It’s a matchup that predates the days of college hockey, one that former Michigan and Air Force coach Vic Heyliger would be torn between.

Today's game won't be like the defensive, gritty style of hockey that dominated during the days of Heyliger, who won six National Championships at Michigan from 1944-1957 and went on to coach at Air Force from 1968-1974. Today's showdown between the Wolverines and Falcons in the first round of the NCAA Tournament is expected to be the opposite.

Both top-seeded Michigan (29-11-0) and No. 4 seed Air Force (27-10-2) play wide-open styles. Both teams are led by Hobey Baker candidates — Michigan's Louie Caporusso and Air Force's Jacques Lamoureux, who has an NCAA-leading 32 goals.

The two teams face off in the NCAA East Regional in Bridgeport, Conn. today at 3 p.m. Last year, the Wolverines won the East Regional, beating Niagara 5-1 in the first round and Clarkson 2-0 in the quarterfinals.

“They’re an experienced team,” Michigan coach Red Berenson said when asked about Air Force. “Let's face it, they’re excited about going back and proving something in this tournament. They’ve been there for two years. They’re juniors and seniors, and they want to do more than just put a scare into somebody.”

The two offenses are comparable — Michigan averages 3.63 goals per game while Air Force averages slightly more with 3.69 goals per game.

The key for the Wolverines is shutting down forwards Lamoureux, Brent Olson and Greg Flynn, who power the Falcon attack.

“We know that (Lamoureux is) on the team — I’m sure that either my line or Rust’s line will play against him and try to shut him down,” senior forward Tim Miller said. “I know they have a big goalie, and we’re just going to have to try and get to him.”

Air Force is led in net by Andrew Volkening, who has a .926 save percentage.

Although the Wolverines are playing a mid-afternoon game, they aren't concerned about the possible lack of attendance.

“Right now, when you’re playing college hockey, you need to be able to play in front of anyone,” senior forward Travis Turnbull said. “Some of the best days when you’re a kid, there’s no one is in the stands but your mom and dad. I think if you’re playing college hockey, that shouldn’t be an issue.”

To have any shot of earning a trip to the Frozen Four in Washington D.C., Michigan must bounce back from last weekend's poor performance. The Wolverines showed major kinks in their armor last weekend against Notre Dame in the CCHA Tournament title game, allowing five unanswered goals en route to a 5-2 loss.

Most of the team saw that collapse against the Fighting Irish as a wake-up call, but playing arguably the worst period of the season right before the NCAA Tournament isn’t a good way to start a playoff run.

But with the excitement of do-or-die play underway, Berenson thinks his team will recover.

“I think we’ll turn the corner here in the next few days,” Berenson said on Monday. “I know that's how I feel. I'm putting this game behind us, knowing a little more about Air Force and now there’s more talk about the tournament. I think we’ll get that excitement going.”