"We missed at least three breakaways in the third," Cornell Coach Mike Shafer said. "J.R. Prestifilippo played a great game."

It's a bittersweet ending for Harvard's eight graduating seniors, having lost their second consecutive bid for Lake Placid. The first class to end their careers with the Crimson under Mazzoleni, they leave knowing the program is well on its way to success. It's just unfortunate that they have to leave at this stage in the rebuilding process.

"The coaching staff is fantastic," Harvard captain Trevor Allman said. "They really turned this program around. It was our pleasure to be the first class under them."

With the exit of Allman, Prestifilippo and the six others, Mazzoleni and the rest of the coaching staff will have big shoes to fill for next season.

"We know where the program is in this stage of rebuilding," Mazzoleni said. "But we're only going to get better. We'll be a different team next year. We had an excellent recruiting year, which gives us tremendous optimism."

With only one 9-10-2 conference record under his belt, Mazzoleni still has some work cut out for him. But for his returning veterans, including the duo of Steve Moore and Bala, and the highly-touted recruiting class, the road ahead looks bright for the Crimson.

Hats off to the seniors for all their hard work and effort these past four years, and best of luck in the future.

And to Mazzoleni and the rest of the team, we're already counting down to next season.