Both of Brown’s goals—the first tied the game 1-1 at 2:45 in the second period and the second tied the game 2-2 at 4:07 of the third period—were created off of Harvard mistakes. The Bear offense, which keeps one flyer in the neutral zone to cherry pick, was never a factor in the scoring.

The first Brown goal came from the Bears’ third line as winger Lindsey Glennon wrapped around the back of the net unchallenged for the initial shot, and winger Jenny Rice poked the puck home on the ensuing scramble.

Center Jessica Link, Brown’s leading scorer, netted the second Bear goal when a Harvard turnover, followed by a timely pass, sprung her free behind the Crimson defense inside the blue line. She cut across and skirted around Ruddock for the finish.

In the long run, Harvard will appreciate the close competition that Brown provided. The national championship will not be determined by measuring which teams beat squads like Cornell, Colgate and Connecticut by the most number of goals.

The top three teams in the nation have played each other even to the final minutes in all four of their meetings this season. Poise and experience in clutch situations could be crucial down the stretch.

“We’ve been winning games by a lot of goals,” Stone said. “It’s good to play games where you have to grind it out and find a way.”

—Staff writer David R. De Remer can be reached at remer@fas.harvard.edu.