DULUTH, Minn.—Had referee Brad Shepherd made one particular decision in Harvard’s favor, women’s hockey junior captain Angela Ruggiero could have had the ESPN Play of the Day on March 23. Instead, it was Minnesota-Duluth sophomore Nora Tallus.

Just 30 seconds into the second overtime of the NCAA championship game, the puck was in the Duluth goal. The only problem was the whistle was already in Shepherd’s mouth.

Ruggiero crashed the net following up a shot from Crimson captain Jennifer Botterill that Duluth goaltender Patricia Sautter did not handle cleanly. As Sautter tried to keep the puck between her glove and blocker, Ruggiero rushed in and jarred the puck out of her grasp and into the net just as Shepherd blew the whistle and Botterill raised her stick in celebration.

After the game, Ruggiero said she saw the puck before she made contact.

Shepherd, however, was trailing far behind the Harvard captains coming up the ice. When he blew his whistle, he had barely entered the right faceoff circle. Because Ruggiero had approached the crease from the same side, he was not in position to get a clear view of the goaltender.

Sautter believed she had control of the puck, though she did not have it covered.

“I had it between my blocker and my glove and she slashed,” said the Swiss goaltender. “I guess he blew the whistle before, because otherwise I would have been pretty mad if they would have given the goal, because it was definitely a hard slash.”

When no goal was signaled on the ice, Harvard coach Katey Stone immediately called for a review.

“In a situation like that you can’t take a chance,” Botterill said of her coach’s decision.

As Shepherd entered the replay booth, he heard boos from the partisan fans. But the crowd had no need to worry, because Shepherd’s only duty was to determine whether the puck crossed the line before he blew his whistle. The timing of the whistle could not be changed. The Crimson’s fate was already sealed.

After the review, Shepherd explained the decision to Botterill and Stone and play resumed. Harvard was charged with a timeout.

“He didn’t say much,” Botterill said. “He said he blew the whistle before it had gone in.”

Sautter was naturally relieved by the decision.

“I was kind of nervous that they were reviewing it but at the end I was pretty sure they were not going to give it,” she said.

Ruggiero’s rush was the Crimson’s last of the game. Harvard did not cross the neutral zone for the three minutes prior to Tallus’ game-winner, which was set up by Erika Holst at the 4:19 mark. Ruggiero and Tallus each happened to be her team’s leaders in penalty minutes, but only one could earn redemption.