The Harvard women’s hockey team will face a pressure-packed slate of competition this weekend. ECAC, Ivy League, and NCAA tournament implications will all be on the line when the Crimson plays host to Ancient Eight foes Brown and Yale on Friday night and Saturday, respectively.

Harvard currently sits at seventh in the USCHO.com National rankings, just ahead of the eight-team cut-off for the NCAA tournament. In the ECAC, the Crimson sits at fifth overall in the standings, but just three points behind the league-leading Bears. With a pair of wins this weekend, it could make a quick jump to the top of the standings. Both St. Lawrence and Clarkson have to play Princeton this weekend, with all three at the top of the ECAC standings.

After Harvard takes on Brown in an attempt to knock off the ECAC leader, it will change its focus to the Bulldogs.

Yale has posed stiff competition in its recent bouts with the Crimson. The Bulldogs have beaten Harvard twice in the last two years after a span of two decades during which the Crimson dominated the rivalry. Yale goalie Sarah Love has played the key role in the Bulldogs’ renewed power in the rivalry, stopping 131 of Harvard’s 136 shots in the two teams’ last three match-ups (including last season’s ECAC semifinal game).

Friday’s game will start at 7:00 p.m., while Saturday’s face-off against Yale will take place at 4:00 p.m. Bright Hockey Center will host the games.

—THE CRIMSON STAFF