again experiencing a taste of de ja vu.

Sporting an almost identical record to the 6-10-2 performance it posted last season at exactly this time, Harvard (8-14-2, 6-9-2 ECAC) has only four games left to secure a playoff position.

Despite the similarities, the objectives of last year's squad and the new guard are quite different. While the Crimson was desperate to snag a spot in the post-season last year, Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni has loftier goals in mind for his first year in the ECAC.

"We're at a point in our schedule where the games are crucial if we hope to acquire home ice for the upcoming playoffs," Mazzoleni said. "We're going to have to go 4-0 or 3-0-1 down the stretch to have a chance."

But the second half of the Crimson's schedule has been anything but kind.

Turning in a dismal 1-6-1 conference record since the turn of the millennium, Harvard has not taken a weekend since the home-opening series against Vermont and Dartmouth last November, it's first and only sweep of the year.

Despite its inability to put together two solid victories, Mazzoleni is confident that his team can pull out two consecutive winning weekends.

"Even though we haven't put a streak like that together this year, I think we're capable of doing it," Mazzoleni said.