Harvard and Northeastern to Meet in Beanpot Men's Final for First Time Ever

For the first time in its 70-year history, the Beanpot men's final will match Harvard against Northeastern. The Crimson and Huskies will face off next Monday at TD Garden in Boston for the title, the first time that will occur since the tournament began back in late 1952.

Harvard, ranked 10th in the national polls, punched its ticket to this year's championship game by outlasting Boston College, 4-3, in overtime in the opener on Monday. Marek Hejduk's score with just over one second remaining in the 3-on-3 extra session was the difference, after BC had fought back from a 3-1 deficit with back-to-back goals in the final five minutes of regulation. 

Hejduk finished with two goals on the afternoon for the Crimson (16-6-1 overall), as did Matthew Coronato. Mitchell Gibson notched 45 saves for the Crimson, who were outshot by a 22-2 count in the third period alone. Lukas Gustafsson posted two assists and Mitch Benson made 21 stops for the Eagles (9-11-6), who are winless in their last seven outings overall.

In the nightcap, No. 20 Northeastern jumped out to a 2-0 lead against third-ranked and defending Beanpot champion Boston University, then held on for a 3-1 victory. The Huskies (14-10-3) scored once in each period, with Jakov Novak leading the way with a goal and an assist, including the game-winning goal early in the second period. 

After Matt Brown got the Terriers (20-7-0) within a goal with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Hunter McDonald sealed matters with his shot into an empty BU net with 30 seconds left, the first goal of his NCAA career. Devon Levi stopped 33 shots for NU, while Drew Commesso came up with 26 stops for BU, which saw its seven-game winning streak snapped.

BC and BU will meet in the consolation game for the first time ever on Feb. 13, followed by the first-ever Crimson-Huskies tilt for the Beanpot men's title later that night. Harvard is seeking its first Beanpot crown since 2017, while the Huskies had won three straight tournaments until last year, when they fell to BU in by a goal in the final. (The 2021 edition of the event was canceled by COVID-19.)