WORCESTER, Mass.—The Harvard men’s hockey team took a step on Saturday afternoon in its 4-3 overtime loss to No. 6 Maine in the NCAA East Regional. A big step.

In three weeks, the No. 15 Crimson (15-15-4) went from a team searching for its identity to one that has proven its place among the best teams in the nation.

It was a turnaround six overtimes in the making.

After struggling to a 2-8-1 mark to end the regular season, Harvard swept Brown in the first round, earning a trip to the ECAC Championships with an epic double-overtime win over the Bears in Game 2.

At Lake Placid, the Crimson needed a total of three overtime periods to defeat Clarkson and Cornell and secure its first ECAC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth since 1994.

Against the Black Bears (24-10-7), though, the bounces went the other way in the extra frame. Maine freshman winger John Ronan ended Harvard’s season 2:02 into Saturday’s one and only overtime period.

But while the Crimson’s last overtime period of the season wasn’t as successful as the five that came before, the loss to Maine might be the one that helps Harvard turn the corner for good.

Saturday’s loss ended one chapter of Crimson hockey, but it’s a chapter that Harvard hopes—and expects—will be followed by a longer one next year.

“We made a pretty good statement over the last three weeks,” said Crimson captain Peter Capouch, who played in his final collegiate game on Saturday. “There were a lot of people who doubted whether we deserved to be here, but that’s not the case. This team deserved to be here, and I think that was evident in the way we played today.”

Capouch can certainly hold his head high. Other players may have put up bigger numbers for Harvard this season, but few—if any—have been more valuable to the team throughout.

Capouch played through injuries and led the development of a young defensive corps. He is a consummate captain whose legacy of leadership and hard work will remain for future captains to follow.

“The guys in the locker room and the coaching staff believe in what this program is doing right now and what we’re doing in the future,” Capouch said. “We’ve had that belief on our side.”

And while the sun has set on Capouch’s career at Harvard, the gentleman sitting to his left at the postgame press conference—freshman goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris—is the cornerstone of the Crimson’s future.

Simply put, Grumet-Morris was dazzling during Harvard’s playoff run. Were it not for his outstanding play during the overtime period of the Clarkson game, the Crimson wouldn’t have made it to the NCAAs, let alone the ECAC title game.

Instead, Grumet-Morris did what he had to do against the Golden Knights, making 14 saves and giving the Crimson—namely, Tom Cavanagh—enough time to score the game-winner.

Grumet-Morris was outstanding against the Big Red, as well, matching Ken Dryden Award winner Matt Underhill save-for-save before Tyler Kolarik put Harvard back on the national radar with the Crimson’s biggest goal of the season.

And Grumet-Morris was excellent against Maine, making 33 saves and making seemingly impossible saves to keep things close all afternoon.

“The way he has played says an awful lot,” said Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni of his goaltender. “We’ve found a major league collegiate goaltender [in Grumet-Morris]. If you’re going to be successful in major college hockey, that’s a big difference-maker.

“I’m very happy that I have him for three more years,” Mazzoleni continued. “He definitely has room to improve in his game, but he has a tremendous work ethic, focus, and will to be a major-league goalie. I have a lot of confidence that he’s going to be there for us.”

Mazzoleni certainly didn’t limit his praise to Grumet-Morris alone.

“I’m as proud of this team as I’ve ever been of any team,” Mazzoleni said. “Over the last three weeks we’ve really figured it out. And with what we return from this club and what we have coming in, there’s no reason why Harvard shouldn’t return on a consistent basis to the national level. I believe we will. There’s character in that locker room. They’re bright guys. Now we have to place them in a very competitive environment and demand an awful lot.

“The future is very bright.”

You’ve got that right, Coach.