Jeff Gottschall netted the hat trick at 10:06 of the third period to bring Harvard within one, 6-5, and set the stage for a dramatic fourth quarter.
The Bears outshot the Crimson 38-24, while Harvard sophomore Jake McKenna registered 11 saves in goal. His Brown counterpart, Mike Levin, stopped ten for the Bears.
Harvard was once again edged in ground balls, 45-25, while face-offs were even at 10 apiece. The Crimson collected eight penalties for a total of seven minutes, but the Bears were sent off just three times for a total of 2:30.
The Crimson’s recent woes have more to do with the strength of its schedule than anything else. Harvard’s last four opponents—No. 19 Penn, No. 11 Duke, No. 10 Cornell, and Brown—are all nationally ranked.
The bad news for the Crimson is that its schedule does not get easier any time soon. Harvard is only halfway through a stretch of the season that will see it face eight top-20 teams in as many games.
Harvard will not face an unranked opponent until Colgate visits Cambridge in the second to last game of the year.
The Crimson faces its toughest test of the season yet when No. 9 Princeton visits Jordan Field this Saturday at 3 p.m.