Beanpot Notes: Macklin Celebrini, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine Take Center Stage

BOSTON — Gunnarwolfe Fontaine understands Northeastern’s history in the Beanpot and the legendary performances that have lifted the Huskies in the tournament.

Fontaine can fondly recall Adam Gaudette’s hat trick in 2018 that gave Northeastern a Beanpot title for the first time in 30 years. And by stepping up on the elevated stage again, Fontaine is carving his own Beanpot legacy that will be etched in Northeastern’s history for future Huskies to talk about.

Fontaine completed Northeastern’s comeback in a Beanpot semifinal against Harvard at TD Garden on Monday night by scoring the game-winning goal 33 seconds into overtime to deliver a 3-2 win for the Huskies. The goal was Fontaine’s fourth of his Beanpot career.

When Fontaine was choosing where he wanted to play his college hockey, getting a chance to play in the Beanpot was a deciding factor and he certainly has made the most of his opportunities in the tournament.

“When you come here and see you the people who have come before you, like Adam Gaudette when he scored a hat trick to win that championship game against BU, you want to come here,” Fontaine said. “You want to play for Northeastern.”

Fontaine isn’t too concerned about any personal glory he can obtain for thriving in the Beanpot. He just wants to help Northeastern to a fifth Beanpot title in six seasons.

“I’m just trying to focus on the team,” Fontaine said. “I think winning two Beanpots would be the best thing for me personally. When you get that chance to hold that trophy over your head with your teammates, you’ll never forget that. I really want that right now.”

While Fontaine had the experience of playing in the Beanpot before, Boston University star freshman Macklin Celebrini got his first taste of it in the nightcap against bitter rival Boston College.

The bright lights didn’t overwhelm Celebrini. In fact, Celebrini played even better in the heightened atmosphere.

Celebrini scored two first-period goals, including one tally on a one-timer that truly was unstoppable, to spark the Terriers to a 4-3 win over the Eagles.

“A lot of them thrive in these situations. Some of them perform better under pressure,” BU coach Jay Pandolfo said. “They look for those opportunities to make a difference on a big stage and you saw that tonight with Macklin obviously scoring two goals in the first period. He wants to play in these big games. I think he’s prepared for it, even though he’s only 17, he’s been preparing for it for years.”

Scoring two guys certainly added to the experience for Celebrini. This might be Celebrini’s only chance to play in the Beanpot since many believe he will be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NHL draft. But getting the chance to step onto the ice and play in the famed tournament lived up to the hype.

“It’s pretty special stepping out there for the first time,” Celebrini said. “You see the student section and all the people there and you definitely know what it means for our school and our program. It’s pretty special. It’s exactly what I thought it would be like.”

More notes from Monday’s Beanpot semifinal action:

— Fontaine wasn’t the only star for Northeastern on the night. Junior captain Justin Hryckowian had a hand in all three of the Huskies’ goals as he assisted on two, including Fontaine’s game-winner, and leveled the score by putting in a rebound midway through the third period.

“I thought our captain just kind of just willed us tonight,” Northeastern head coach Jerry Keefe said. “In that third period, he was outstanding. Every time he stepped on the ice we were creating scoring chances and I think the rest of the group fed off of that.”

— Harvard coach Ted Donato went with Derek Mullahy in net and the senior goalie didn’t disappoint. The Scituate, Mass. native was the backbone of the Crimson’s defense, making 35 saves, including several highlight-reel stops.

“Derek’s a gamer,” Donato said. “There’s certainly a part of me that is very proud of the way he played. A kid in his senior year that gets an opportunity. Local guy, one of the top young tuna fisherman on the South Shore. I was heartbroken for him because I think he deserved better, but really proud of the way he battled.”

— The Beanpot stage also delivered quite a moment for Harvard freshman defenseman Matthew Morden. Morden scored the first goal of his collegiate career when his shot from the point snuck past Northeastern goalie Cameron Whitehead for a 2-1 lead with 15:39 left in the third period.

— BC swept BU in a home-and-home series just 11 days ago, but the difference for the top-ranked Eagles tonight was a slow start. BC allowed 19 shots on goal in the opening frame and went into the first intermission down, 2-0.

“We didn’t have the start that we wanted tonight,” BC head coach Greg Brown said. “BU was clearly the better team in the first period. I thought they were playing with more tempo than we were. Forced us into a lot of turnovers, too many turnovers, and we got behind the eight-ball, so then we were chasing the game.”

— BU and Northeastern are meeting in the Beanpot title game for the 16th time in the tournament’s 71-year history. The Terriers hold a 15-10 edge over the Huskies in those contests. The two sides will play for the Beanpot trophy next Monday at TD Garden with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. ET.