Dave D’Onofrio, DFP Only head coach Tim Whitehead knows who will be between the pipes on Saturday for Maine, and judging from his decision to start Matt Yeats the night after Mike Morrison was named Hockey East’s best goaltender, maybe not even Whitehead knows. Both Yeats and Morrison are viable options, and each has posted good stats, but struggles have plagued both goalies for stretches throughout the year. Morrison’s poor performance against BU on March 1 seems to have doomed his postseason playing time, so Yeats will most likely be the choice. Whomever Whitehead chooses, a strong and solid Black Bear defense will be there to protect the crease. Captain Peter Metcalf was a deserving selection as All-Hockey East, and he is just one of a steady defensive corps. Add Maine’s potent offense to the mix, and it’s hard to see the Crimson keeping it close for very long. Maine’s talented forwards will present serious problems for any team the Black Bears face in the NCAAs. Don’t count Harvard out entirely, though, because it’s a minor miracle the Crimson has gone this far to begin with. They began the ECAC Tournament as a sub-.500 team but have pieced together a nice winning streak to get past Cornell and into the round of 12. Freshman goalie Dov Grumet-Morris is good enough to win in the NCAA Tournament, just not this year. Maine 5, Harvard 1

Nick Cardamone, DFP Maine is really good and unlucky to be playing this game. Harvard is pretty good and lucky as hell to be in Worcester. It will probably be that simple on Saturday. Whether its Yeats or Morrison is likely inconsequential. The fact is, Peter Metcalf is in front of either one, and Niko Dimitrakos, Marty Kariya and Colin Shields are smoking opposing goalies. Dov Grumet-Morris is a great goalie, but despite solid forwards in Brett Nowak, Tyler Kolarik, Tom Cavanagh and Dominic Moore, Harvard just plain and simple is not good enough to compete with Maine. The Crimson have not faired too well against Hockey East opponents all year, losing to the Terriers, 8-4; to BC in the Beanpot Consolation game, 4-0; to UMass-Lowell, 2-0, and to Northeastern, 5-2, among other games. Maine is not only a Hockey East opponent, it is a better one than all the others listed except for one (I’ll let you figure that one out). Maine 5, Harvard 1

Noah Coslov, WTBU Black Bears’ coach Tim Whitehead’s game plan for this one is simple: Rough up some smart kids. That is exactly what Maine will do Saturday when it takes to the ice against ECAC champion Harvard. Harvard beating Maine would be just as easy as getting a West Campus girl into your Warren Towers room at 3 a.m. Face it, it’s not going to happen. The only chance Harvard may have is if Whitehead decides to sit some of his stars after the game is out of reach in order to be well rested for Sunday. A high-powered offense led by Niko Dimitrakos (46 points), Martin Kariya (43 points) and Colin Shields (43 points) had earned what the team thought to have been a number 2 seed in the East Regional. After eliminating the Terriers from the Hockey East Tournament in the semifinals, and for the second time this season, Maine looked to be heading for a first round bye. Now, seeded third, the Black Bears have something to prove. The Crimson had its run, and a four-game winning streak entering into the tournament is nothing to look down upon, but Harvard is simply outmatched. Maine was unbeaten in its last nine before falling to UNH in the conference finals last weekend and will take out its revenge on the Cambridge boys. Maine 7, Harvard 1

Scott Brandwein, WTBU The Maine Black Bears are still wondering why they are the No. 3 seed in the tournament and BU sits at No. 2 Maine now has to play Saturday, and it ise ready to destroy whoever gets in their way. And that is exactly what they will do. Maine posted a 23-10-7 record and the team is dominant from front to back. Forwards Niko Dimitrakos, Colin Shields and Martin Kariya have ruined goaltending save percentages all season. Senior captain Peter Metcalf is the nucleus of the Maine defense and was selected to the Hockey East first team. The goaltending saga continues for Maine because Mike Morrison held the number one job all year and was also named to the Hockey East first team. But, Matt Yeats took over the starting role during the playoffs and has played very well between the pipes. Look for Yeats to man the crease in this one. All season Maine has rolled over weak opponents, and Harvard, 15-14-4, fits perfectly into this category. Harvard has put together a four- game winning streak, but it has struggled mightily all season. Inexperienced goaltenders — sophomore Will Crothers and freshman Dov Grumet-Morris — have shared time, but neither has the upperclassman leadership needed to move on in the NCAAs. Expect the Black Bears to come out firing and show little respect for their opposition. Harvard will have to battle back all game and try to keep the score close. However, Maine should have no problem with the Crimson. Maine 8, Harvard 2