Providence has proven they can be giant-killers, just two years removed from its upstart NCAA tournament title run, which, incidentally, saw the fourth-seeded Friars emerge from East Regional play en route to capturing the program’s first and only Division I title.

Excluding games against the Fighting Irish, Providence has put together a 3-1-2 record against this year’s tournament teams. Pairing that with the Friars’ experience in both the NCAA tournament and at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, where they have posted a 7-5-1 all-time record, Providence poses a constant threat.

“Any team that we play moving forward, we’re going to have to take very seriously,” junior goalie Merrick Madsen said. “A lot of those guys on the team now were on [the 2015 NCAA Championship] team…. They get it, and the older guys probably let the younger guys know what’s going on.”

Among other factors, “older guys” have also been the key to Harvard’s success all year. On the ice, the Crimson’s eight soon-to-be graduates have significantly outpaced all senior classes in scoring with 185 combined points, 39 more than second-place Boston College. Perhaps more important, though, is the culture and leadership these Harvard skaters have brought to the team.

“[The seniors] were willing to really take a look at how they were perceived both around college hockey and around campus, and how they could change that to get the perception that they wanted,” Donato said. “They’ve…held each other accountable to a really high level.”

Co-captain Alexander Kerfoot and his cohort of impactful fourth-years will have work cut out for them on Friday night in Providence, but they should expect assistance from their underclassmen. In particular, sophomore Ryan Donato—the team’s goal scoring leader—is coming off a two-goal showing in the ECAC championship game. The Crimson is undefeated this season when the Ivy League Player of the Year records a point or finishes with a plus rating.

Jumping out to an early lead against the Friars will be a team goal for Harvard; especially in an elimination game, playing from behind in a hostile environment against a physical, defensively sound team is a death wish.

Besides, the Crimson is 19-2-0 on the season when opening the scoring and 26-3-0 when leading at any point in the game, so Harvard likely feels no need to try anything new in that regard.

“We have to get after it right from the hop,” Kerfoot urged. “When you get down in games like this, especially to a team like Providence who can pack it in and play well defensively, it’s hard to come back.”

Although it has been over three decades since Harvard and Providence last faced off, the Crimson possesses the all-time series edge over the Friars, 17-9-1, and has emerged victorious in the teams’ previous four encounters.

With a positive result in Friday’s matinee, Harvard would face the winner of the No. 15 Air Force and No. 8 Western Michigan bout to decide which club will pack its bags for Chicago’s Frozen Four in two weeks’ time. If the Crimson happens to be the Illinois-bound team, it would mark Donato’s first trip to the Frozen Four from behind the bench. A Harvard hockey all-timer in his own right, Donato is one of three coaches in this year’s NCAA tournament to have won the Division I crown as a player.

Staff writer Spencer R. Morris can be reached at spencer.morris@thecrimson.com.