But the goal was not the only solid scoring chance for the Crimson in a period in which it was outshot 13-7 by the Gophers.

Twice, Corriero sparked the offense by taking the puck up through the defense herself and trying to fake Horak or beat her to the right side.

On the second of these opportunities—which came with 9:15 to play in the first—her shot was partly stopped by Horak and partly by Minnesota defensman Allie Sanchez. But neither got a handle on the puck, which found its way over to co-captain Lauren McAuliffe on the left side of the crease. While Horak's right leg lay extended back after trying to stop Corriero’s shot, McAuliffe picked the puck up off the ice and tried to jump it into the net. Her shot clanged off the inside of the right post, causing the red light behind the glass to flash, though the officials ultimately ruled that the puck had never crossed the goal line.

Harvard's chances came from a dump-and-chase style that tested the young Minnesota defense.

"If there is a weak spot in their game, it's their defensemen," Stone said. "We were trying to pinch on the boards a little bit and wreak a little havoc with their defensemen. I think it did work for a while."

But in the third period, Minnesota's first line took over the game and proved too much for Harvard to handle.

For the Crimson, it was a bitter end to what was a spectacular quest for the national championship.

For the Gophers, it was victory at long last.

"I have never in my life gotten to throw my gloves up," Darwitz said. "I've been in these games, I've been in world championships and we've always gotten second. But I don't think this feeling is going to go away for a while.

"This is sweet. This is awesome."

—Staff writer John R. Hein can be reached at hein@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Gabriel M. Velez can be reached at gmvelez@fas.harvard.edu.