On that second line will be another newcomer, freshman Lou Bevilacqua.

"He's one of those strong areas that will be overlooked," sophomore goalie Rob Lyng said. "He's very quick, and teams can't keep up with him."

And the return of faceoff specialist junior Pat McCulloch will improve Harvard's showing in that area.

Last season, the squad finished with a 47.3 winning percentage on faceoffs. Last week, with McCulloch taking the bulk of the faceoffs, that percentage jumped to 53.6.

To those who followed last season, the defense should be easily recognizable.

Led by co-captains Creighton Reed and Mason Wynocker, Harvard's defenders will be operating more of a zone defense than the man-to-man they worked in last season.

"It will be more of a team-oriented defense," Lyng said. "If you beat a man in one area, there's another guy's area you have to go through."

Also returning to the defense are short-stick midfielder senior Jon Ponosuk and long-stick defender senior Sean Lavin. They'll be joined by sophomore Jeremy Linzee, who will move into the starting lineup after playing a reserve role last season.

The team's schedule sports some forbidding competition.

In a two-week stretch of April (April 1-19), the Crimson will face Duke, vermont, perennial NCAA invite Notre Dame, Ivy powerhouse Brown, and defending NCAA champion Princeton.

"That two-and-a-half week stretch is huge," Gaffney said. "It will determine how our-season goes."

The Crimson feels its up to the challenge.

"We feel we are at the level of Brown and Princeton, " Browne said. "And if we can beat a team like Notre Dame, it will improve our [NCAA Tournament] chances."

The Crimson takes on the Eagles of Boston College today, kicking off a season many feel won't end until the NCAA Tournament in May.

"We are optimistic and confident, but we know there's work to be done," Browne said.