Late in the third half, Northeastern’s Aidan McDonough delivered the body check of the 70th Beanpot Final, a crushing hit that leveled Harvard’s Alex Laferriere.
McDonough dealt a bigger punch to the Crimson a few minutes later.
After a scoreless overtime, the senior captain scored the only goal of the shootout as the Huskies defeated Harvard to win their eighth beanpot title and fourth since 2018.
McDonough defeated Harvard goalie Mitchell Gibson between his right pad and his blocker.
At the other end of the ice, junior goalie Devon Levi of the Northeast stopped all three shootout shots he faced, including the last attempt by — yes, Alex Laferriere.
Then there was celebration. Players flooded the ice, “Stacy’s Mom” blared out from the Northeast Pep Band, and the TD Garden shook.
The Huskies could have won it in overtime, but the shootout only added to the drama.
There was Vinny Borgesi’s clean break 4 minutes from time, Justin Hryckowian’s partial break 2 minutes later and Sam Colangelo’s goal post feed from Jack Williams in between.
Junior Gunnarwolfe Fontaine scored both goals for the Huskies in rule.
Northeastern, Harvard goes into overtime
Northeastern and Harvard go into overtime 2-2 in the 70th beanpot.
Junior Gunnarwolfe Fontaine has both goals for the Huskies while sophomore Matthew Coronato scored both goals for the Crimson.
Coronato almost won the game for Harvard, but he was disallowed twice by Northeast goaltender Devon Levi – once on an eight-foot shot and again on the rebound – about 4 minutes from time.
Harvard affiliate Northeastern, 32-24, in regulation.
Fontaine’s second goal of the game even draws Northeastern
Junior Gunnarwolfe Fontaine’s second goal of the game tied Northeastern 2-2 with 15:03 left.
The result was set up by senior defenseman Jayden Struble, whose left-to-right pass found Fontaine with an empty net. Fontaine did the rest, slipping a backhander past fallen Harvard goalie Mitchell Gibson.
The goal was Fontaine’s ninth of the season. Matt Demelis got the second assist.
Harvard leads Northeastern into the third period
Harvard is playing in its first beanpot finals since 2017, leading Northeastern 2-1 after two periods.
Sophomore Matthew Coronato scored both goals for the Crimson after junior Gunnarwolfe Fontaine gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
Northeast junior goalie Devon Levi has stopped 16 of 18 shots so far, while Harvard’s Mitchell Gibson has 14 saves.
Coronato’s second goal of the period gives Harvard the lead
Matthew Coronato’s second goal of the period gave Harvard a 2-1 lead.
The second division side’s 18th goal of the season was set up by Ryan Siedem and Henry Thrun.
The Crimson overtake the Huskies, 15-12.
Coronato’s power play goal draws Harvard level
With Northeastern defender Tyler Spott in the box for cross checks, Matthew Coronato’s power play goal draws Harvard 1-1.
Sean Farrell and Ian Moore earned the assists.
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine puts Northeastern ahead
Junior Gunnarwolfe Fontaine puts Northeastern 1-0 up 1-27 into the second period.
The goal is Fontaine’s eighth of the season. Junior Sam Colangelo and defenseman Jack Dorrington picked up the assists.
Dorrington held the puck at the blue line and fed Colangelo at the top of the right faceoff circle. Colangelo then netted a quick shot which was stopped by Mitchell Gibson but Fontaine was there to finish.
Northeastern, Harvard scoreless after one; Levi sharp so far
Northeastern Junior All-American goalie Devon Levi stopped 33 of 34 shots in the Huskies’ 3-1 semifinals win over Boston University last Monday.
He was tested early in the championship when Harvard passed Northeastern, 12-7, in the first period.
Levi’s first big stop came in the opening minutes, a 10-foot one-timer by Harvard’s Alex Laferriere.
Levi leads Hockey East in wins (11), shutouts (4), saves (598), and save percentage (.948).
Northeastern’s best shot – and there were quite a few – was a wrist shot between junior Sam Colangelo’s hashes.
Second division club Justin Hryckowian netted three pucks in the first period. Senior captain Aidan McDonough, who leads the Northeast with 19 goals, is yet to have a shot.
Red jerseys, loud ovation for McDonough, identical line-up
The Huskies are wearing their red jerseys, the same ones they wore last Monday when they beat Boston University 3-1 in the semifinals.
Aidan McDonough received the biggest ovation during the warm-up. The Huskies captain is the active NCAA leader with 65 goals and 29 goals on the power play.
Northeastern’s four forward lines and three defensive pairings are unchanged from a week ago. However, the Huskies are dressing an extra forward, Michael Outzen, in place of an extra defender, Braden Doyle.
Northeastern’s third row of Jakov Novak (LW), Jack Hughes (C) and Riley Hughes (RW) started along with Jayden Struble and Jeremie Bucheler on the blue line and Devon Levi in goal.
Boston College upset BU, 4-2, in consolation game
Boston University (20-8-0) reached the 70th beanpot on a seven-game winning streak, finished third in the country and was aiming for their 32nd title.
The Terriers finished the tournament 2-0, outclassed 7-3 by Northeastern and Boston College.
After beating the Huskies 3-1 in the semifinals, BU was again defeated 4-2 by the Eagles in the consolation game.
The win was BC’s biggest of the season (10-12-6).
Live Championship Updates: Northeastern vs. Harvard
Northeastern Global News provides live updates from today’s Beanpot Men’s Championship between No. 15 Northeastern (14-10-4) and No. 10 Harvard (17-6-1).
View results, highlights and analysis before, during and after matches.
Puck Drop at TD Garden is at 7:30pm. Tickets are sold out, but the game will be broadcast live on NESN. Fans watching on TV will see a Northeastern hype video. Watch parties are held at the West Addition at the Curry Center on the Boston campus and at other locations worldwide.
Led by senior captain Aidan McDonough, junior goalie Devon Levi and freshman defenseman Hunter McDonald, Northeastern advanced to the championship with a 3-1 semifinal win over Boston University with the support of their loyal fanbase. Meanwhile, Harvard defeated Boston College in the final second of overtime.
The Huskies and Crimson have never faced each other in a beanpot final, but they are meeting for the 106th time overall. Harvard defeated Northeastern 8-4 in Cambridge on New Year’s Day. Since then, however, the Huskies have been 6-1-1, with the loss in OT to UConn and the tie being a shootout win in Providence on Friday night.
“Stacy’s Mom” won’t be in attendance tonight, but the Northeast pep band is hoping to play the team’s unofficial theme song, with the Huskies leading the way in the third period.
David Nordman is the Editor-in-Chief of Northeastern Global News. Follow him on Twitter @davenordman.