No. 10 Harvard and No. 20 Northeastern advance to 2023 men's Beanpot final
Harvard, Northeastern win big in Beanpot semis, advance to finals 🏆
After a thrilling night of action at TD Garden, it’s No. 10 Harvard and No. 20 Northeastern advancing to next Monday’s Beanpot finals.
It will be the first time that the Crimson and the Huskies have ever met in the championship in the tournament’s storied 70-year history.
The Crimson knocked off Boston College in a wild 4-3 win that saw Marek Hejduk score his second of the night with 1.5 seconds left in overtime for the win. In the nightcap, Northeastern had two timely goals and a big third-period performance from goaltender Devon Levi to win 2-0.
Hejduk opened the scoring with 8:25 to go in Game 1, slipping through the Eagles’ defense and roofing a quick snap shot on an odd-man rush.
Matthew Coronato scored the first of his two goals just 1:48 into the second with a one-timer from the left circle on the power play off a slick tic-tac-toe passing play. BC cut it to 2-1 when Mike Post redirected a shot in front on the power play about six minutes later, but Coronato answered quickly with another power play one-timer from his spot to make it 3-1 going into the third.
The Eagles made a huge push in the third period, outshooting Harvard 22-2, and they came through. Nikita Nesterenko danced through the Crimson defense before finishing a smooth individual effort to cut the deficit to one with 4:14 left in regulation. Then with time winding down, Cutter Gauthier knotted it up at three apiece with 1:31 left in regulation.
In a back-and-forth overtime, it was Hejduk finishing a 2-on-1 counter rush in the dying seconds to seal the win.
Not a bad way to spend a Monday night
— Harvard Men's Hockey (@HarvardMHockey)
Game 2 saw another third period push, but it was no use for BU.
Northeastern captain Aidan McDonough got it started with six minutes left in the first, scoring on a wrist shot from the left dot after a cross-zone feed from Vinny Borgesi.
Jakov Novak doubled the lead less than two minutes into the second period when he put home a loose puck in front of the crease.
The Terriers began to pick it up late in the second period and into the third, as Matt Brown scored from the top of the left circle to cut it to 2-1 with less than two minutes to go. But that was all the Terriers could muster as Levi stood tall, stopping 15 of 16 shots in the final frame, and Hunter McDonald's first career goal sealed the 3-1 final with 30.4 seconds left.
BU and BC will meet in the consolation game next Monday at 4:30, while Northeastern and Harvard will square off in the title game at 7:30. NU is in search of their fourth title in five tournaments (seventh overall), while the Crimson are looking for their first since 2017 and 11th all-time.
How does it feel to B-U?
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey)
FINAL: Northeastern advances to Beanpot final 🔥
The Huskies take the nightcap with a 3-1 win over BU after a wild third period that saw them withstand a Terrier surge. Devon Levi stopped 15 of 16 shots in the third and 33 for the game.
Decent first career goal for Hunter McDonald. | 📺
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey)
GOAL! 🚨 Northeastern ices it | 3rd – 30.2
Northeastern escapes the BU push as Hunter McDonald wins a battle for the puck before breaking in alone to score on the empty net to extend it to 3-1 with his first career goal.
HUNTER MCDONALD ENG!!!!!!!!!
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey)
GOAL! 🚨 BU pulls within one late | 3rd – 1:51
With the extra attacker on the ice, Matt Brown gets BU within 2-1 with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle. Devon Levi got a piece of it, but not enough as it slips in.
BROWNIE! Need one more!
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey)
END 2ND: NU leads by 2️⃣
Devon Levi is standing tall, allowing zero goals on 18 shots through two periods as the Huskies lead, 2-0, thanks to Novak's insurance goal.
Northeastern has a 22-18 shot advantage on BU, who squandered two power plays in the period. NU will have 16 seconds of carryover power play time in the third.
BU's Drew Commesso came up with a huge save late in the period on a 3-on-1 for Northeastern, keeping the deficit to two for BU.
HUGE stop by 'Messo to keep us within two.
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey)
📺: NESN
GOAL! 🚨 Huskies double the lead | 2nd – 18:12
Jakov Novak doubles Northeastern's lead to 2-0, cleaning up a loose puck in front.
Don't let the 'Skies get hot. | 📺
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey)
END 1ST: Northeastern leads by 1️⃣
NU takes a one-goal lead into the room, thanks to McDonough's snipe from close-range off a cross-ice feed from Vinny Borgesi.
Shots on goal are 10-8 in favor of the Huskies.
Aidan McDonough is throwin' a garden party y'all. | 📺
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey)
GOAL! 🚨 Huskies open the scoring | 1st – 6:00
Captain Aidan McDonough puts Northeastern up 1-0 on a wrister from the left circle with six minutes to go in what has been a rugged first period between the Huskies and BU. ;
BIG TIME PLAYER 🤝 BIG TIME GAME 🤝 BIG TIME GOAL
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey)
Game on 🔥
The nightcap is on as BU and Northeastern battle it out in a Beanpot grudge match.
‘Messo starts. Let’s do this.
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey)
📸
Game ✌️ BU and Northeastern drop the puck shortly
Puck-drop in tonight's rematch of the 2022 Beanpot championship between the Terriers and the Huskies is just about 10 minutes away.
BU-NU lines
— Patrick Donnelly (@PatDonn12)
WINNER! Hejduk's second of the game ends it with 1.5 seconds left in OT 😤
Harvard's Marek Hejduk is the hero, ending a wild overtime between the Crimson and the Eagles with a one-timer on a 2-on-1 rush with 1.5 seconds left. It was his second goal of the game.
HARVARD HOCKEY HISTORY 🚨🚨
— Harvard Men's Hockey (@HarvardMHockey)
MAREK HEJDUK SENDS THE CRIMSON TO THE FINAL WITH 1.5 LEFT IN OT
📺NESN |
END 3RD: BC ties it late and we're headed to OT 🚨
Cutter Gauthier tied it 3-3 with 1:31 to go in regulation with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle, completing BC's massive comeback push in the third.
The Eagles outshot the Crimson by a ridiculous 22-2 margin in the third, scoring twice to send it to a five-minute 3-on-3 overtime. If no one scores, the game will end in a shootout.
The 𝔼𝕢𝕦𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕫𝕖𝕣 x 🎥
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey)
GOAL! 🚨 BC is right back in it | 3rd – 4:14
Nikita Nesterenko dances through the Crimson defense and scores on a beautiful individual effort to cut the Eagles' deficit to 3-2 with less than five minutes to go in regulation.
EAGS SCORE.
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey)
Nesterenko makes it a one-goal game! 4:02 to go.
END 2ND: Harvard leads the Eagles by 2️⃣
After two periods, it's the Crimson taking a 3-1 lead over the Eagles into the locker room.
Matthew Coronato made it 2-0 early in the period, but BC battle back to 2-1, thanks to Mike Posma. Coronato restored the two-goal cushion moments later.
Shots on goal are 22-19, Boston College.
Gustafsson to Posma.
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey)
Executing on the power play.
GOAL! 🚨 Harvard gets it right back | 2nd – 7:26
It didn't take long for the Crimson to retake a two-goal lead as Coronato's second of the game, another one-timer from the right circle on the power play, extends it to 3-1.
Clutch.
— Harvard Men's Hockey (@HarvardMHockey)
Coronato with a rocket on the power-play to regain the two goal lead.
📺 NESN |