BROWN BEARS

RECORD: 20-4-4, 19-4-3 (ECAC)

COACH: Margaret Degidio Murphy (Cornell '85)

KEY PLAYERS: Sophomore goaltender Ali Brewer, runner-up for the Patty Kazmaier Award, is the best player on the team. Her .944 save percentage and miniscule 1.19 GAA easily led the nation. She posted 13 shutouts on the year, including a streak of five in a row.

Tara Mounsey (12 goals, 23 assists) was Brown's representative on the 1998 U.S. Olympic team. The sophomore defenseman excels at both ends of the ice and is especially dangerous in transition.

The Bears' biggest offensive threat is junior forward Jordan Jiskra (16, 20). She led the team in scoring this season and has equal aptitude in dishing the puck and finding the back of the net.

SUMMARY: At the highest levels of competition, Brown plays a very simple game--defense. Opponents only averaged 1.21 goals per game against it, final four teams a shade over 2.00. Mounsey leads a stalwart corps, half of which earned All-Ivy honors.

Brewer compensates for almost any mistake this unit makes. She can single-handedly keep her team in a game, and has the ability to steal one when the Bears don't have their best.

The Bears will need Brewer at her best, because she most likely won't get much support. Brown topped two goals against a Final Four team once--its 4-2 win over Harvard.

Jiskra and Mounsey are the only Brown players over 30 points. The Bears' 4.38 goals-per-game average is a deceptive third in the ECAC. Harvard and UNH average over 6.00.