But with just a second remaining in the second period, junior Katharine Chute put the final nail in the coffin.

Martlet Victoria Wells was in the box for tripping, giving Harvard a power play for the balance of the frame. The Crimson, as it did all afternoon with a man up, kept the pressure on in the McGill zone but couldn’t break through Salisbury’s wall.

As the clock wound down, freshman defender Hilary Hayssen put the puck on Farni’s stick. Stepping into the role of playmaker once again, Farni found Chute right in front of the net.

With 1.2 seconds on the clock in the third frame, Chute chipped the puck over Salisbury’s left shoulder, giving Harvard a 4-1 lead that proved insurmountable.

Though the Martlets got more shots off in the final frame—10—than in any other, Kessler held strong. She finished the game with 22 saves, while Salisbury recorded 29.

The Crimson was 1-for-5 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.

“We’re playing a little bit more of a pro style on the penalty kill,” Stone said. “And with a small squad, I think it saves us a little bit.”

As Harvard prepares to open its regular-season slate on Friday at Colgate, perhaps the most encouraging part of the game was the performance of its freshmen. Dempsey and Hayssen tallied assists, while forwards Margaret Chute and Kaitlin Spurling and defensemen Josephine Pucci and Kelsey Romatoski also saw significant playing time.

“This is like the land of opportunity for these freshmen, because they’re all getting an opportunity to play right off the bat,” Stone said. “And with that comes a lot of responsibility, and I think they felt it pretty heavy last weekend. Hopefully they can just go out there and play light and let their instincts take over.”

—Staff writer Kate Leist can be reached at kleist@fas.harvard.edu.