Even this season, the Crimson struggled after two scheduling gaps: following 11 competition-less days in mid-December, a sickly Crimson squad mustered just a tie and a loss in Minnesota’s Mariucci Classic, and, after the Christmas break, Harvard suffered a 3-1 drubbing at the hands of Colgate.

Now, with three quick victories, the Crimson has finally found a post-break groove, only now to put it on the line tonight against Dartmouth.

“We’ve been playing well,” Welch said. “If we worry about our game, I think we’ll be fine.

“That being said,” he added, “it’s kind of tough to play the same way every night. If we don’t come to play [tonight], we should have our hands full.”

The Crimson has employed the same lines since it topped Cornell just before the exam break, the lone exception coming with the loss of junior forward Dan Murphy to an undisclosed shoulder injury.

Murphy, a key component of Harvard’s hard-nosed fourth line all season long, has since been replaced by Dave Watters. The freshman has made the most of his three post-break opportunities, garnering five points. while the line has managed 12 overall.

“It’s going to be a game-time decision,” Donato said of Murphy’s status. “It’s been a situation where there’s nothing you can do but wait.”

Meanwhile, Murphy is missing out on what is arguably the most complete Crimson stretch of the season—three wins by a 20-4 margin, three unforgiving games between the pipes by a pair of Harvard goaltenders, and three strong defensive skating efforts.

Unfortunately for the home team, Dartmouth is on a similar tear.

The Big Red boasts four players with 19 points or more, but, perhaps more importantly, the squad is, much like the Crimson, infrequently penalized. Dartmouth averages 16.1 minutes in the sin bin per game, and thus for Harvard—a team that has gone through prolonged periods this season relying greatly on its power-play production—the battle is one to be won at full strength.

“By no means,” said Donato emphatically, “are we going to overlook them.”

NOTES: Noah Welch is now in sole possession of second place on the Crimson’s all-time penalty list with 115. The record, 124, is held by current assistant coach Sean McCann ’94...Watters earned ECAC Rookie of the Week honors for his five-point effort...The Big Green game will be Harvard’s last before Monday night’s semifinal round of the Beanpot Tournament against Northeastern, held at the FleetCenter.

—Staff writer Rebecca A. Seesel can be reached at seesel@fas.harvard.edu.