And though Bernakevitch was separated from his linemates for his second tally of the night, the essence was certainly the same.

With the Crimson on the power play and following close on the heels of two “almost goals”—the first of which was so convincing that the Harvard band began to play while a pair of Crimson skaters held their arms in celebration—Bernakevitch bounded through the slot and guided the puck past Russell to extend the lead to two.

“He’s got a very quick stick, he’s strong on the puck, he’s got a quick first three steps and he’s got a quick release,” Mazzoleni said. “The play that he made tonight when he moved laterally and went upstairs was a great play.”

But it wasn’t the last he and his linemates would turn in.

With Harvard up three, assistant captain Rob Fried slipped a pass under a defender’s stick to Packard, who swatted it past the post for the eventual game-winner.

“He just made a great pass,” Packard said, “right onto the tape.”

And while each cited the play of his two linemates as the driving force between their collective success, trying to deflect the spotlight, this much is clear: come Friday, Brown will be paying attention.

—Staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.