Harvard’s challenge also includes one Yann Danis, whose puckstopping primacy has become the stuff of lore.

“Yann is the most valuable player in college hockey and deserves the Hobey Baker Award,” Sneddon said. “If he sees it, he will save it.”

Well, then. Harvard’s season’s pretty much over, huh? Not exactly. The Crimson has only lost once in seven games. The Bears have only won once in six.

Yale associate head coach C.J. Marottolo believes Harvard is playing “great hockey” now, and that the Crimson’s deep defensive corps could play a key role.

“They’ve got to get the D involved in the rush, and get that second wave of attack going through the neutral zone.”

Leaman expects the playoff savvy gained from back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances will benefit the Crimson this weekend.

“When it comes to the playoffs, they’re a confident bunch,” Leaman said. “A little cocky, actually, which is really good. It means they’re confident.

“The year we won it [2002], I think we all really learned that this is the way it has to be in the playoffs. You have to turn it up a notch, be intense, finish every hit—all the little things you talk about during the preseason.”

(THE BROWN) COLLEGE BOARDS

Brown finished the regular season with a 8-3-2 record at Meehan Auditorium—not quite on a par with last year’s sparkling 10-2-5 home slate, but good enough to keep the Bears among the league’s best teams in their building.

In fact, Brown’s .698 home winning percentage over the last three years (26-9-8) is third in the league, behind Cornell (.809) and Dartmouth (.717).

“They know how to win at home,” Marottolo said. “They get a lead, and it’s real hard to beat them.”

Every team with a good home-ice advantage seems to have some quirk about its rink that makes it tough for road teams to win there. At Meehan, that X-factor is the boards.

“The boards are so live down there,” Leaman said. “It makes it a lot different. A guy chips the puck and all of a sudden it’s 100 feet behind you.”

Harvard captain Kenny Smith said the team has “definitely” noticed that.