"We really don't focus on what other teams do," Shewchuk said. "We just like to play Harvard hockey in any rink we go into. It doesn't matter who the opponent is."

If the Crimson can duplicate its disciplined defensive performance against Brown--in which Harvard did not earn a single penalty minute in sixty minutes of play--a win against St. Lawrence will be easier to come by.

"Our philosophy is that if we do the job in the defensive and neutral zone, the offense will eventually come," Shewchuk said. "We know our team has a lot of speed and a lot of offensive talent, so the defense is what we focus on. The offense just takes care of itself."

Last season, the Crimson kept the Saints from feeling too good about their best season ever by dealing them a humbling 7-3 ECAC Quarterfinal defeat that was even more of a blowout than the final score would indicate.

As in the playoff game last year, St. Lawrence should be riding high and confident, especially coming off the tie at Dartmouth. Harvard will look to bring the Saints back down to earth once again.

"They're going to come out to play, and they're going to come out flying," Shewchuk said. "It's just up to us to match and surpass them."

The Crimson will be hard-pressed to match the seven-goal total from the ECAC playoffs last year, however. The Saints appear to be much improved from last year's team, and history would indicate that a dramatic turnaround is not impossible. Case in point--Dartmouth was crushed by Harvard 8-1 in the 1999 ECAC Semifinals then came back to beat the Crimson three times last season.