The Crimson regained its composure in the third period, edging its opponents 11-10 in shots on net. With the chance to take the lead, Harvard mounted several offensive opportunities in odd-man situations.

“It was competitive all the way to the very end,” Dempsey said. “In the end, it didn’t bounce our way,”

The lone Crimson point of the night came on a Samantha Reber find. The sophomore won the faceoff and tapped the puck along to sophomore forward Hillary Crowe, who wristed it toward Cornell’s Lauren Slebodnick. The equalizer bounced off the goaltender’s pads before arcing into the back of the net.

Before the goal, two third-period power plays presented opportunities for Harvard. The Crimson took four shots on net including one from freshman forward Mary Parker. Parker led the way with five shots on net.

“It’s of course frustrating but we should be proud of how we played,” Maschmeyer said. “And we have a lot to look forward to.”

The loss meant that Harvard had to wait it out to see whether it would make the NCAA tournament, which culminates in Minnesota.

Soon after the loss, it was revealed that Harvard’s resume was strong enough to nab one of the four at-large bids in the eight-team field.

The environment was raucous for a Crimson squad that made the trip up to Cornell’s Lynah Rink.

“It gave us a lot of momentum,” Maschmeyer said of the atmosphere. “Cornell tried to pack the house tonight. It was just another reason to go out there and give it our all.”

Harvard will play No. 4 Boston College in next weekend’s quarterfinals.

“We just got to stick to what we know,” Maschmeyer said.

—Staff writer Daniel A. Grafstein can be reached at dgrafstein@college.harvard.edu.