For the next five months, the 12 teams in the ECAC will battle for eight playoff spots and the chance to be crowned league champions at Boston Garden. Although league coaches have tabbed Harvard to be the best team in the ECAC this season, anything can happen during the five-month trip to the Garden party.

Here is a preview of the other 11 teams in the ECAC, which will try to disprove the pre-season polls:

ARMY

Overall: 9-19-2

ECAC: 3-17-2 [11th]

Coach: Rob Riley

The young Cadets are hungry. The young Cadets are ready. Or are they?

Army, which had a predominantly young team last year, hopes its experience in the lower bracket of the 1987-88 ECAC standings will propel it into this year's playoffs.

Junior Rick Sheridan (18 goals, 18 assists, 36 points) and sophomore Rob Tobin (15-16--31) will give the Cadets a strong offense.

But what about defense? Since the Cadets cannot use conventional weapons on the ice, they will have to rely on a defense that allowed more than five goals per game in ECAC action last year.

Junior Neil Minihane will anchor the Army blue line, along with five other returning lettermen. The goaltending, however, is still questionable. Look for sophomore Brooks Chretien (.842 save percentage, 4.98 goals-against average) to see most of the action.

BROWN

Overall: 3-22-1

ECAC: 2-19-1 [12th]

Coach: Bob Gaudet