"Both teams are conservative," Harvard forward Lane MacDonald said. "They use different defensive styles against us. If [those styles] aren't successful, we should be able to score. But we really have to be careful because Yale and Northeastern played conservatively and kept the game close."

If forwards MacDonald (18 goals, 13 assists for 31 points), Barakett (16-13--29) and Allen Bourbeau (10-15--25) show their usual flash, DeGironimo will have his hands full.

Devin (1.80 goals-against average, .924 save percentage) is capable of stopping most Cadet threats. He'll have to contend with Matt Wilson (16-14--30) and Kevin Keenan (10-14--24), but he'll get ample help from his defense, led by Mark Benning and Randy Taylor.

Princeton sports one of the most potent first lines in the ECAC. First-line center John Messuri leads the league in scoring with a 15-18--33 line. His linemate, Greg Polaski, is among the top 10 ECAC scores with 13 goals and 11 assists.

Rounding out the first line--whose members all hail from the Boston area--is Bart Blaeser.

"They've done a lot of our scoring, "Tiger forward Tim Driscoll said. "Because they're all from the area, they'll really be up for this weekend. We all have a lot of respect for Harvard, but we think we can stay with their forwards and play a tight-checking game."

Unlike Army and Princeton, Harvard is already guaranteed a place in the ECAC playoffs. But a permanent spot in the nation's top 10 is another matter.