Three games, two sold-out venues, and one ticket to the Beanpot finals await this weekend in a critical litmus test for the men's hockey.

"It is an important part of our ECAC schedule," Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni said. "We have to win if we want home ice advantage for the playoffs."

A frantic February for Harvard (7-10-1, 6-6-1) starts off with a bang tonight when Cornell (7-10-1, 4-7-0) hits the ice to battle the Crimson in front of a sold-out crowd at the Bright Hockey Center.

The crucial weekend for Harvard continues Saturday against Colgate (15-6-0, 8-3-0) and concludes Monday at the Fleet Center in a Beanpot contest with cross-town rival No.4 Boston University (15-6-6).

"The game is sold out," Mazzoleni said. "And we're sure that Cornell will have their fans, but I know we'll have our own share of Harvard fans as well."

In one of the bitterest rivalries in Collegiate Hockey, the Big Red has owned the Crimson at Bright Hockey Center. Harvard has not beaten Cornell in Cambridge since 1994.

After a strong start to the season, however, the Crimson and its fans are poised to turn the tables on their foes from Ithaca.

In the team's only trip of the season into the wildernesses of upstate New York, Harvard held on for a close 2-1 victory over the Big Red in one of the Crimson's most well-rounded games this season.