Such long layoffs can be just as deleterious as Northeastern's overscheduling. The Crimson is 1-5 in the three weekends [including season's outset] following a multi-week layoff, and 10-1 in all other games.

"That two week break before Duluth [in December] didn't help us," Stone said. "We weren't sharp. But we're learning. Every year the schedule is going to change a little bit."

Women's college hockey has also been unbalanced in terms of its home and road scheduling. Take the top two teams from the WCHA: No. 4 Minnesota has played all of its tough non-conference games on the road, while No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth has played all of its non-conference games at home.

These scheduling flaws are particularly harmful because NCAA selection committees in the past, across all sports, will likely make their picks based solely on crude statistical measurements like wins and losses, and not on the circumstances surrounding the game--like where the game was played, how rusty or overworked the teams were at game time, and how many Olympians were absent from each team on that day.

Particularly disturbing is that the NCAA has not yet confirmed whether any automatic bids will be given out for the national tournament. The four teams that go to Minnesota may well be selected entirely at-large.

"I don't think anyone knows what will happen, so everyone's just going to try to win as many games as possible," Stone said.

None of this is good news for Harvard. The team has already shot itself in the foot by going winless in its four lone non-conference games against tournament contenders--none of which were indicative of the Crimson's best hockey. Two of the games were played without Botterill and Shewchuk, and all were played with Harvard rusty and its opposition well-rested and game-ready.