"[Stirling] was a big component of their team's success in the past," Mazzoleni said. "Having him out was probably a major shortcoming. Tonight he gave them very good goaltending and his team played with a lot of confidence."

The Crimson pushed the play hard in the first period but couldn't seem to find its legs, and fortunately for Harvard, neither could Brown, as the period ended in a scoreless tie.

Turco, who posted one of the strongest individual performances in the game, just missed putting the Crimson on the board late in the first on one of the best chances of the night. Beating his defenseman, Turco came down wide on Stirling's left at a tough angle. Turco flipped the puck at the net, but Stirling used his quick reflexes to make the glove save.

Harvard's most admirable performance came from the penalty kill, which held Brown scoreless on its four power plays, three of which came in the first. But extra-man play wasn't where the Crimson suffered.

"I think the five-on-five was our most lackluster performance," junior center Steve Moore said.

But a lethargic start in the second allowed the Bears to light the lamp first. Brown center Jeff Lawler flew down the ice and broke in for a shot on Prestifilippo, which deflected off his pads. Winger Tyler Garrow took advantage of the loose rebound in the crease and poked in Brown's first goal at 9:07.

Turco's goal at 15:35 in the first evened the score for the Crimson and gave it temporary momentum, but the equalizer and the surge would only last for another four minutes.