Of course, if Brown's Geoff Finch (his .906 save pct. is the league's second-best) has anything to say about it, that won't matter. In 125 minutes against the Cats, Finch let in only three goals, and Gilligan has concerns about his team's ability to score.

"Although we've been getting balanced scoring from all our kids, we haven't been getting very much of it of late, and that may be a problem with a kid like Finch in the nets," Gilligan said.

"We'd like to think that there's a little more than Geoff Finch on this team to worry about," retorted Brown Coach Bob Gaude.

The Bears have an experienced bunch of blue-liners, headed by senior Mark Shaughnessy, although Gaudet admitted the need to "muster up a little more offense" after last weekend's losses at Clarkson and St. Lawrence. But with the Bears finally healthy after a string of late-season bumps and bruises, Gaudet has to like his team's chances. Remember--Brown snaked from the #4 seed in last year's tournament all the way to the finals, knocking off Harvard en route to an NCAA berth.

"We hope we can get some momentum going," Gaudet said. "The first game is so important."

And whoever wins it should be in the driver's seat for the rest of the series.