BOSTON, Mass. - The Harvard Crimson scored three times in the first period and then played defense to defeat Northeastern University, 3-1, in the first round of the 56th annual Beanpot on Monday at the TD Banknorth Garden. Ryan Ginand scored for the Huskies late in the second period and Brad Thiessen made 30 saves in net for NU.
The Crimson got off to a fast start. Harvard's Jon Pell has possession of the puck and tried to sneak it around the right corner. Thiessen was there to cover the side and make the save, but the puck deflected to the left side of the net to Paul Dufault who shot it into the upperleft corner as Thiessen was repositioning. The goal, scored at 02:06, is Dufault's fourth of the season.
Harvard then scored two goals in under a minute. On the first goal, Crimson captain Mike Taylor brought the puck from behind the goal and snuck it under Thiessen's pad by the left post at 06:29. The play was reviewed to see if the puck crossed the red line and it was ultimately ruled a goal, giving Harvard a 2-0 lead.
At 7:02 Doug Rogers added another for Harvard with assists from Alex Meintel and Mike Taylor, as Harvard had a 3-0 advantage heading into the second period.
The Crimson came out shooting again the second, firing 16 shots on goal. Thiessen was able to hold Harvard scoreless in the frame and made an incredible save on freshman Michael Biega, robbing him of a goal. Thiessen was positioned on the right post, leaving his left side open for Biega and made a quick glove move to the left to snatch up the puck before any more damage was done.
In the closing seconds of the period, the Huskies were able to get one back when sophomore Chad Costello made a pass from the right side of the net to junior Ryan Ginand who fired a shot that snuck just by the right post for his seventh goal of the season. David Strathman also earned an assist on the play after passing the puck behind the net to Costello.
The Huskies held possession of the puck for most of the third period but could not take advantage ofthree powerplays and fell by a 3-1 final.
Harvard improves to 8-10-3, while the Huskies dip to 12-9-3 overall. NU will face either Boston College or Boston University in the consolation round on Feb. 11.
Up next, Northeastern travels to Merrimack for a Hockey East matchup on Friday. The game will be broadcast on 890 ESPN Boston with Rob Rudnick and Bill Doherty.