BOSTON — Third-place games can be a little deflating, especially when they’re being played in front of a sparsely populated crowd at the cavernous TD Garden.
But for a Northeastern team in the midst of one of their worst stretches in years, these types of games can serve as a chance to right the ship as the calendar inches closer to postseason play. A win of any kind, even in a third-place Beanpot game, can act as a springboard for teams looking to find their stride.
Instead, for the second year in a row, the Huskies fell to Harvard in the Beanpot consolation game. A year ago, it was 4-3; this year, Northeastern couldn’t even make it that competitive, falling 4-1 in a game where the Crimson outplayed them from start to finish.
The loss extended a brutal run for Northeastern, who entered winless in five straight games and reeling off a shoulder injury that knocked leading scorer Dylan Hryckowian out ahead of last Friday’s matchup against UConn. In that game, the Huskies struggled to score, never posing much of a threat in a 2-0 defeat.
On Monday, Northeastern’s offense might’ve been slightly better, but it was incremental at best. Even with six Harvard penalties handing the Huskies twelve minutes of opportunity, legitimate chances came few and far between.
After a timid opening five minutes, the Crimson began to kick it into gear, swarming Lawton Zacher’s net. It didn’t come on the initial flurry, but the Crimson did capitalize moments later, as junior defenseman Matthew Morden slapped home a fluttering puck from the doorstep to make it 1-0.
“I’m always focusing on defense first, and then offense,” Morden said postgame. “I felt like we’d create a good opportunity, a 3-on-2, and I just kind of got a lucky bounce.”
The remainder of the period went relatively quietly. Harvard appeared content to sit back and protect their advantage, while a shorthanded Northeastern attack just couldn’t generate anything sustainable. A slash by first-year forward Richard Gallant gave Northeastern a man advantage, but a stingy Crimson penalty kill thwarted the Huskies.
Harvard had a goal chalked off minutes into the second period for goalie interference, and after a slew of penalty whistles resulted in no changes to the scoreline, it was the Huskies that claimed the next goal. After a sloppy turnover behind Harvard’s net, freshman forward Giacomo Martino pounced on a loose puck, feeding sophomore forward Joe Connor just below the left circle with a perfect pass. Connor one-timed it past the outstretched glove of Harvard netminder Ben Charette, pinging it off the post and in to knot the game at one with just under eight minutes to play in the frame.
That deadlock didn’t last long. Minutes later, first-year forward Chase Stefanek gave Harvard their lead back, snapping a wrister just past the stick of Northeastern defender Dylan Compton and over Zacher’s glove shoulder. Huskies center Matt Perkins had a chance to tie things from right in front of Charette’s crease seconds later, but Harvard’s netminder made a smart pad stop to keep the shot out.
In a third period where Northeastern had to score to survive, the Huskies never looked particularly interested in doing so. It was Harvard that opened on the front foot, and when Gallant deflected a Sean Keohane point shot through Zacher’s wickets, the Crimson turned their dominance into a two-goal advantage.
That’d just about do it. Northeastern freshman Jack Pechar looked like he’d slashed the deficit when he potted home with a half-dozen minutes to go, but the goal was quickly reviewed and chalked off for offsides. From there, a lethargic Huskies team seemed content to just let the string play out, and when Harvard senior forward Philip Fresca ladled home into an empty net with just over 90 seconds to play, the string had no more coil left. This one came to rest at 4-1, Harvard’s biggest win in three weeks.
“We’re all just really fighting it right now,” said Northeastern head coach Jerry Keefe. “I don’t see it being an effort thing, but it’s an execution and a swagger thing for this group right now… we’ve got to find a way to get ourselves out of it.”
For Harvard, it was an admirable bounce-back after a 5-1 thwacking from BC in last week’s semifinal. The Crimson lost their in-between game, too, falling to conference foes Dartmouth 3-1 on Friday.
“Feels good to get a win,” said Harvard head coach Ted Donato. “Disappointing last week, but I was proud of the guys to respond and have 60 minutes of good hockey.”
Even in defeat, Zacher delivered another strong performance in net for Northeastern, stopping 33 shots. With the Huskies’ offense so dormant, it would’ve taken something truly special to earn a victory, but it was yet another reminder of the caliber of goaltender Zacher’s become across his inaugural season as a Husky.
“[Lawton] gives us a chance every night,” Keefe said. “It’s disappointing, because he hasn’t been giving up a lot in some of these losses.”
But even as Zacher’s continued to excel, Northeastern’s season has gotten ever-closer to slipping down the drain. And, while Monday’s contest wasn’t for a banner, or even for Hockey East points, it’s a loss all the same for a team desperately in search of a win.
“There’s definitely urgency [in the third place game],” Keefe said. “We’ve won that game a few times before, and I thought it helped us down the stretch. This game was extremely important to us.”
However important it might’ve been, the Huskies didn’t play up to the standard required to win on Monday. With just seven games separating them from postseason play, it’s time to find that standard, and find it fast.
Northeastern returns to the ice on Friday when they travel to Providence. WRBB Sports will have written coverage, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.
Jacob Phillips is the Sports Director for WRBB Sports. He’s been covering Northeastern athletics for over two years, focusing primarily on men’s basketball. Follow him on Twitter here and Instagram here. He also writes for Mid-Major Madness, and you can find his work here.