Dartmouth regained the lead midway through the period when senior forward Kim McCullough fired a Rockoff rebound past Ruddock.

Though the weekend ended on a sour note, Stone was more than satisfied with her team's performance.

"[We lost] only in score, not in effort. Our effort was unbelievable tonight. They've got the horses, we've got the heart," Stone said. "There's no question that our kids outplayed them. They got two soft goals. They score, we answer back. We're a young team, and for those kids to show that kind of character, I'm walking away [as if] that's a win for us. I don't care what it said on the scoreboard."

Ruddock agreed with the coach's assessment.

"For our rookies, this was the first game where we were playing a really tough team," Ruddock said. "They were composed, moving the puck well, they were stronger."

The Crimson hosts last year's national champion No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth and No. 8 Minnesota this weekend. Despite the northern invasion, Hagerman is confident.

"This proves that we can do it," Hagerman said. "This proves that we can play with any team in the country. If we can play with this team, we can beat this team. We clean up a few things and we'll be all set."