Dartmouth has been known to play unusually well at times. By playing a tough physical game, the Big Green played third-place Yale to a 4-4 tie last week.

"I stressed to our guys not to overlook Dartmouth," Tomassoni said. "They tied Yale and have been playing real well lately. They have that youthful enthusiasm, that feeling that they can play well with anybody. We did not have an easy time with them up there."

Dartmouth's main threats are its young forwards. Sophomore Scott Fraser leads the team with 10 goals and seven assists (17 points), while assist-specialist, freshman Dion Del-Monte, is a skilled playmaker.

Harvard's best strategy is to do as it did last time: score early to prevent Dartmouth from building any confidence. That tactic helped the Crimson to a 6-3 victory over the Big Green in Hanover, N.H.

Streaking Catamounts

Vermont should pose a much stiffer challenge for the Crimson. The Catamounts have played phenomenal hockey in the past weeks and are currently on a 10-game unbeaten streak.

The catalyst has been freshman standout goalie Christan Soucy, a strong candidate for ECAC Rookie of the Year honors. Soucy, current ECAC Rookie of the Week, has recorded a 1.41 goals-against-average and .955 save percentage in the past 10 games.

Last week, the Catamounts rolled over Yale, 4-1, in Burlington, Vt., with Soucy providing the spark.

"What we really need to do against them is play a physical game and get a lot of shots," Coughlin said. "[Soucy] tends to give up a lot of rebounds. We've got to get a lot of hits and have guys who are willing to crash in and push others aside to get in front of the net."

Last time against Vermont, Harvard had trouble knocking in those rebounds, but a strong defensive effort gave the Crimson a 3-1 victory.

Harvard's defense, which has held firm throughout the season, will have its hands full, however, with Vermont's wiley Jim Larkin and Captain Mike McLaughlin.