COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo--Despite occupying the top slot in the ECAC, the Harvard men's hockey team continued to falter in non-conference play, dropping a pair of games to No. 4 Colorado College (13-4-1, 8-4-0 WCHA) last weekend.

However, the Crimson (6-7-1, 5-3-1 ECAC) did not succumb quietly to the Tigers. Facing high altitudes out west, an Olympic-sized sheet and a handful of injuries, the Crimson's battered and beleaguered squad hung with Colorado during both games.

"Harvard played better than I expected," Colorado Coach Scott Owens said. "It was not your typical, non-conference Christmas affair. I thought we hung in there."

The Tigers blanked the Crimson 3-0 on Saturday, but the score did not reflect Harvard's effort. The absences of junior assistant captain Peter Capouch and classmate Graham Morrell were noticed at the blueline, but a solid all-around defensive effort, thanks in part to the much-anticipated return of rookie Kenny Smith, held Colorado to only 32 shots on goal.

The Crimson did not get the chances on Saturday that it generated during Friday night's contest. Harvard lost control of a 2-1 lead halfway through the second stanza and played catch-up for the rest of the game. The Tigers earned a 5-3 decision to bag the first of the series' two matches.

Colorado College 3, Harvard 0

The Crimson suffered its first shutout of the season at the hands of Colorado netminder Jeff Sanger. With his seventh career donut under his belt, Sanger not only led the Tigers to a clean sweep of the Crimson, but shattered the school's shutout record.

"We thought we could play with this team," sophomore center Dominic Moore said. "Not that we didn't have chances, but for some reason we couldn't put it by them tonight. It's all about luck and bounces, and they got a whole lot more than we did tonight." Compared to the previous night's action, Colorado's blueline employed a more efficient style of defense, limiting the Crimson to just 24 shots on goal.