Harvard showed no signs of slowing down in the third period and quickly dashed any Bulldog hopes of a comeback, as Valek scored just 1:50 into the final frame, burying a rebound from freshman Patrick McNally’s shot.

“We just wanted to keep going,” Killorn said. “At one point they beat us, 7-1, and I don’t think anyone on our team forgot about that by any means, so that was something that kind of fed us. We knew that it could be our last game, so every shift was so important.”

To seal the game, Moriarty capitalized on a rebound after Yale goalie Connor Wilson let Biega’s slapshot fall in front of an open net. Valek completed the hat trick with 19 seconds left in the game.

Yale was able to score its first power-play goal of the series on its 18th try after Antoine Laganiere capitalized on a five minute major by freshman Colin Blackwell.

Knocking off the defending ECAC champions, the Crimson will look to win its own title—its first since 2006—this weekend against Cornell in the semifinals and either Union or Colgate in the finals.

“I think we belong in Atlantic City,” Donato said. “We’re excited, [but] we’re not just happy to be there. We feel that we can make a run at the league championship."

—Staff writer David Mazza can be reached at damazza@college.harvard.edu.