Freshman Clayton Rodgers was robbed on a diving save by Scott from right in front of the net, and Adams ripped a shot off the crossbar.
But Harvard wouldn't be denied forever. Spearheaded by the senior line of Konik, Tommy Holmes and Kirk Nielsen, Harvard outshot (14-4) and outscored (2-1) Acadia in the final stanza.
With the chippy Axemen down a player due to unsportsmanlike conduct, Konik broke down the right side. He threaded a beautiful lead pass to a streaking Nielsen, who guided the puck past a helpless Scott to give Harvard a 3-2 lead.
Five minutes later, this same tandem along with Holmes combined for the game-winning goal. From the far right corner, Nielsen--after receiving a pass from Holmes--centered the puck, which deflected off an Acadian foot and ricocheted into the net to give the Crimson the definitive 4-3 lead.
"That winning goal showed the leadership of the senior class," Tomassoni said. "The line of Konik, Nielsen, and Holmes was working real hard deep in he corner--that's what caused the goal."
On the other side of the ice, freshman goalie Peter Zakowich, who played the third period, was forced to come up with four huge saves, one of which occurred with less than a minute left in the game.
With the Acadia goalie pulled out of net, Zakowich came out of the crease and cleared the puck out of the zone, allowing the game clock to expire while preserving the Crimson victory.
"Zakowich in particular played a real solid third period," Tomassoni said. "He made a real big play at the end of the game--a real heads-up play."
With a healthy mix of youth and experience, the Crimson players made a strong statement after the first exhibition game--they are back and ready for the season.
"I think that we did a lot of good things out there," Nielsen said. "We were all pretty happy with the overall performance."
The players are hoping that the performance against Acadia was a premonition of the coming season. The true test, however, won't come until next weekend against Brown.