Jimmy Howard leads Maine into today’s NCAA East Regional matchup with Harvard.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – The puck usually stops at the crease of Maine goalie Jimmy Howard, and that’s about all you have to know about the Black Bears.

“Certainly, we pride ourself on team defense, and obviously we’re blessed with some great goaltenders and they’ve been our backbone,” Maine coach Tim Whitehead said Thursday. “But we do feel we’ve played very strong as a team defensively, and we try to give those goaltenders every opportunity to succeed. We’re going to do everything we can do to protect our goalies so that they can succeed.”

Mission accomplished. As top-ranked Maine (30-7-3) prepares to face Harvard (18-14-3) in the semifinals of the NCAA East Regional, the Crimson has these numbers to ponder – Howard has a 1.05 goals-against average and .958 save percentage (both are tops in the nation) and six shutouts, five in his last nine starts. Oh, and he made 63 saves in Maine’s triple-overtime victory over UMass in the Hockey East championship game last Saturday.

“The defense has been doing a heck of a job the past month just clearing guys out in front (of the net) and allowing me to see the puck,” said Howard, a sophomore from Ogdensburg in northern New York. “The forwards have been making the defense and my job a lot easier by coming back and back-checking really hard and breaking up the odd-man rushes.”

Although Harvard struggled for much of the season, the Crimson rallied when it counted most, winning its last seven games when just one loss would have been catastrophic. Harvard finished sixth in the ECAC at 10-10-2, then beat Vermont, Brown, Dartmouth and Clarkson to win the conference tournament.

“We had a very challenging regular season, but it’s made us a much better hockey team,” coach Mark Mazzoleni said. “We’ve kind of been in a cycle over the last five or six weeks that almost every game we played was a must game. In our league tournament, we could not drop a game or our season was done. Our kids had a tremendous focus, and with that we’ve executed at a season-high level and become a much more confident team.”

As a team, Maine has allowed only 62 goals in 40 games, also getting top-notch net-minding from goalie Frank Doyle, who has a 1.84 gaa and .922 save percentage in 22 games. The Black Bears, who are making their sixth straight appearance in the NCAA tournament, are averaging 3.3 goals per game and have scored 12 short-handed goals.

“Obviously, they’re a great team and Howard’s a great goalie,” Harvard goalie Dov Grumet-Morris said. “We’re going to have to get to the net and keep doing what we’ve been doing. When you get to tournament time, you’re not coming out of the wall and sniping one. You’re getting dirty in front of the net. My job is to try and keep my team in the game. Hopefully, I’ll be equal to the task.”

Maine is the only team in the nation with 30 wins. It also has won seven straight. Neither the Black Bears nor the Crimson is worried about a close game.

“We know as long as we play hard and play smart defensively and with the goaltending we’ve got, we’re not afraid that if it’s a 1-0 or 2-1 game we can’t come out on top,” Maine forward Ben Murphy said. “Teams playing down the stretch are playing their absolute best, and that’s what we have to give them.”

“Two years ago, we couldn’t come into the NCAA tournament and play a 1-0 or 2-1 game,” said Mazzoleni, whose Crimson lost 4-3 to Maine in overtime in the first round in 2002. “That’s what has changed with our guys. Our mind-set of being committed to team defense and playing with a lot of tenacity is there now. That gives me a lot more confidence.”

AP-ES-03-25-04 1950EST