Earlier this year, very few people expected to see Harvard finish near the top of the conference standings.

But the ECAC is always a roller-coaster ride straight to the end, and this season has been no exception.

Thanks to a solid performance in its last regular season homestand and a little help from around the league, the Crimson achieved its two most important goals heading into the playoffs.

Not surprisingly, Harvard clinched home ice for the first time since the 1997-98 season on Friday night. Needing only a point in the matchup to guarantee its position as host in the ECAC quarterfinals, the Crimson stole a pair from Yale in an exciting 6-4 victory.

"It was a hard-fought game right down to the end," Harvard captain Steve Moore said. "They're gonna battle. They are well-coached and they're a skilled team."

Dartmouth posted an upset over St. Lawrence, last year's regular season champion, to keep pace with Harvard, but Cornell gave the Crimson a much-needed boost, falling to Rennsalaer.

Harvard's win and Cornell's loss left the Crimson in sole possession of third place, the highest Harvard could advance in the standings given that Clarkson and the Saints had run away with the gold and silver.

A hard-fought 2-2 tie with Princeton on Saturday left the Crimson's spot unchanged, but a little shuffling around the ECAC kept Harvard in third place, a feat remarkably predicted by the ECAC Media Preseason Poll back in September.