"The fans helped us win our game," Cleary said. "I know how much the hockey team appreciated their efforts, and so did I."

The Catamounts, however, will bring their own crowd to the Garden, as a gold-and-green Burlington invasion will stake a claim to its section at the Garden.

"We're going to get a big charge out of seeing the fans," Gilligan said.

The crowds both Crimson and Catamount, will try to spark the offense on the ice, although the forwards on both teams won't need that much to get charged up.

First Team All-ECAC selection Kyle McDonough, Vermont's "Big Mac Attack," leads the Catamounts in scoring with 55 points (27 goals, 28 assists).

But Harvard has its own "Big Mac Attack" in Player of the Year MacDonald (26-27--53), another First-Team All-ECAC selection and the all-time leading scorer in ECAC Tournament history.

Both sharpshooters are accompanied by a formidable supporting cast.

For the Catamounts, ECAC Honorable Mention Ian Boyce (15-16--41) will anchor the Vermont offense, along with Jim Larkin (16-18--34) and Jim Walsh (13-19--32).

For the Crimson, Peter Ciavaglia (10-41--51), C.J. Young (30-19--49) and Allen Bourbeau (11-37--48)--all Second-Team All-ECAC selections--are three reasons why Harvard has averaged 5.9 goals per game.

At net, Vermont will look to Mike Millham (.865 save percentage, 3.32 goals-against average) to guard the pipes. Harvard's Allain Roy (.914, 2.50), a member of the All-Rookie team, will start for the Crimson.

"We're going to give Harvard a run for the money," Gilligan said.

No hockey purist is complaining.