Also, the pressure is on top-rated Vermont, as few people picked Harvard to get this far. So the Crimson enters today's contest with a nothing-to-lose attitude.
"We feel extremely confident," sophomore defenseman Jeremiah McCarthy said. "We had a great weekend last weekend and want to build on that."
The Catamounts are loaded both offensively and defensively, and most notable are their dynamic duo--Martin St. Louis and Eric Perrin.
What makes them so dangerous is not only their speed, but also their knowledge of where each other is on the ice.
Perrin and St. Louis, who have played together since they were kids growing up in Quebec, are the top two ECAC scorers with 76 and 75 points, respectively.
Their linemate--J.C. Ruid--isn't too shabby either. He has scored a mere 28 goals and 22 assists.
If these players gain any open ice--and they have more chances to do that at the Olympic-sized ice surface--Harvard senior goalie Tripp Tracy will have to be at his sharpest to stop the shots of these marksmen. Tracy put forth his best weekend of the season at St. Lawrence, stopping 101 of 110 shots and keeping the Crimson alive early in the first two contests.
The other main aim for the Crimson is to find a way to put the puck behind Catamount goalie Tim Thomas. Powered by Thomas and a bruising defense, Vermont posted the top defensive stats during the regular season. Thomas himself is 24-5-4 with a 2.36 goals against average, the best in the ECAC.
However, if Harvard's four lines can sustain the same type of offensive pressure on Thomas as they did on St. Lawrence goalie Clint Owen, then the players have a solid chance at winning today and giving their razors an extended vacation.
"We were looking for anything to change our luck, and we beat the number-three team in the league," McCarthy said. "Some people can grow a great beard, but personally, I'm growing an awful one."
It might not be pretty, but the players will gladly sacrifice their looks for wins'.