Center Tom Cavanagh, shown in earlier action, played a part in each of Harvard's five goals this weekend.

For a while this weekend, it looked as if the Harvard men’s hockey team’s Thanksgiving trek into North Country might go entirely unrewarded. After a crushing 4-2 collapse at the hands of St. Lawrence, the Crimson (5-3-1, 3-3-1 ECAC) again collapsed, this time against Clarkson, before rallying for a 3-2 win.

Still, said captain Noah Welch before his team prepared for the long journey back to Cambridge, “I’m pissed at this road trip.”

Though the Crimson salvaged a split, the team struggled to hold its leads and came away with two points on the weekend in which, as every player knew, the Crimson could have had four.

HARVARD 3, CLARKSON 2

POTSDAM, N.Y.—For a moment on Saturday night in the Golden Knights’ Cheel Arena, it looked like déjà vu all over again. For the second night in a row, the Crimson had watched its 2-0 advantage dissolve into a 2-2 tie.

“We score two goals,” said Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91, “and we kind of sit back a little bit instead of carrying the play.”

Still motivated by the previous night’s utter breakdown, though, the Crimson regrouped and regained the lead with a pair of brilliant moves.

With a bit over 12 minutes remaining in the third period, freshman Mike Taylor battled for the puck along the right side of the ice.

Taylor’s hustle paid dividends, and he slipped the puck back towards Harvard assistant captain Tom Cavanagh, who in turn flipped it past Golden Knights goalie Dustin Traylen with a graceful deke.

“It was a great play by [Taylor],” said Crimson captain Noah Welch, who scored his team’s second goal with a top-shelf, power-play blast. “And that’s what we needed.”

After Saturday’s first period, it didn’t seem as if Harvard would need that third goal. The Crimson jumped out strong, much stronger than the previous night, skating an aggressive game and utilizing a strong forecheck.

“After last night, I don’t think our club needed any incentive to get up,” Donato said, “and I thought we came out, carried the play.”

And holding the fort on the other end of the ice was sophomore goaltender Justin Tobe, who saw his first minutes in a Harvard sweater against Clarkson (3-9-1, 1-5-1).

Tobe was focused in net and handled the puck cleanly, amassing 27 saves for the victory.

“He was unbelievable,” Welch said. “He made some big stops.”