Northeastern men’s hockey (9-14-3, 4-9-3 HE) sank from its 2024 champion title to claim last place in the 2025 Beanpot tournament, losing to Harvard University (8-13-2, 6-8-2 ECAC) 4-3 Feb. 10 after a penalty-ridden game.
“I thought five-on-five, we played pretty good hockey,” head coach Jerry Keefe said in the post-game conference. “I thought our mindset was good. I thought we had a good week of practice. But everything was just self-inflicted tonight for this group.”
The Huskies’ frustration, which stemmed from failing to find the net, resulted in eight trips to the penalty box.
Both teams had a lethargic start to the first period, but the Huskies began to rally their energy, sniping shots a few minutes in.
Captain and junior forward Jack Williams claimed the first goal of the game five minutes into the first period.
Junior defenseman Jackson Dorrington took the initial shot from the left of the net, where the pucked ricocheted off Harvard freshman goaltender Ben Charette. Junior forward Cam Lund tried bouncing it back in, but it hit off the freshman once again. A Harvard defenseman tried to clear it but tripped, leaving the puck to slide in front of Williams, who hit it into the left bottom corner of the net.
The two teams battled fiercely, leaving four penalties in their wake in the first period. Early in the period, sophomore forward Andy Moore and Harvard freshman defenseman Lucas St. Louis were both sent to the penalty box for slashing and roughing, respectively.
With just over four minutes to go in the period, Northeastern freshman defenseman Jack Henry was sent to the sin bin for holding and then, with less than a minute to go, freshman forward Ben Poitras was called for tripping.
On Henry’s penalty, Harvard struck on the power play. Harvard freshman forward Mick Thompson raced down the ice with five minutes to go, pushing the puck past sophomore goaltender Cameron Whitehead to bounce it off the wall. He used the momentum to sneak it in behind the netminder, tying the score at one apiece.
The Crimson came out hot in the second period, taking the lead for the first time within the first 56 seconds.
Crimson junior defenseman Mason Langenbrunner rocketed the puck into the upper right corner of the net after a Harvard and a Northeastern stick clashed.
Six minutes into the second period, junior forward Casey Severo scored the third goal for Harvard.
Harvard junior defender Ryan Healey passed the puck across the ice to junior forward Joe Miller, right beneath the blue line on Northeastern’s side. Miller swiped it to captain senior defenseman Ian Moore, who passed to Severo to deflect it in.
Following this goal, freshman goaltender Quentin Sigurdson replaced Whitehead in the net, marking only the second time this season Whitehead has been replaced.
“Our team just needed a shake up,” said Keefe. “Obviously, didn’t like the first goal. But, our team needed a shake up there. Just trying to get something going a little bit.”
Senior forward Christophe Tellier found the net to cut down the Crimson’s lead 3-2 with under 12 minutes to go in the period.
Off a shot from graduate defenseman Jake Boltmann, freshman forward Joe Connor attempted to slide the puck behind Charette but instead it bounced off the goaltender and the hustling Tellier swung it in.
Right under eight minutes to go in the second period, Williams was sent to the box for roughing. The Huskies attempted to keep the lead to one above, but in the last six seconds of the power play, Langenbrunner claimed his second goal of the game.
Just inside Northeastern’s territory, St. Louis took a shot into the packed crease. Through the scramble, the puck slid out of the mess into Langenbrunner at the left faceoff circle, who swiped it in for a 4-2 game with six minutes to go in the period.
Only 50 seconds later, another Husky was sent to the sin bin, this time sophomore forward Dylan Hryckowian for cross-checking. Northeastern took eight penalties to Harvard’s four throughout the game.
“The penalties obviously just killed us. So, undisciplined, dumb penalties and then we can’t kill a penalty,” Keefe said.
With just over a minute left, Williams scored Northeastern’s third goal.
Tellier passed, just above the Crimson’s blue line, to the sprinting Connor. Connor and Williams hustled down the ice, making it two-on-one with a Harvard defenseman. Connor snapped the puck across the ice to Williams, who rocketed the puck into the net.
Despite the three power plays in the third period and outshooting the Crimson 26-19 in the game’s entirety, the Huskies were unable to tie the game. Out of frustration with the attempts, junior defenseman Joaquim Lemay was given a 5-minute major penalty for cross-checking almost eight minutes into the final period.
The Huskies are back with their first conference games since the start of the tournament where Northeastern takes on University of Massachusetts Lowell Riverhawks (10-14-3, 7-8-2 HE) at home Feb. 14 7 p.m. and in Lowell Feb. 15.
