As long as RPI beats Cornell in the second game (9:15 p.m. scheduled start), then the Crimson, by virtue of finishing second in the regular season and second in the tournament, would be the natural second selection from the ECAC.

However, if Cornell beats RPI in the semis, then the Crimson would have to beat the Big Red Saturday to ensure itself of the other berth.

RPI will be chosen by the NCAA committee regardless of how it finishes in the tournament.

If Harvard beats RPI in the championship game, then the iceman would get the automatic berth that goes to the tournament champion.

If the Crimson finishes second, the icemen appear bound for Lansing Mich., for a quarterfinal series against Michigan State, or to Duluth, to face the University of Minnesota at Duluth.

Outside chances have the Crimson going to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., to face Lake Superior State or to Minneapolis to play the Golden Gophers of Minnesota.

Michigan State, of course, was the team the Crimson beat at Bright two years ago to advance to the Final four in Grand Forks, N.D.

This year the Final Four will be held in the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

The NCAA quarterfinals are two-game total goals series, meaning the two contests are just one long 120-minute game.

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More on the ECAC Tournament.

Ticket sales for the tourney are not particularly high so far, and it's no wonder, with three upstate New York teams and Harvard, a notoriously poor draw.

With the way the Hockey East and ECAC tournaments have worked out, it seems logical to expect Hockey East to move into the Garden next year and see the ECAC move its event to Lake Placid, which is closer to most of the conference's contending schools.

Except, of course, Harvard.

THE NOTEBOOK'S NOTEBOOK: Fusco's five points in Saturday's contest upped his season total to 78, just 11 sky of the Harvard single-season record set by Crimson Coach Bill Cleary... With five major penaltie, the penalty-minute total for Saturday's game was 61, edging our Friday's 58, for a two-game series total of 119... Bright did not sell out either night, drawing 2650 (200 short of capacity) on Saturday... Apologies to statistician Ted Cadwell, whose name was misspelled in Monday's Crimson.