Fontaine’s OT goal gives Northeastern Beanpot championship
The Northeastern Huskies have become the dynastic Beanpot hockey program of the 21st century.
Senior left wing Gunnarwolfe Fontaine scored the game winner with 26.8 second to play in overtime to lift Northeastern to a 4-3 victory over No. 3 Boston University in the 71st Beanpot final on Monday night at the TD Garden.
Fontaine scored the overtime game winner in NU’s 3-2 win over Harvard in the Beanpot opener on Feb. 5 and was the easy choice for tournament MVP. Northeastern improved to 13-12-2 and claimed its ninth Beanpot title and fifth in the last six years. BU fell to 19-8-1.
NU tied the game on a precision piece of puck cycling on the power play at 9:51 of the third. Fontaine brought the puck out from behind the BU cage and found defenseman Vinny Borgesi in the high slot.
Borgesi slid the puck to center Jack Williams in the right circle and his one-timer slap shot beat BU goalie Mathieu Caron to the far post for his 15th of the season. BU ended regulation up 30-16 in shots on goal.
The game surged straight to the fast lane of intensity and desire from the opening faceoff to overtime. Both teams exhibited superb skating and stick-handling augmented by unyielding physical play and volcanic tempers.
BU opened the scoring at 14:41 of the first on an unforced turnover deep in the NU zone. Pito Walton mishandled the puck in the low slot when confronted by two BU first line forwards. Freshman right Jack Harvey swiped the loose puck back to freshman center Maklin Celebrini who one-timed it by Cameron Whitehead for his 23rd goal of the season. Celebrini scored the opening goal against BC on Feb. 5. BU exited the opening frame up 11-3 in shots on goal.
NU tied the game with a strong finish to a fast breakout at 5:51 of the second. Right wing Cam Lund cut into the right circle and sent the puck through the slot to Fontaine on the opposite flank. Fontaine, who scored the overtime goal against Harvard, let loose a wrist a shot that hit the far post. Matt DeMelis swept the rebound into the exposed half of the BU net for his second of the season.
BU regained the lead, 2-1, on a lucky break at 9:11 of the second. Sophomore right wing Devin Kaplan collected a loose puck on the BU blue line to set in motion a two-on-one break out. Kaplan took a shot from the right circle that deflected off the outstretched stick of NU defenseman Hunter McDonald and past Whitehead for his fifth of the season.
NU tied the game 2-2 at 9:40 when center Justin Hryckowian collected a rebound off the end boards and back handed it by Caron for his eighth of the season.
BU went up 3-2 with 7.2 seconds to play in the second. Sophomore left wing Jeremy Wilmer skated the puck under the left circle and dropped the puck to defenseman Lane Hutson in the low slot.
The Montreal draft pick released a one timer that beat Whitehead to the far post on the glove side for his 11th of the season. The Terriers left the ice up 23-8 in shots on goal.