The Tigers and the Elis, however, are not going to make Harvard's quest any easier.

Princeton (9-12-3, 7-7-3 ECAC), currently tied for fourth place with Cornell and Dartmouth, is riding a three-game winning streak. Its victories over Union, Rensselaer, and Dartmouth were good enough to even its record to obtain a .500 winning percentage.

Tigers' center Kirk Lamb leads Princeton with 22 points on the season, tied with Brandon Dietrich of St. Lawrence and Darryl Campbell of Colgate for fourth in the conference in scoring. Lamb had a hand in three of Princeton's goals in its recent 5-2 victory over the Big Green, including a goal and two assists, including a set-up on the game-winner.

Sophomore netminder Dave Stathos anchors a solid defensive core. He has posted a 2.87 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage this season, both good enough for eighth in the league.

An added problem for Harvard will be Princeton's home ice. Hobey Baker Rink, which is about fifteen feet shorter through the neutral zone, is going to require a slight adjustment on the Crimson's part.

"The key is going to be making good decisions in the neutral zone," Mazzoleni said. "If you take away the extra distance, they're on you, so we don't have much time to make the plays. We can't afford to get cute at the blue lines."

Despite the disadvantage the Crimson will face with the smaller rink, the players don't foresee any major difficulties.