Since falling to Princeton the first weekend of January, however, the Crimson has lost five of its last seven and has dropped its last three against conference opponents.
Not an auspicious beginning to the millennium for the Crimson, who will be in search of an upset victory against BU in the opening game of the Beanpot tournament Monday night at the sold out Fleet Center.
After winning the tournament for the last five consecutive years, BU is the clear favorite to meet the winner of the Boston College/Northeastern match-up in the final.
However, Harvard does have a chance against BU. Earlier this season, the Crimson gave the Terriers a scare in a narrow 2-1 loss.
"The Beanpot means so much to the whole Harvard hockey community," Mazzoleni said. "From the alumni on down to the community. I know it's a cliche, but you can't place more emphasis on one game than another."