College hockey’s most celebrated in-season tournament will crown a men’s champion from a packed TD Garden at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday night, featuring semifinal winners No. 3 Boston U and Northeastern. The consolation match between Harvard and No. 1 Boston College will take place Monday as well from TD Garden at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Third time proved the charm for the Terriers in the Beanpot’s first round as BU avenged two earlier losses to Boston College by surging out to a 4-1 lead, ultimately surviving a late-game surge to beat the top-ranked Eagles 4-3. Macklin Celebrini scored BU’s first two goals of the afternoon, continuing his streak as one of America’s top scorers — Celebrini ranks second nationally with 1.64 points per game — as he’s helped the Terriers to just one loss against teams other than BC in their last 18 outings.
Meanwhile, Northeastern continued its late-season turnaround with a come-from-behind victory over Harvard last Monday in the Beanpole’s other semifinal. The Huskies began the season just 7-12-1, including a lowly 1-8 mark against ranked teams. But as winners of four straight, including triumphs over No. 3 Boston U and No. 6 Maine, Northeastern used its newfound resolve to find a third-period equalizer and a Gunnarwolfe Fontaine overtime winner against the Crimson.
Fans tuning into this title fight, which will be broadcast on NESN and ESPN+, can expect high-octane action from the Garden, as both teams rank inside the top-20 for scoring offense with over 3.15 goals per game.
