“Keni was brought in to improve the goaltending position,” Crowder said. “We were able to bring him along slowly and he has given us some [consistent] play.”

The last time Harvard and Northeastern met was the consolation match-up of last February’s Beanpot— a very sloppy 8-7 win for the Huskies and a game Mazzoleni referred to as “the low point of our season last year.”

With improvements in the defensive zone for both teams, the chances of a repeat performance are slim.

“I think it will be much lower scoring than [last year], but still probably a one-goal game,” Harvard captain Peter Capouch wrote in an e-mail. “We will have to make sure that we play very tight in our defensive zone. The coaches have been stressing that all year, and we are getting better but it has to be our main focus against NU and the rest of the year.”

After recent Beanpot disappointments, Capouch said that the Crimson is primed for a title run. The Crimson has had a hard time beating its intra-city rivals lately. Harvard has lost five straight to BC, BU and Northeastern since defeating the Terriers at Walter Brown Arena on Nov. 21, 2000.

“I think we’re very excited this year especially since we haven’t done very well over the last three years,” Capouch said. “It’s crucial for us to advance to the championship game. It would help our confidence tremendously.”

A key element for both teams tonight will be special teams play, as both Harvard and Northeastern rank among the top 20 nationally in power-play and penalty-killing efficiency.

“Special teams play a huge role in any game,” Capouch wrote. “We need to continue to stay disciplined and take advantage of any power play opportunities we get.”

The puck is set to drop at 5 p.m. tonight, with a grudge match between archrivals Boston College and Boston University to follow at approximately 8.