Though last weekend was not successful in terms of augmenting the Crimson's lackluster .412 winning percentage, it showed promise of a stronger Harvard squad this weekend. A tighter defense, coupled with a more potent offense and power play, threatened St. Lawrence with an upset, and almost turned the tide on Clarkson the following night.

"We generated almost twice as many quality scoring opportunities as St. Lawrence and Clarkson," Mazzoleni said. "Earlier this season we had nights where we were barely hitting double digits. Now we're hitting the 30s and we're coming up short. If we stop making fundamental mistakes, this wouldn't be happening."

Harvard must continue to focus on improving its transitional game and its defensive zone if it has any hopes for home ice.

A large percentage of opposition goals come from turnovers at the blue line, meaning that if the Crimson closes the gaps it often allows near the neutral zone it will offset the offensive rushes that allow its opponents to score, and

score early.

The Crimson's other fatal flaw is its inability to battle back from early deficits. Against both Clarkson and St. Lawrence, Harvard fell behind as quickly as five minutes in to the game.

"We've shown that we're not a good team once we have to play from behind," Mazzoleni said. "We need to come out of the blocks early if we want to win."