If the Crimson can minimize the role the rink plays, Harvard will be looking at much better odds at coming away with a victory. UMass’s away record stands at 0-7-2, exposing some serious vulnerabilities.

The Crimson, meanwhile, seems to have continued on the scoring streak that kicked in toward the end of last season.

In the final 12 games of the 2010-2011 season, the Crimson scored 39 goals, for an average of 3.25 goals per game, a remarkable improvement over the first part of the season when the team only scored 40 goals in 23 games, just under two per game.

So far Harvard’s 2011-2012 offensive assault has built upon the improvements of last year, tallying a goal-per-game average of just over 3.77 though nine games.

These numbers may be crucial against the Minutemen, as they have lost all six games in which their opponents scored four or more goals.

The match against UMass will also give the Crimson a break from ECAC action and a chance to work on specific aspects of its game that need improvement.

“We’ve kind of struggled so far on the rushes,” Valek said. “We always leave a couple of goals on the table with the 3s on 2s, but hopefully we can get those going.”

Despite the break from league play, the team is determined to win and very aware that the Minutemen will be a tough opponent.

“We’re going to try and play a more physical game, give them the checks a lot,” Valek added. “That should help take away from their speed and ability. Also they like to play an exchange game, kind of going back and forth with goals and we can’t afford to do that.”

—Staff writer Cayla C. Calderwood can be reached at ccalderwood@college.harvard.edu.