Both teams are directly ahead of the Crimson in the standings and another double dunce would all but guarantee a long bus ride to the first round of the playoffs.

Clarkson 5, Harvard 4

Sometimes, the puck doesn't bounce your way in a game, and Saturday the puck ricocheted all too perfectly for the Golden Knights (12-13-3, 6-8-3 ECAC). Three of its five goals came off fortuitous deflections, including the eventual game winner.

Trailing 4-3 with almost two minutes left in the third, Bala led a four-on-two rush down the left wing. Maneuvering around the defenseman, he noticed freshman goalie Karl Mattson way out of position, and launched a slapshot that clanged off the far post.

The puck bounced directly to Clarkson winger Adam Campana, observing the Crimson rush from the blueline, who turned and led a two-on-one break the other way with center Don Smith. Senior goaltender J.R. Prestifilippo played the shot, but Smith one-timed Campana's centering pass into the vacant half of the net for a 5-3 lead at 18:02.

"I had the shot, " Bala said. "If it was just a couple of inches to the left, that would have been the difference. That seemed to summarize our weekend in a fifteen second span."

Harvard, however, did not quit and with Prestifilippo pulled and just 1:31 left in the game, freshman center Dominic Moore knocked home a rebound off his brother, junior center Steve Moore's, wristshot to pull the Crimson within one.

Harvard swarmed around Mattson for the next 90 seconds, but could never catch another break. Mattson left several alluring rebounds throughout his 34 save performance; few reached a Crimson stick.