It was a tough loss for this year's outgoing seniors, who hoped to make one final run at the coveted Beanpot title, an honor that has eluded the Crimson since 1993.

A win had the added bonus of assisting Prestifilippo in his quest for a win in the tournament. But it was not enough to light a fire under the Crimson last night.

"Those are the little things that are the added incentives for us. You want to do it not only to win," Harvard captain Trevor Allman said. "Unfortunately, that is the downside of our career and his as well."

Setting aside a bout of mononucleosis his sophomore year and a collarbone injury that sidelined him during last season's ECAC quarterfinals against RPI, Prestifilippo's career achievements are quite admirable.

Securing the starting job in the preseason, Prestifilippo's outstanding first year between the pipes earned him ECAC Rookie of the Year honors in the 1996-97 season.

Since then, Prestifilippo has repeatedly defended his reputation one of the top netminders in the league. He led a sweep of Colgate at home in the 1997-98 ECAC quarterfinals.

Despite his success in and out of the conference, B.U. and the Beanpot have eluded him.

In 1997, a demoralizing 7-1loss to the Terriers in the first round introduced Prestifilippo to what Mazzoleni dubbed "the premiere collegiate tournament of the country."