"A fast start allows me to relax and play," Springer said. "I don't have to worry about making any mistakes."

Early in the second, Botterill completed her hat trick and pushed the Crimson's lead to 5-0 with a straight-on shot 15 feet from the net, assisted by Ingram.

"We were moving the puck well and playing as a team," Botterill said. "The quicker we move the puck, the more we get everyone into the game."

The rest of the second period was marked by penalties and sloppier play, with a few near misses for Harvard.

St. Lawrence finally got on the board at 3:45 of the second when Stacy Boudrias put the puck past Springer, with the help of Nicole Kirnan and Kelly Sage. But that was all St. Lawrence could manage in the second, unable to capitalize on three Harvard penalties.

In the third, St. Lawrence's Caroline Trudeau slipped the puck past an outstretched Springer to make it 5-2.

But Harvard responded late in the third with two goals of its own. At the 16:07 mark, Shewchuk finished off a shot by Ruggiero to increase the margin to four goals. And Ruggiero wasted less than a minute to score her third goal of the game, sneaking the puck through Stein's legs from the side of the net.