From then on, the Crimson defense stepped up and broke up nearly every Dartmouth scoring opportunity, both at even-strength and on the penalty kill.

“I think our 5-5 and our penalty game won the game for us,” Stone said. “Our penalty kill was terrific. Unless they had an offensive zone faceoff, they didn’t get the puck in our zone at all.”

Although all of the scoring was done in the first period of the game, the fans and the Harvard band reflected the intensity and emotions that the players displayed on the ice.

The Crimson had numerous scoring opportunities on seven power plays in the final two periods, but was never able to convert. Fans sat on the edge of their seats each time a net was open for a goal, but Harvard players could not find the back of the net.

However, each save brought that much more excitement to the crowd. Harvard junior Jessica Ruddock and Dartmouth’s Amy Ferguson posted stellar performances between the pipes. Ruddock stopped 21 of 22 goals, while Ferguson made 37 saves in the loss.

The game grew more intense with each missed opportunity and became rougher as players grew hungrier.

The officials let most of the physical contact go in the first period before calling the two penalties that led to Ruggiero’s power-play goal. In the last two periods, the officials called the game tighter and awarded each team a two-man advantage.

One of the most spectacular hits of the day was provided by captain Jamie Hagerman when she cross-checked Dartmouth senior Amy Catlin—often referred to as the “evil twin” of Harvard’s Tracy Catlin—to prevent her from breaking to the net.

Both sides dealt out their fair share of punishment for the evening.

“I expected them to come out and play physical,” Chu said. “It’s all part of the game. I wouldn’t want to play hockey if it wasn’t tough.”

“When these two teams get together, it’s always physical,” Ruggiero added.