{shortcode-0320ff397b4cdcd989019b372e4783cbb8f1d973}

Don’t look now, but Friday night is shaping up to be Hockey Night in Cambridge.

That means the Bright-Landry Hockey Center—yes, the Bright-Landry Hockey Center—is going to be packed. Not Alumni Night packed. Not the Athletic Department bribing students with free pizza packed. Real packed.

For the first time in quite a while, the No. 13/13 Harvard men’s hockey team (14-8-3, 10-5-3 ECAC) has something legitimate, something big, to play for in front of a home crowd—an Ivy League championship.

But to do that—to end a 10-year Ancient Eight title drought—the Crimson will have to find a way to end a different drought. Harvard needs to beat rival Cornell, whom it has not beaten at home in over seven years.

Yet, while all seven of those games were played at the Bright, the Crimson could hardly call them home games. Every time these two teams square off in Cambridge, Big Red Nation travels in numbers, as there’s no way an eastward drive of 300-plus miles can prevent Ithacans from missing out on an edition of one of college hockey’s greatest rivalries.

Friday should be no different. In fact, at least a third of the Bright Center is bound to be a sea of red prior to puck drop. Nonetheless, the hosts might actually feel like hosts this time around. Thanks to rising fan support, attendance at the Bright has risen by over 16 percent this year; and with something actually at stake on Friday, there’s a legitimate chance this game could be sold out by the time this paper hits the stands.

But I’ve dwelled enough over the years on the people that fill (and don’t fill) the Bright. At the end of the day, Coach Ted Donato ’91 could probably care less about who the Crimson has in its corner on Friday, so long as Harvard can get a result.

Nonetheless, there is more than enough reason to doubt whether the Crimson can actually attain that result. Not because Cornell has had Harvard’s number over the past few years—the Crimson put that notion to rest last month when it ran away with a 6-2 decision at Lynah Rink—but because this season, Harvard has consistently found a way to come up short in big games.

While the Crimson has cleaned up against teams at .500 or below, posting a 9-2-1 record in those games, Harvard has gone just 5-6-2 against teams with winning records. And to be frank, that mark feels a bit inflated, considering that the Crimson’s latest win over Union, who boasts a 4-9-5 record in the ECAC, technically counts given the Dutchmen’ early out-of-conference success.

Among Harvard’s lowlights this season: falling twice to No. 1/1 Quinnipiac, throwing away a two-goal lead in the final minutes of a home bout with No. 9/9 Boston University, and coming up short at yet another Beanpot—one many believed the Crimson had its best shot in years at winning.

More recently, Harvard had an opportunity to wrap up the Ivy League title in New Haven, where it has not won a regular season game in over a decade, and again, the Crimson fell short.

All this being said, it would be unfair to judge a team solely on games like these. Quinnipiac, BU, Boston College, and Yale are all ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation. Good luck winning every single one of those games.

But to lose all of them? That’s a tough pill to swallow. With as talented an array of forwards as Harvard has, the Crimson remains a legitimate contender for a national title, but as the old adage goes, to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. And that simply has not happened for this Harvard team.

In fact, the Crimson has accumulated seven of its eight losses since the turn of the calendar year, largely because opponents have discovered ways to expose Harvard’s defensive unit.

But the Crimson’s problems do not end at the blue line. Harvard’s surprise of the season in the fall—sophomore goaltender Merrick Madsen—like many of the men around him has also come crashing back down to earth.

After opening the season 7-0-2, even receiving a nomination for the Hobey Baker award given to college hockey’s Most Valuable Player, Madsen has struggled as of late. Rebound control has been a problem, his glove has failed him on multiple occasions, and the defense around him has not been playing at a high enough level to mask his mistakes.

But just as the wheels were beginning to fall off, the Crimson defense had its best showing in weeks over the weekend, giving Harvard’s starting netminder the confidence to stop 24 of 25 shots in a win over Union that snapped a three-game Crimson skid.

Tougher competition is on the way, however. While Harvard won’t run into any more powerhouses for the rest of the regular season, the Crimson will have to fend off three teams above .500 in its final four games, beginning with No. 16/- Cornell on Friday.

Despite all my skepticism, I’m picking Harvard. Big wins have eluded this team, but I believe last weekend provided the Crimson with the jolt it needs to start trending upward once again.

But if I’m wrong, and Harvard fumbles away not only an Ivy League title but also its hold on a potential first-round bye in the ECAC tournament, it’s possible Friday could spell the beginning of the end for the Crimson.

—Staff writer Jake Meagher can be reached at jake.meagher@thecrimson.com