Still, these seniors should have no regrets. Harvard accomplished all of its preseason goals this year. It registered its best season since 1993-94 with a 16-15-1 record, good for third place in the conference. It had home ice for the first round of the playoffs and it advanced to Lake Placid. A championship, however theoretically attainable, would have been gravy.

The team went out on a high note. The Crimson was dominant in defeat against the Big Red. Except for a span of 2:37 when Cornell shocked even itself by scoring three goals, Harvard controlled play up and down the ice. It just couldn't catch a break.

In future years, Harvard will.

"I told our seniors that in two or three years when we win this thing, they will have been the stepping stone to bringing our program back to the stop." Harvard coach Mark Mazzoleni said.

There will be plenty of time down the road to speculate on just how good the Crimson will be with players like Dominic Moore, Kolarik, sophomore winger Brett Nowak, freshman winger Dennis Packard and freshman defenseman Kenny Smith.

But Saturday afternoon at the 1980 Olympic Center in Lake Placid belonged to those who will have to watch Harvard's future success from the stands. The Moore brothers were not the only players hugging on the ice.

Each player has staked his claim to the legacy of the Harvard hockey family. The stories range from Bala's overtime winner to stun Boston College in the 1998 Beanpot all the way to Jonas biding his time on the bench for three years and then exploding this season to win the Ken Dryden Award as the conference's best netminder.