1) The Syracuse players and coaches are fond of saying that there are 10 players capable of exploding offensively, but senior attackman Kenny Nims is clearly the team’s quarterback. He has scored a goal in 15 contests, but he has recorded at least two assists in seven of the last eight games. The guess here is that Nims will draw the attention of Cornell senior defenseman Matt Moyer, who did a yeoman-like effort against Virginia senior attackman Danny Glading (two goals and one assist) in the semifinals.

2) By the same token, the Big Red offense relies on Rob Pannell to set the pace. The freshman attackman ranks third on the team in goals with 24, but his most significant contribution is as a feeder, where he leads the team in assists with 41. Pannell’s ability to circulate behind the net forces opposing defenses to slide closer to the net, thereby opening the top of the offensive zone for senior midfielders Max Seibald (26, 10), John Glynn (20, 8) and Rocco Romero (16, 11). Pannell could get a heavy dose of Orange senior defenseman Sid Smith, who handcuffed Duke senior attackman Ned Crotty to just two assists in the semifinals.

3) The other significant match-up involves the goalies. Syracuse sophomore John Galloway looked solid against the Blue Devils, but he can slip into a lull and let him in some goals that he would normally save. Cornell senior Jake Myers has been similarly sturdy, but he’s started just the last eight contests after groin surgery and he was the losing goalkeeper in the regular-season meeting between these teams on April 7.