The netminder’s performance, combined with a 5-on-3 rebound goal by Charlie Johnson and Welch’s tally, gave the Crimson a two-goal advantage entering the final frame.

But 1:44 in, the Golden Knights’ Steve Zalewski redirected a low puck past Tobe.

Only 31 seconds later, as Clarkson’s airhorn sounded and the announcer credited the appropriate players, Clarkson struck again, this time when a shot by Michael Grenzy seemed to deflect off of Harvard blueliner Ryan Lannon.

“I didn’t think their goals were necessarily dangerous situations until they went in the net,” Donato said. “But I give them credit. They really worked.”

The Golden Knights outshot the Crimson 20-11 in the first two periods—Harvard had managed only three shots in the second frame—and did, indeed, hold a 29-18 advantage when the final buzzer sounded.

And it was partly Clarkson’s persistence that helped the Crimson fritter away its second straight two-goal lead.

“It was kind of a bittersweet win,” Welch admitted, noting that “guys in [the locker room] aren’t jumping around. We gave up a two-goal lead, and good teams don’t do that.”

Still, Harvard managed to pull through the second time around.

“Tonight was huge,” Welch said. “We came together. We were focused, and we just wanted to keep it simple. I think on the road, the little things like having good stick position and stops and starts and just making safe plays is what gets wins, and we kind of stuck to that early and had some success.”

ST. LAWRENCE 4, HARVARD 2

CANTON, N.Y.—As the Crimson exited Appleton Arena Friday night, there was simply no explaining away its bruising, 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Saints (7-7-1, 3-4-0).

“I think excuses, in general, are for losers,” Donato said. “Certainly, the travel and the holiday and all that stuff is all well and good, but last I checked there was also a Thanksgiving in St. Lawrence. We have no excuses.”

Rather, Harvard simply played a step behind from the very start.

The Saints dominated early, taking a slew of quick shots and corralling the puck in the Crimson’s end with ease.

“The first seven or eight minutes,” Donato said, “we were really back on our heels and they were taking play to us.”