Brown at Harvard, ECAC First Round Game 1: Pregame Notes and Line Combinations

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Good Friday evening and welcome inside Bright-Landry Hockey Center on campus at Harvard University where the Crimson and Brown Bears are set to begin the opening round of the 2015 ECAC Hockey Championship.

Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. as the oldest rivalry in college hockey commences for the third time this season. The Crimson hold a 107-46-13 all-time advantage since the series began on Jan. 19, 1898. This weekend marks their first playoff meeting since Bears took to the road as the No. 12 seed and used back-to-back shutouts from Mike Clemente to pull off a 2009 first-round upset.

Sophomore Tim Ernst earned ECAC Goaltender of the Month honors for February as he posted a .938 save percentage in leading the Bears to a 4-1-2 mark over the final seven games. Harvard and Brown skated to a season split as Ernst made 23 saves in a 2-1 home win for the Bears on Feb. 7.

The Bears are coming off a 3-3 tie to Cornell and a 4-2 loss to Colgate at home last weekend. Senior co-captain Matt Lorito scored twice in the latter contest and leads the team with 21 points in 27 games. Junior assistant captain Nick Lappin is the only other double-digit goal scorer for Brown with a team-best 11 goals.

Harvard also has some history on its side as it won the 2004 ECAC title in the last tournament it entered as the No. 6 seed. The Crimson enter with that standing in the conference for the fourth time.

After a 5-2 loss to Quinnipiac last Friday, the Crimson closed the season with a 5-0 shutout of Princeton during which sophomore Tyler Moy scored twice. Crimson junior Jimmy Vesey finished the regular season as the ECAC's leader with 22 goals, 22 assists and 44 points and was named Harvard's tenth-ever Ivy League Player of the Year yesterday.

Here are tonight's lines:

BEARS (8-18-3, 5-14-3)

Matt Lorito - Mark Naclerio - Nick Lappin
Max Willman - Sam Lafferty - Tyler Bird
Zack Pryzbek - Davey Middleton - Tim Lappin
Matt Harlow - Massimo Lamacchia - Ryan Jacobson

Joey de Concilys - Josh McArdle
Dane Cooper - Brandon Pfeil
Ben Tegtmeyer - Tyler Wood

Tim Ernst
Tyler Steel
Connor Maher

CRIMSON (15-11-3, 11-8-3)

Jimmy Vesey - Alexander Kerfoot - Kyle Criscuolo
Luke Esposito - Sean Malone - Colin Blackwell
Brian Hart - Tyler Moy - Jake Horton
Mike Seward - Eddie Ellis - Devin Tringale

Max Everson - Brayden Jaw
Thomas Aiken - Desmond Bergin
Wiley Sherman - Clay Anderson

Steve Michalek
Merrick Madsen
Peter Traber