Early in the third period, the Crimson had its best chance at a comeback. Clarkson had built a 2-0 lead with a goal in each of the first two periods, but it had not scored in over 18 minutes. Harvard battled for possession in the neutral zone and eventually controlled the puck behind the net. Co-captain Haley Mullins dished the puck to Tse out in front of the crease, and Tse poked the puck in for her second goal of the season.

Though the Crimson had quickly launched itself back into contention after a sluggish start, the Golden Knights silenced any doubts just as quickly. Only 2:33 after Tse’s tally, sophomore forward Michaela Pejzlova received a backhanded pass from junior forward Loren Gabel and laced a shot past Larcom’s blocker to put Clarkson up, 3-1.

Pejzlova and Gabel were the Golden Knights’ standout performers, as they collectively earned five points. Pejzlova picked up assists on Clarkson’s other two scores, and Gabel scored the visitors’ second goal at the 7:08 mark in the second frame.

The Golden Knights had many chances to make the game a blowout, but Harvard’s penalty kill held the visiting team in check. The Crimson faced six shorthanded situations and shut down Clarkson’s attack each time.

“They have one of the leading power plays in the country right now…so to not have them score I think that gives us confidence,” Tse said. “But also we’ve got to stay out of the box.”

—Staff writer Jack Stockless can be reached at jack.stockless@thecrimson.com.