Sophomore forward Conor Morrison recorded an even-strength goal late in the first period against Princeton Friday evening at the Bright Hockey Center. Tying the Tigers, 4-4, the Crimson came away pleased with the overall team effort, as it erased three separate deficits. Morrison has 11 points in 22 games played this season for Harvard, which takes on BU tonight.

After getting blanked in its previous game, Harvard men’s hockey team fought hard in a back-and-forth and high-scoring overtime tie against Princeton Friday night at the Bright Hockey Center.

Though the Crimson came out sluggish at first, Harvard (4-18-1, 3-13-1 ECAC) was eventually able to battle back from three deficits to a 4-4 draw against the Tigers (14-8-2, 9-6-2).

Each period of the game featured a distinct style of play.

During the first 10 minutes of the night, Princeton outplayed the Crimson, beating Harvard to loose pucks and gaining a significant shot advantage.

The Crimson players showed physicality and delivered some jarring hits early on, but the Tigers seemed to play with more urgency and finesse.

“I think we had a game plan coming out, but we came out a little flat,” junior forward Alex Killorn said.

After a sluggish start and a late first period goal by Princeton, Harvard caught a break when sophomore forward Conor Morrison was able to chip in a shot past Tigers goalie Sean Bonar, who had slipped in the crease.

Crimson coach Ted Donato ’91 called an early timeout halfway through the first, and his team seemed reenergized after talking things over on the bench.

The second period felt like an entirely different game, as the flow of play was halted by a combined eight penalties.

“I don’t mind the aggressive penalties that are necessary, but we took a couple of penalties that left us scratching our heads,” Donato said.

Both teams were able to capitalize on 5-on-3 advantages during the period, and the second frame ended in a 3-3 tie.

“We were really focusing on getting guys to the net, so if a rebound came up, we could capitalize on that,” Killorn said. “We were getting a lot of shots on net, and we weren’t worried about pretty plays.”

The power play was a big factor throughout the game, as Harvard went 3-for-5 with a man-advantage. Princeton’s penalty kill was lackluster throughout the night, and the Crimson was able to take advantage of the weakness.

“They weren’t really pretty goals, but they all count,” Killorn added.

The third period had its own distinct feel, as both sides fought hard to get the go-ahead goal. The lack of flow in the second period was soon forgotten, and both teams moved freely up and down the ice.