Bentley’s frustrations mounted in the third as the Falcons put 17 shots on Girard to no avail. In the end, Girard skated away with his third career shutout.

In addition to Girard’s veteran strength in goal, the Crimson welcomed new offensive talent Saturday.

Kerfoot and Malone tallied key assists in their first NCAA game. The only two NHL draft picks in Harvard’s class of 2017 provided a glimpse of their dangerous playmaking abilities on the Crimson’s first and second lines, respectively.

“[Kerfoot’s] a through-and-through playmaker,” Criscuolo said of his new linemate. “He’s always looking to find different guys. He made me and [sophomore forward Jimmy] Vesey’s lives a lot easier out there.”

Harvard’s nine-player freshman class will figure prominently into its season this year. Freshman forwards Devin Tringale, Luke Esposito, and Phil Zielonka comprised the Crimson’s entire third line on Saturday.

Notable absences from Harvard’s line-up included junior defensemen Max Everson and Patrick McNally and goaltender Steve Michalek. Players who withdrew from Harvard mid-season will have to sit out a certain number of games at the beginning of the year in order to retain four full seasons of NCAA eligibility.

Harvard participated in a team lift immediately following their win. The Crimson will lose a day in the weight room to travel to RPI for its ECAC opener on Tuesday.

In upstate New York, Donato will look for a more complete game from his squad.

“I think [Bentley] looked like they were more game-prepared than we were,” Donato said. “It’s our first game, I guess, so that’s something to be expected, but we’re going to have to be a lot better. We’re going to have to keep improving to continue.”

—Staff writer Michael D. Ledecky can be reached at michael.ledecky@thecrimson.com.