BC Tops BU in Beanpot

Nathan Gerbe's second goal of the night gave Boston College a 4-3 victory over Boston University in overtime Monday, sending the Eagles to the championship game of the 56th annual Beanpot Tournament.

BC will play Harvard next Monday night for the title. The Crimson advanced to their first Beanpot final in a decade by scoring three times in the first eight minutes to beat Northeastern 3-1.

The ninth-ranked Eagles (13-6-7) reached the championship game for the fifth time in six years, ending a long run of Beanpot success for BU.

The Terriers (8-14-4) had won three straight Beanpots and 11 of the past 13. They had advanced to the final every year but one since 1983. That slip came in 1994.

Since 1952, the tournament has matched the region's four college hockey powers in a pair of doubleheaders for citywide bragging rights.

Gerbe scored at 7:15 of overtime after BC's Carl Sneep fed the puck from the point to Brian Gibbons in front. He made a backward pass to Gerbe at the right side of the net.

Boston College beat Harvard 7-2 on Dec. 12 behind four goals from Gerbe.

In the opener, Paul Dufault, Mike Taylor and Doug Rogers scored for Harvard. The Crimson (8-10-3) have won 10 Beanpot titles in all, but none since 1993. The last time they reached the final was 1998 when they lost 2-1 in overtime to BU.

BU, which is 0-7 in one-goal games and 0-10-1 against ranked teams, took a 1-0 lead on John McCarthy's goal at 4:40 of the first. Anthony Aiello and Benn Ferriero scored 10 seconds apart to give BC a 2-1 lead later in the period.

The Terriers, who are 27-11 against BC in the Beanpot, took the lead in the second period. Power-play goals by Nick Bonino and Pete MacArthur, who has at least one point in 17 of his last 19 games, put BU up 3-2.

BC, which is 10-2-2 in its last 14 games, tied it at 3 on Gerbe's power-play goal 1:02 into the third. The Eagles have won seven of their last 10 against BU.

John Muse stopped 23 shots for BC, while Brett Bennett made 30 saves for BU. Kevin Shattenkirk had three assists for the Terriers.

In the first game, Dufault put Harvard ahead at 2:06 of the first period. Taylor connected at 6:29 and Rogers made it 3-0 just 33 seconds later. Kyle Richter made 18 saves for Harvard, which won for only the third time in 14 games.

Ryan Ginand scored with 28 seconds left in the second period for the Huskies (12-9-3), who have lost four of five. Brad Thiessen stopped 30 shots.

Rivals who share the Green Line trolley but divide the city's loyalties, BU and BC have dominated the tournament for decades.

BU has won the Beanpot 24 times in the last 38 years. BC is the only other school to win since Harvard took the title in 1993. Northeastern's last skate with the trophy was in 1988.

Monday marked the 10th straight year in which Harvard and Northeastern have played, either in a semifinal or third-place game, with Northeastern winning six times.