Of the pair, the Elis appear to be the more dangerous opponent. Yale currently boasts a three game win streak, including a 6-3 downing of R.P.I., and four wins in its last five appearances. The Eli's sudden turnaround countered a four-game losing streak and propelled Yale into sixth place in the ECAC.

The Elis recent success is owed in part to generous offensive production from its forwards. Hobey Baker candidate Jeff Hamilton leads the way for Yale, topping the league with 14 goals. Hamilton notched eight points in his past three games, including a pair of hatricks. Luke Earl posted nine points in the three-game stint, while Nick Deschenes notched seven.

"Yale plays an up-tempo offensive game," Mazzoleni said. "They pressure the puck with three men, and they get their defensemen involved in the rush. They scored on us in January in a four-on-two because of it."

Hanging on in eighth place, the Tigers have only a glimmer of a hope for home ice. Realistically, Princeton will have to settle for a post-season road trip, which it will clinch easily by taking at least one point against Harvard or Brown.

Helping out the Tigers up front is Chris Corrinet, who had a hand in all three of the Tigers' goals last weekend. Corrinet currently ranks third in the league in goals and tenth in point scoring. Kirk Lamb has also been an offensive threat for Princeton. He ranks second in the conference in assists and fifth in scoring.

Although Harvard's scoring offense--which notches an average of three goals per game--should have no trouble lighting the lamp against these two teams. Princeton netminder Dave Stathos is ninth with a .902 save percentage and touts a 3.02 GAA. Yale goalie Dan Lombard is shaky for the Elis, giving up 3.56 goals per game, and is second to last in the ECAC with a .866 save percentage.

The Crimson wins the battle on special teams as well. Although Harvard's 16.5 percent success rate on the penalty kill is dwarfed by Princeton's 19.8 percent and Yale's 20.5 percent, the Crimson should be able to stifle their offense on the man advantage with its 88.5 percent penalty kill, good for second in the league behind Cornell.

Harvard also has a chance to rejuvenate its beleaguered power play. The Tigers have only been able to muster 77.9 percent with a man down, while the Elis are suffering at 72.4 percent, putting them only ahead of bottom-feeding Brown in the ECAC.