But more important than any one player will be the Crimson’s ability to play consistently over the course of two (or three) nights. Harvard did not sweep a regular-season weekend this season—the first time that has happened since 1996-1997—and if it can’t win two of its next three games, the coming-out party will end only a few days after it started.
Of course, the possibility of losing wasn’t even a thought outside the Crimson dressing room Saturday night. There, Harvard players—especially the seniors—wore their biggest smiles of the season. These were real, genuine, ear-to-ear grins, brimming with relief and confidence.
They knew they had just put together a masterpiece, after months of papers balling up in the waste basket. And, with consecutive NCAA appearances in their back pockets, they were keenly aware—and confident—about what comes next.
“We play our best hockey when we play desperation hockey,” said senior Tim Pettit. “Now it has to be that way. We’re playing for our season for the rest of the way.”
—Staff writer Jon Paul Morosi can be reached at morosi@fas.harvard.edu.