CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 10/10 Harvard (17-6-1, 14-4-0 ECAC Hockey) returns to the championship game of the Beanpot for the first time since 2017 on Monday night, as it takes on No. 17/20 Northeastern (14-10-4, 11-5-3 HEA) for a chance to win its 12th Beanpot in program history. Harvard has played in the Beanpot final a total of 26 times entering tonight, with an 11-15 record in the title game. Last Monday, Harvard earned a dramatic 4-3 (OT) win over Boston College in the opening round, with first-year
Marek Hejduk scoring the game-winner with 1.5 seconds left in the extra frame. Hejduk scored a pair of goals, as did sophomore forward
Matthew Coronato. Senior goaltender
Mitchell Gibson made a season-high 45 saves in the win. In betwen Beanpot games, Harvard beat Dartmouth on Friday night, 6-3, as
Sean Farrell notched a career high five points (2-3-5) in the win.
WHAT TO KNOW
- Monday's meeting between Harvard and Northeastern is the 46th in the history of the Beanpot Tournament but the first time the two teams have met in a Beanpot final. Harvard owns a 24-21 mark in Beanpot contests vs. the Huskies.
- Harvard and Northeastern met earlier this season on Jan. 1 in a wild back-and-forth contest at Bright-Landry Hockey Center, with Harvard winning 8-4. Alex Gaffney (1-3-4) and Alex Laferriere (2-2-4) each had four point nights, as Harvard led 3-0, then saw Northeastern rally to tie the game in the second period. Harvard then scored four straight goals to put the game out of reach.
- This marks the third time in the Ted Donato era (2008, 2017, 2023) that Harvard has played for a Beanpot title. In 2017, the Crimson beat Northeastern, 4-3, in the opening round, then topped BU, 6-3 to clinch its first Beanpot since 1993.
- Junior forward Sean Farrell, junior forward Alex Laferriere, senior defenseman Henry Thrun, and sophomore forward Matthew Coronato were named four of 25 semifinalists for the 71st Walter Brown Award presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England. Harvard has had 13 winners of the Walter Brown Award, with Adam Fox most recently earning the award in 2019.
- Marek Hejduk's OT game-winner against Boston College at the Beanpot was the latest of Harvard's NCAA-leading six overtime wins this season. Harvard has 6-1-1 overall in games that have progressed to 3-on-3 overtime. Harvard has picked up OT wins at RPI (W, 3-2 - Nov. 11), at Cornell (W, 2-1 - Dec. 2), at Princeton (W, 4-3 - Jan. 6), at Yale (W, 3-2 - Jan. 20), vs. Colgate (W, 5-4 - Jan. 27), and against Boston College (W, 4-3 - Feb. 6).
- Sophomore forward Matthew Coronato and junior forwards Sean Farrell and Alex Laferriere are Harvard's nominees for the Hobey Baker Award. Farrell leads Harvard in scoring with 41 points (14-27-41) and is second in the nation in points per game (1.71). Coronato leads the team with 16 goals, and has 28 points (16-12-28) on the year as Farrell's linemate, including 10 goals in his last 13 games. Laferriere is second on the team in scoring with 31 points (14-17-31). Harvard has had four winners of college hockey's most prestigious award (T-2nd amongst all schools) - Jimmy Vesey (2016), Lane MacDonald (1989), Scott Fusco (1986), and Mark Fusco (1983).
- Sean Farrell has been on fire of late, with six multiple point efforts in his last eight games (6-12-18 in last eight games). Farrell (14-27-41) is the third Harvard forward in the last five seasons to top 40 points (Nick Abruzzese, 14-30-44 in 2019-20; Ryan Donato 26-17-43 in 2017-18).
- Harvard has outscored teams 34-17 in the third period, winning eight games in which it was tied or trailing heading into the third period this season.
UP NEXT
Harvard will host Union and RPI next weekend in its final regular season home series on Feb. 24-25, both games airing on ESPN+ and beginning at 7 p.m.
