One point the team worked on in practice was avoiding penalties. Volumes of penalties have haunted the Crimson all season, right up to last weekend, when the Skating Dutchmen had a whopping ten power-play opportunities.

But the team didn't appear overly concerned with the penalty situation.

"I don't think we're taking bad penalties," Lonsinger said. "We're taking aggressive penalties."

They will, however, have to be a little more careful than the last time they met Brown.

"[The Brown skaters] are real agitators out there," Coughlin said.

The big motivating factor for this game for the Harvard players is the need to stay in Ivy League contention.

This is the closest thing the Crimson has had to a must-win game this season, because after the early losses to Brown and Yale, another loss to an Ivy League team would devastate Harvard's Ivy League standing.

The skaters will be making another prime-time TV appearance, this time on ESPN2. But the team won't have stage fright.

"It's not much of a factor," Coughlin said. "It shouldn't derail us."

Fortunately, the team will again have the services of Lonsinger, who suffered a separated shoulder Saturday night and missed Sunday's RPI contest. He practiced Thursday and reported he felt a little sore, but he is ready to go tonight.

"I wouldn't miss this game for anything," he said.

No matter what happens, the fans who make it down to Bright will be in for a treat.

"We've been a really tough rivalry," Lonsinger said. "It's a very emotional game."