Early in the first period against the Saints, it was evident that the Crimson would excel on the power play when pressuring the puck down low.

Harvard was finally rewarded for its efforts 2:22 into the final period when Capouch launched a high shot past Gustafson off a rebound from Bala.

The most impressive improvement for the Crimson was the tight defense, which has been Harvard's Achilles' heel for most of the season.

"We've been focusing a lot on defense in practice," Capouch said. "If we keep the scoring down, we've got a chance to win."

But hockey, just like any other sport, is composed of one part skill, one part effort, and one part luck. Harvard definitely has its fair share of the first two components, but is sorely lacking in the last.

In fact, it was mostly luck that propelled Clarkson, the perennial ECAC champion looking to atone for its uncharacteristically dismal league start, to victory.

"Ron Rolston coached for Clarkson last year and he said that the kid who scored Clarkson's last goal couldn't have done that one in 50 times," Mazzoleni said. "Sometimes you have to be puck-lucky too."

Out-shooting the Saints 34-30 and the Golden Knights 38-31, Harvard cured its ailment and finally started generating numerous scoring opportunities.