By Eoghan Kelly, News Staff
Less than a week after the women’s hockey team brought home its first Beanpot title since 1998, the men’s hockey team finished in fourth place in tournament after losing to Harvard University, 3-2, tonight at TD Garden.
The game marked the 20th time the Huskies and Crimson had met in the consolation game and the first last-place finish for Northeastern (11-14-3 overall) since a 5-4 loss to Boston University in 2008.
“We got out there and we didn’t play with the effort and the energy level that we needed to bring in this game,” head coach Jim Madigan said. “Yes, it’s a consolation game, but it’s a game for us that we need to build some momentum and play well and really fight for a playoff spot.”
Boston College won their third consecutive Beanpot Championship – 17th overall – with a 3-2 win over Boston University. The Eagles’ Bill Arnold had the winning tally with 6.4 seconds left in a 20-minute overtime period.
Sophomore goalie Clay Witt started the game in place of junior Chris Rawlings. It was only Witt’s second start of the season, the first a 5-2 loss at the hands of the University of New Hampshire.
Witt started shaky as the Crimson put two pucks off the left post and senior forward Alex Killorn stickhandled a puck past the Brandon, Fla., native 8:16 into the first period to give Harvard a 1-0 lead.
The middle frame appeared as though it would finish with the sides even, but Harvard junior forward Alex Fallstrom broke the tie when he took a neutral-zone pass from freshman winger Tommy O’Regan and whistled a shot from the left circle under the blocker of Witt at 18:13.
With junior center David Valek serving a roughing minor, junior forward Luke Greiner beat Witt five-hole for a shorthanded goal and two-goal Crimson lead with 5:16 to play in regulation.
The Huskies answered back just 23 seconds later. Junior defenseman Drew Ellement fed the puck to sophomore forwards Luke Eibler, and Eibler wristed a shot off the glove of freshman goalie Steve Michalek to bring the Huskies within one.
Northeastern made a last-ditch effort to draw even by pulling Witt with more than a minute to play in regulation, but they could not convert on any scoring chances.
The Huskies will play their first of three remaining Hockey East weekends when they host Providence College for two games Friday and Saturday night at Matthews Arena at 7 p.m. both nights.
