Harvard Falls in Beanpot Semifinal in Tough 5-1 Loss to No. 11 Boston College

Harvard men’s ice hockey fell 5-1 to the No. 11 Boston College Eagles in the semifinal round of the 73rd annual Beanpot Tournament at TD Garden on Monday night.

Though the Eagles (15-8-1, 10-5 HE) own the Beanpot series over Harvard (12-9-1, 10- 5 ECAC), the Crimson won the last time the teams faced off in the semifinals, thanks to a 4-3 overtime goal from current senior forward Marek Hejduk, who scored the game-winner with just 1.5 seconds remaining in regulation play.

The last time Harvard won the Beanpot was in 2017 against Boston University, when it beat the Terriers 6-3.

Tonight, however, was an uphill battle for the Crimson, as Harvard quickly gave up three goals and could not recover.

The Crimson was given a gift early in the contest when Eagles junior defenseman Drew Fortescue was handed a tripping penalty. Despite its best efforts to score on the power play, Harvard was unable to convert on the scoreboard.

Fresh out of the penalty box and eager for redemption, Fortescue took advantage of a miscommunication in the Harvard defense and rifled a shot over the glove of the Crimson’s sophomore goaltender, Ben Charette, giving BC an early 1-0 lead.

Harvard struggled to keep up with the Eagles’ rapid pace of play, as it utilized a highly robust ‘chip and chase’ method. BC’s superior size and speed wore down the Crimson’s defense.

As the Eagles continued to dominate the first period, sophomore forward James Hagens emerged as the early star of the game. Hagens, selected seventh overall in the 2025 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins, scored two goals in the latter half of the period, each assisted by his freshman linemate, Oscar Hemming.

Hagens is just one of the six Bruins prospects who suited up for BC tonight, accompanied by standout sophomore forward Dean Letourneau. The Eagles draftees will be joined by Mason Langenbrunner, Harvard’s captain, who is the only member on the Crimson squad drafted by the Bruins.

Harvard exited the opening period down 3-0, failing to find a solution to combat the efficient Eagles’ offense. A slashing penalty against BC stood as the Crimson’s lone bright spot heading into the second period.

“In the first period, I just thought we gave up goals way too easily,” said the Crimson’s Head Coach Ted Donato ‘91. “We had some sustained shots and pressure, but I don't think we executed at a level that gave us a chance to win the game.”

While Harvard led in shots 18-16, the Eagles created the more dangerous opportunities and found ways to capitalize.

Immediately finding an answer, Harvard took advantage of the remaining time on the power play and scored to open the second period. Beginning with a goal-line try from senior forward Casey Severo, the puck bounced through the slot before hitting the stick of senior defenseman Ryan Healey, who dove and fired the puck over the blocker of the Eagles’ goaltender, freshman Louka Cloutier, to make it 3-1.

Later in the frame, Crimson junior forward Salvatore Guzzo was injured by a high hit to the head by BC’s Landon Resendes. The junior was ushered down the tunnel and into the locker room.

After no penalty was called on the hit, Donato issued a challenge, but the referees sided with the initial call on the ice.

When asked after the game if he received an explanation from the officials, Donato replied: “Not one that I was satisfied with.”

Instead, after the hit, both teams took simultaneous penalties to keep play even at four-on-four. Hejduk got the initial slashing call after knocking an opponent’s stick out of his hands, while the Eagles’ junior defenseman Aram Minnetian took an infraction for roughing after the whistle.

The special teams battle continued, with additional penalties called on Harvard’s captain Joe Miller and freshman forward Richard Gallant. Ultimately, the lack of discipline was costly for the Crimson, as Letourneau tipped a shot into the net to give the Eagles a 4-1 lead with just 20 seconds remaining in the period.

“We killed the first one off, but we can’t take the consecutive ones there, and neither one of them was taken in a spot that was necessary,” said Donato.

“Another one’s kind of a late hit,” the coach added. “So, you gotta be smarter.”

Harvard cleaned up some defensive mishaps, but the team still trailed by three entering the third period. Moreover, the shot differential in the middle frame was overwhelmingly in BC’s favor at 21-5.

With the definitive lead, the Eagles committed to shutdown hockey, and the Crimson struggled to break through. With 14 minutes to go, sophomore forward Justin Solovey took Harvard’s fourth penalty of the game, and the momentum shifted further in BC’s favor.

Donato pulled Charette with 4:52 remaining on the clock, but it was to no avail, as the Crimson couldn’t tally another goal.

A Harvard penalty with 1:10 remaining iced the game, as Eagles’ captain Lukas Gustafsson scored five seconds into the ensuing power play.

“I think we’ll hit the reset button as a team,” Donato said. “But we have a lot of confidence in our goalie, and I thought he battled tonight.”

The Crimson will return to its home ice this Friday to host No. 10 Dartmouth. Harvard currently sits just three points behind the Big Green in the ECAC conference standings.

With Boston University defeating Northeastern 3-2 in a shootout in the other Beanpot semifinal, Harvard will face the Huskies in the consolation game at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 9, a rematch of last year’s consolation game, which the Crimson won, 4-2.

—Staff Writer Nate M. Bolan can be reached at [email protected]

—Staff Writer Owen Butler can be reached at [email protected].

—Staff Writer Kai I. Russell can be reached at [email protected].