Huskies sweep to Beanpot final

The Northeastern University men’s hockey team will play for its fifth Beanpot title and first since 1988 when it faces No. 1 Boston College at the TD Garden next Monday night in the 59th annual Beanpot Tournament Championship.

It’s the women’s turn today. The team will faceoff against Harvard in the first round at 5 p.m.

The Huskies beat Harvard, 4-0, in the semifinalroundof the Beanpot at TD Garden on Monday afternoon.

Northeastern goaltender Chris Rawlings made 41 saves to earn his fifth shutout of the season and forward Mike McLaughlin scored two goals to lead the Huskies totheir second Beanpot championship game in the last three years.

Forwards Steve Silva and Brodie Reid also chipped in goals for Northeastern, who shutout Harvard for the second time this season. The Huskies blanked the Crimson, 3-0, at Matthews Arena on Jan. 19.

Boston College beat Boston University, 3-2, in overtime, in the other semifinal match-up on Monday night.

The Huskies (9-11-6) were shutout, 2-0, by the Eagles on Oct. 19, but have reason to be optimistic about hoisting the Beanpot. Northeastern is 6-2-2 in the last 10 games after beginning the season 3-9-4.

The club, which has given up just 1.6 goals per game over the last 10 contests, will have to keep up its stingy ways in order to shutdown the Eagles, who have scored 99 goals in 27 games.

Rawlings, who is second in the nation in shutouts, figures to play a key role in the game, which is almost as much about bragging rights as it is about positioning in Hockey East.

The Huskies will play the University of Massachusetts at Lowell on Friday, before facing the Eagles at 7:30 at the TD Garden on Valentine’s Day.