2) Factoring faceoffs. Stevenson’s offense has excelled due to the presence of senior Ray Witte, who has won 64.4 percent (145-of-225) of his faceoffs. Even better is Sea Gulls sophomore Tyler Granelli, who has won 78.2 percent (133-of-170) of his draws. The leader on faceoffs could translate into more possessions – and potentially more goals – on Saturday. “It’s going to be huge because both offenses are pretty good,” Mustangs coach Paul Cantabene said. “…Ray Witte is having a great season for us, and one of the things he can do is score off of the faceoff. He’s done a great job of putting pressure on teams and starting breaks. Salisbury has been doing a great job, getting faceoffs at about 70 percent and getting more possessions than other teams. Faceoff play is going to be key.”

3) Observing the surroundings. Stevenson has to make the three-hour trip from Owings Mills to Salisbury, but playing at Sea Gull Stadium is not an intimidating proposition for the Mustangs, who are 2-1 in their last three visits. That’s why Berkman didn’t put too much weight into having the home-field advantage. “Both teams have played on the road against big opponents and have beaten them on the road,” he said. “We both have beaten each other on each other’s field the last two years. So I don’t think there’s any huge advantage. Obviously, Sea Gull Stadium is a pretty neat place to play in, and it definitely gives you a little bit of a crowd advantage, but I know they’ll have a good crowd there, too – as we would if we were playing up there. But I don’t think that’s going to determine the outcome of the game. You’ve got two great teams, a lot of good players at each position, and at the end of the day, I think whoever has the goalie will determine the outcome of the game.”