The third period, however, was nothing short of a nightmare.
After only 45 seconds, with Minnesota on a power play, Minnesota left winger Ken Dzikowski finished off a Rick Mrozik shot to put the Bulldogs ahead, 2-1. That one goal proved to be the spark which ignited the explosion. With two exhausted hockey teams on the ice for the final period of a two-game Christmas tournament, tempers were ready to flare, and that's exactly what happened after Dzikowski's tally.
The Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center soon turned into a boxing ring with punches flying from every direction.
Five minutes into the period, Harvard junior Ethan Philpott collided with Nicklin in front of the Minnesota net. Three Duluth players immediately pounced on Philpott, taking him to the ground while the crowd booed and hissed. By the end of the period, eight roughing penalties had been called in the period.
Not exactly the Christmas spirit.
"It got really chippy out there," Prestifilippo said. "But our guys didn't back down."
Amidst all the commotion, some offense did manage to surface as Minnesota connected for two more goals in the period, successfully deflating Crimson hopes for a series split.
The one bright spot for Harvard came with only 2:08 remaining in the game. Off a pass across the blue line from Harvard senior Joe Craigen, senior defenseman Marco Ferrari ripped a bullet shot from the left point and netted his first career goal, cutting the Crimson deficit to 4-2.
"I was hoping for something better than that," Ferrari said. "When I scored the goal it didn't matter. It was great to get it after four years, but I wish it could have come at a better time."
Harvard flew out of Duluth the next morning with two more losses attached to its record. But in the end, the question must be asked, what does it really matter?
"I thought the team battled very hard and we have little to show for it," Prestifilippo said. "Once we come back to the league games, we'll still be battling and playing well and we'll go from there."
After two straight losses, the Christmas break couldn't come at a better time for the Crimson.