Harvard men's hockey skates cautiously into New Hampshire tonight, hoping to regain control on the heels of a hectic week on the ice.

The Crimson (10-10-1, 9-5-1 ECAC) needs a win against Dartmouth (9-10-2, 6-6-2), a team playing some of its best hockey of the season.

It's been a long week for Harvard. After an easy win over conference foe Colgate last Friday, the Crimson dropped its next two games. A Saturday night loss to ECAC rival Cornell dislodged Harvard from the top of the ECAC for the first time in a month, and the Crimson came out flat in a 4-1 Beanpot loss to No. 2 Boston College.

The tough schedule has no doubt taken something out of a Crimson squad nearing the end of a long season.

"We had a long break, then 3 games in 4 nights (including Beanpot), which was a bit much, and probably took its toll on us physically," said co-captain Steve Moore. "But the schedule is the schedule, and we just have to deal with it."

The last time the schedule dealt the Crimson as many losses in a week was at the end of December, and three of those losses came against nationally ranked opponents. The Crimson bounced back with a stellar January, losing only one game to Yale.

Harvard will need a similar turn of events coming down the home stretch of the ECAC season. It is currently tied for second with defending conference champion St. Lawrence. The Saints have a game in hand on the Crimson and also trail the Big Red by one point.

The Saints play Princeton tonight, while the Big Red takes on RPI. The weekend will thus be an important one for the Crimson, as each contest will shape the leader board.