The Crimson's freefall from early-season heights put it in danger of missing the playoffs.

But on Feb. 25, Harvard strolled into Hobey Baker Rink and stunned Princeton, 4-1. The next night, it dispatched the Elis, 5-2, at the Whale.

Over that weekend, Harvard finally seemed to take Mazzoleni's lessons to heart. It played two smart games with tight defense and aggressive puck pursuit.

The game-winner against Princeton was scored by the dynamic duo of the second half of the year--senior winger Scott Turco and Steve Moore. The pair developed a chemistry as Turco had a breakout season, finishing the year with nine goals and 11 assists.

The parity-infested ECAC nearly landed Harvard a home ice slot for the playoffs, but the Crimson lost to Rensselaer on the last day of the regular season, 2-0. Hobey Baker finalist Joel Laing stopped all 29 Crimson shots, including 11 in the final period.

The loss set up two dramatic postseason contests in Lynah Rink. In the second game, junior winger Chris Bala gave the Crimson a 3-2 lead in the third period, but Cornell scored a pair of goals 25 seconds apart to seal Harvard's fate.

"We had our backs against the wall at Princeton and Yale and played real well against our main rivals," Steve Moore said. "I thought we also played well against Cornell, but somehow we lost."

Though this year seems to have ended like so many of the past couple of years, Mazzoleni has injected some fresh air into the program. The team had a new work ethic and discipline with Allman setting the example both on and off the ice.

All the seniors contributed to the implementation of Mazzoleni's new system. The coach gave wingers Matt Macleod and Jamin Kerner a fresh chance at playing time. Defensemen Matt Scorsune, with his blistering one-timer from the point, and Mark Moore headlined an inexperienced corps.

Leadership responsibilities for next year now fall upon Steve Moore. Moore has led the Crimson in scoring in each of his three seasons.

"I'm not an overly vocal leader," Moore said. "I lead mostly by example, but I will take more initiative when I have to."

For the first time in the program's history, the Crimson will have assistant captains. Appointed by Mazzoleni, Bala and sophomore defenseman Pete Capouch will wear the "A" on their jerseys.

Among the younger guys, Dominic Moore dazzled his way to Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors.

Next year, the Crimson will be buoyed by the return of defenseman Graham Morrell, who redshirted this year, and a recruiting class that early reports have touted to be among the top in the East.

"We came in this year and started to play and compete hard and become a more disciplined team," Mazzoleni said. "The next level for us is to start to believe that those little habits will turn into wins."

All the future success of the Mazzoleni era will come off the foundation laid by the 1999-2000 Crimson. Next year promises at least a return to Lake Placid. And, the team hopes, a couple more wins at Cornell.