The Saints rode that momentum into the second period, a frame that was dominated by penalties and strong defense from the Crimson blueliners.

“We can never count out a team like St. Lawrence,” Dempsey said. “They just kept playing, and it didn’t really help us that we kept getting penalties, because we kept giving them chances to get back. But I think that was good momentum for us to shut them down on those power plays.”

The Crimson had to kill off four penalties in the second, including a stretch of 49 seconds of 5-on-3 play. But led by Bellamy’s 14 second-period stops, including several athletic body saves, Harvard was able to preserve its three-goal lead—and almost add to it.

Sophomore Kaitlin Spurling put the puck in the net on a shorthanded opportunity, but the goal was called back due to high sticking.

“I think the second period was feeling each other out a little bit more,” Stone said. “[Bellamy] made some big saves...She did her job. I want her to stay aggressive, I want her to stay sharp, no matter what’s going on.”

The Crimson was in better offensive control in the third period, getting good chances in an early 5-on-3 situation. But it took almost 13 minutes for Harvard to light the lamp again.

Tri-captain Liza Ryabkina skated around the perimeter and found linemate Dempsey down low. Dempsey executed a nice deke and swung the puck into the back of the net for her second goal of the afternoon.

“I was just ecstatic that she saw me there, because I kind of just snuck in,” Dempsey said. “I was just there to put it away—she did all the work and made a beautiful pass. It’s awesome playing with her.”

After St. Lawrence pulled Weisz with just over five minutes to play, senior Katharine Chute iced the game with an empty-netter to push the final score to 6-1. Nicolien Bongaerts replaced Weisz in net for the last 4:09 of the game, making one save.

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