Cinderella always finds herself at the big dance.

No men's ice hockey team knows this like last year's Cinderella, Delaware.

The Blue Hens entered last year's ACHA Div. I national tournament as the No. 9 seed, without much of a chance. Then they proceeded to go all the way to the finals, before falling to the Icers 7-2.

POOL B

This year is different for the Blue Hens (24-4-1) who come in ranked No. 2 and favorites to win their pool.

"Delaware is definitely the favorite (to win its pool)," Towson head coach Marshall Stevenson said.

Winning the pool might not be enough for a talented Blue Hen team. To escape their pool the Hens must get by No. 7 Illinois (18-11-1) and No. 11 Arizona (20-4-1).

Illinois posts a better than average record. However, against top competition it is a different team. A 1-6 mark against Top-5 teams does not give Illinois very much credibility entering the tournament.

The Icecats are an interesting team, posing the same amount of losses as the No. 1 Icers. An easier schedule explains that.

The Icecats draw the Blue Hens in their opening game.

After last season, Delaware head coach Josh Brandwene is not going to overlook his opponents.

"The exciting thing about the tournament is that you can take the regular season and throw it out," he said. "It all comes down to execution over 60 minutes."

The full 60 may be needed due to the fact none of these teams in the pool have seen each other this season.

With the Blue Hens coming in with confidence, winning four straight and 11 out of 12, they are the team to beat.

"We feel good about the way we are playing," Brandwene said. "We have to use our team speed and put pressure on our opponent, and execute on defense. That is a potent combination."

If they are able to execute, they will be difficult to stop.

POOL C

"We will cross that bridge (into pool C) when we get there," Brandwene said, referring to Delaware's possible opponent in the final four.

Across that bridge lies the most interesting pairing of the tournament. No. 3 Minot St. is the favorite but has only six conference games under its belt.

"We have the unknown Minot (in our draw)," Towson's Stevenson said. "They have a pretty strong team."

A team that possesses the biggest advantage of the tournament, in that nobody has seen them play.

This has made them very difficult to scout.

"The indication is that Minot is undisciplined," Stevenson said.

This is a factor that both No. 6 Eastern Michigan (20-10-3) and host No. 10 Towson (21-10-3) must take advantage of in order to escape from their pool with the upset.

Towson is coming in on a down note following a disappointing showing in its conference tournament, but look to use its home-ice and referee advantages.

"We are trying to screw our heads back on," Stevenson said. "We hope to have a home-ice advantage."

The third team in the draw is the most physical, Eastern Michigan. The Eagles come in off an up and down season, which lands them at the No. 6 seed instead of No. 1 as they were last season. The No. 1 seed proved too much pressure as they were ousted early. Do not look for a repeat of that scenario.

With a very deep team, the Eagles have a good chance of being this year's Cinderella.

They could pose a tough challenge to Delaware for the right to advance to the finals.