This Weekend in Sports: Spring Season's in Full Swing

For the athletically-inclined, we have a slate of early spring season home games across the river this weekend. Whatever your preference -- ice, hard court, or grass -- Crimson teams will be putting on a display, as men’s and women’s hockey and lacrosse, as well as women’s basketball and men’s volleyball, will all be playing in Cambridge. Find out more after the jump.

The biggest event of the weekend will take place when the Harvard women’s hockey team hosts the ECAC finals against RPI for a chance to go to the NCAA tournament. After beginning the season unremarkably, the Crimson women have hit their stride and will look to ride the strong play of tri-captain Sarah Vaillancourt to another Frozen Four birth. The puck drops Saturday at 1:00 p.m., while other semifinalists Dartmouth and St. Lawrence will battle at 4:00 p.m. The champion will be crowned after Sunday’s 2:00 p.m. matchup between the winners of Saturday’s contest.

As for Lavietes Pavilion, the basketball court will see two nights of Ivy League action, with Harvard facing Brown on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Yale on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

Another highly-touted matchup will take place at Cumnock Turf at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, when No. 12 men’s lacrosse takes on No. 19 UMass. The Crimson have already knocked off perennial powerhouse Duke and Stony Brook this year, setting the stage for an exciting contest.

Immediately following the men’s game, women’s lacrosse will take on Quinnipiac at 4:00 p.m., hoping to put last weekend’s 13-12 loss against UMass behind them.

Men’s volleyball looks to return to .500 with contests against Rutgers-Newark and NJIT at the MAC. Harvard sits at 3-5, but all three wins have come at home, giving the Crimson confidence going into the weekend. The matches will take place Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

No. 66 Men’s tennis will also see action at home, playing Marquette in a Sunday matinee match at 2:00 p.m.