But the Gophers put together a response of their own just two minutes later.

After gaining possession off a turnover in Harvard’s defensive zone, Minnesota forward Kelly Pannek spotted unmarked teammate Meghan Lorence sprinting down the middle of the ice. The subsequent pass hit Pannek in stride, and the forward slammed the puck home to reestablish a two-goal cushion. 

The suddenness of the finish echoed the first score, which came in the final minute of the opening period. Gopher forward-turned-defenseman Megan Wolfe had notched only two goals all season coming into the game, but she showed no hesitation in burying a back-post finish from the faceoff circle.

Wolfe’s score followed a first period defined more by punishing defense than flashy offense. The teams combined for five penalties over the first 20 minutes, including three checking calls against the Crimson.

In the dying moments of the match, Harvard faced a final Minnesota power play after the referees whistled senior forward Lyndsey Fry for an aggressive hit. By that point, little drama remained: an empty-net goal by Gophers forward Rachel Bona had ballooned the score to 4-1 and squashed any hopes of a Crimson comeback. 

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Yet a turnaround victory had seemed within reach in the second period, when the Crimson strung together long possessions in the Minnesota defensive zone. However, Leveille was a stone wall in the frame, preserving the 1-0 lead.

From there it was up to Brandt to tally the score that ended 1-0 stasis and, in the process, ended the Crimson’s yearlong goal of a national title.

“As I mentioned to our kids in the locker room, they all deserved a better fate today,” Stone said. “We had an absolutely fantastic season…. It’s a special group of kids, and every one of them has done as expected.”

—Staff writer Sam Danello can be reached at sam.danello@thecrimson.com.