BOSTON -- Harvard head coach Ted Donato ended up rewarding freshman Marek Hejduk in overtime in Monday's Beanpot semifinal against Boston College.
Hejduk had shown he was unfazed by playing in his first Beanpot Tournament, opening the scoring for the Crimson midway through the first period.
But now in overtime, the stakes were much greater with the Eagles continuing to push Harvard, who allowed two goals in the final 4:14 to find itself in this predicament in the first place, on the verge of an epic collapse.
The massive moment wasn't too big for Hejduk, though.
The 19-year-old winger became the unlikely hero for Harvard as he put a pass from Alex Laferriere into the back of the net with just 1.5 seconds left in the extra frame to lift the Crimson to a pulse-pounding 4-3 victory at TD Garden, which secured a spot for them in the Beanpot final.
"I'd have to check, but I do think that was the first shift that Marek's been out all year in overtime," Donato said. "We had some guys tired, some guys banged up. I thought he was going and deserved the opportunity and good for him. He made a tremendous shot there."
Hejduk felt confident in that situation, even with the clock getting so close to triple zeroes and the unpredictable shootout looming. But Hejduk had come through on a two-on-one opportunity earlier in the game, giving him the belief he would do so again.
"Just off the rush, we're looking for either quick shot or set up the O-zone," Hejduk said. "I think we did a good job all night in the breakout, chipping pucks out, being able to create those kinds of chances off the rush. With these two rushes I had tonight, I got the puck on my stick and it just felt automatic from there."
Hejduk's tally sent his teammates into a frenzy as they rushed toward him on the ice. They certainly were in awe of what he had just pulled off, along with Laferriere, to ensure Harvard at least a chance at their 12th Beanpot title next week.
"It's amazing that they made that play under so much pressure," Harvard junior Sean Farrell said. "For him to get that shot off was amazing and an awesome moment for our team."
Here are more notes from the opening round of the Beanpot:
-- Harvard certainly is no stranger to playing overtime games this season. With Monday's win over BC, the Crimson are now a remarkable 6-1-1 this season in overtime contests.
-- It was a demoralizing loss in a down season for BC, who put together its sensational late rally courtesy of goals from Nikita Nesterenko and Cutter Gauthier. But Eagles head coach Greg Brown wasn't taking any moral victories as he revealed his postgame message to his team.
"You don't know if you're going to win the shootout, but we definitely let an opportunity slip by," Brown said. "We talked about it, being consistent, not giving up chances for free. We did a better job as the game went on, but we got to be tight down the stretch if you want to close out games."
-- Matthew Coronato and Farrell, who Boston Bruins fans might see in the future as the latter a Montreal Canadiens prospect, showed off a stellar connection for Harvard. Farrell set up his linemate twice for two power-play goals -- the two assists gives him a team-high 36 points -- and got the puck to Coronato on the left dot each time.
"We've been together now for four years and we've developed some chemistry together," Farrell said. "He's a really good goal-scorer and I try to find him in a spot where he's ready to shoot."
-- Playing in his first Beanpot, Northeastern junior goalie Devon Levi delivered a mighty performance. Levi make several highlight-reel stops and his standout play in net only made the Huskies play that much harder in front of him.
"I say it all the time, he's the best goalie in the country," Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe said. "We got a lot of confidence in him. And you can see our guys want to play in front of him, too. And that's why I think we sell out to block shots because we know he's always there and has our back."
-- The 2023 Dunkin' Beanpot championship game is now set with Northeastern taking on Harvard next Monday at TD Garden. It's the first time the two schools have met in the Beanpot final. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN. The two sides have met once already this season with Harvard winning, 8-4.
Rivals Boston College and Boston University will play in the consolation matchup at 4:30 p.m.
