Despite soundly outshooting the Crimson in the first frame, 13-8, the Saints failed to muster another score in the opening 20 minutes of action.

The same pattern emerged in the second period, as St. Lawrence’s 14 shots to Harvard’s eight once again put the Crimson on its heels. But the Harvard defense bent but did not break, helping Harvard preserve the tenuous lead entering the final period of play.

Girard was critical in keeping the visitors scoreless in the second, and the success helped feed into his confidence. At one point, after making a key stop, Girard took the puck and casually tossed it to an opposing player.

“I don’t do that all the time, but when things are going your way, it rattles them even more,” Girard said. “I’m not really cocky, but sometimes, when things are going your way, you might be pretty cocky. Patrick Roy was one of the cockiest goalies, and he was one of the best in history.”

In two of the Crimson’s previous four contests, one-goal leads vanished in the third period, turning wins into ties. But on Friday, Harvard bucked that trend as Valek scored his second of the night, beating Weninger 6:41 into the frame.

Coupled with a two-goal deficit, the Saints attack lost its edge in the final period, tallying just five shots in the final 20 minutes compared to Harvard’s 11.

“We started slow in the first and the second [periods],” Girard said. “The guys came out to play in the third. We came out to win instead of hanging on to the game.”

A Crimson goal on an empty Saints net with 34 seconds left on the clock sealed the Harvard victory.

—Staff writer Robert S. Samuels can be reached at robertsamuels@college.harvard.edu.