M. Hockey Braces for

Judging by the current ECAC standings, this weekend should be a breeze for the Harvard men's hockey team.

Tied for second place with St. Lawrence and Cornell, the Crimson (4-3-0, 4-2-0 ECAC) should not feel threatened by Rensselaer (RPI) or Union, who share a three-way tie for eighth place with Dartmouth.

The standings, however, are deceiving.

Despite its low placing in the ECAC, RPI (9-3-0, 2-2-0 ECAC) is ranked No. 8 in the country according to the US College Hockey Online poll, and has downed such Hockey East giants as Boston University and New Hampshire.

Meanwhile, Union (3-8-0, 2-2-0)--who was expected to once again be the bottom feeder of the ECAC--has surprised everyone by defeating reigning league champion Clarkson and first place Colgate earlier this year.

Harvard, who hopes to reverse its two-game losing streak this weekend, is going to have to revert back to Coach Mark Mazzoleni's initial strategy of smart, simple hockey if it expects to emerge from New York with a pair of victories.

Losses to cross-town rival BU and traveling partner Brown last week besmirched the Crimson's record. Both games revealed a lapse in Harvard's game, allowing both opponents to capitalize on breakdowns.

"It's really tough to pinpoint what was wrong last week and I don't want to make any excuses," junior defenseman Tim Stay said. "We played some bad games but we're fired up now."

The Crimson cannot afford to make mistakes when facing off against RPI on Friday, especially defensive mistakes. The Engineers, who picked up a 5-2 win over Army last week, are traditionally a fast-paced team that pounce on defensive breakdowns. It will be important for Harvard to find its legs early in the game if it wants to shut down the RPI offense.

"Our problem in the last few games was that we came out too slow in the first period," freshman center Dominic Moore said. "This weekend we definitely should focus on trying to get a fast start because the start sets the tone for the game. It takes 60 minutes to win a hockey game, and we've only been playing about 20 each."

But Engineers' junior forward Brad Tapper and sophomore forward Matt Murley are going to do their best to penetrate the Crimson blue line.

Murley (3 goals, 11 assists) and Tapper (17, 3), whose 20 points have netted him a pair of ECAC/CCM Player of the Week selections, are Rensselaer's most potent offensive threats.

But RPI's one weakness is play in its defensive zone. With a strong and daring offense, the Engineers rely on their ability to score goals to win games. But if the Crimson can hold RPI's offense at bay, Harvard's forwards can attack. RPI Senior goaltender Joel Laing leads a sturdy defense with a .900 save percentage, and a lackluster 3.85 goals-against average.

"We've got to make sure we do the little things right defensively so we shut them down," Moore said. "But because they are so offensive, we have a better chance of penetrating their defense and getting some chances."

Union may prove to be the most surprising game of the weekend.

Having already won more games this early in the season than they did all last year, the Skating Dutchmen have really begun to turn their program around.

No longer a young team, players like junior forward Jason Ralph and senior Jeff Sproat have stepped up their games and have each notched twelve points on the season. Ralph, who has also earned ECAC/CCM Player of the Week honors, played a big role in Union's upset of the Big Red earlier this season.

Having fallen to UMass-Amherst 5-1 last weekend in a non-conference match up, however, it is clear that the Skating Dutchmen are anything but consistent. Nonetheless, Union has the potential to upset the Crimson, especially if Harvard fails to improve its current manner of play.

"Union has really turned things around so far this year. They have a lot of talented new players as freshmen that have provided the spark for their offense," Moore said. "After beating Colgate, who is first in the league, we know that Union is for real. We're not taking anything for granted, but we expect to win."

The Crimson certainly does have the talent and depth to skate away with a pair of victories this weekend. Freshman winger Brett Nowak (4, 6), currently fourth in the ECAC for scoring, has a team-high 10 points and has consistently contributed to Harvard's success during both even play and special teams.

And the Moore clan is another weapon for the offense. Dominic (3, 1)--one of the top draft prospects in the nation--has pleasantly surprised Crimson fans, and his brother Steve (1, 6) is currently second on the team with seven points.

The goaltending tandem of senior J.R. Prestifilippo and junior Oliver Jonas will be in action as well. Jonas is the heavy favorite to start against RPI on Friday, and Prestifilippo will most likely see at least one game between the pipes. Prestifilippo boasts a 3-3 record in net, sporting a .924 save percentage and 2.24 GAA. Jonas made his only first goaltending appearance of the year with a 6-3 win over Vermont.

As the No. 8 ranked team in the nation, it is no surprise that many have given the Engineers the edge this weekend. But the talented Crimson can't be counted out.

"We are not in panic mode or anything, but we want to make sure we are winning games that we are expected to win," Moore said. "We're looking forward to getting back on the winning trail because we want to make winning a habit."