Midway through the third period, Northeastern’s Aidan McDonough delivered the body check of the 70th Beanpot final, a crushing left-shoulder hit that leveled Harvard’s Alex Laferriere in open ice.

McDonough would deliver a much bigger blow to the Crimson a few moments later.

After a scoreless overtime, the senior captain scored the only goal of the shootout as the Huskies defeated Harvard to win their eighth Beanpot title and fourth since 2018.

McDonough, a left-handed shot, beat Harvard goalie Mitchell Gibson between his right pad and blocker.

At the other end of the ice, Northeastern junior goalie Devon Levi stopped all three shootout shots he faced, including the final attempt by – you guessed it, Laferriere.

After that, the celebration was on. The players jumped the boards. Sticks, gloves and helmets littered the ice. “Stacy’s Mom” rang out from the Northeastern pep band. The DogHouse sang along. And the TD Garden shook – literally.

Levi (32 saves) was named the Beanpot MVP, the first goalie to win the award since Northeastern’s Cayden Primeau in 2019.

The Huskies could have won it in overtime, but the near-misses only added to the drama.

There was Vinny Borgesi’s clean breakaway with 4 minutes left, Justin Hryckowian’s partial breakaway 2 minutes later, and Sam Colangelo’s goalpost feed from Jack Williams in-between.

Junior Gunnarwolfe Fontaine scored both goals for the Huskies in regulation.

Northeastern, Harvard heading to overtime tied

Northeastern and Harvard are heading to overtime tied, 2-2, in the 70th Beanpot.

Junior Gunnarwolfe Fontaine has both goals for the Huskies, while sophomore Matthew Coronato scored both goals for the Crimson.

Coronato almost won the game for Harvard, but he was denied twice by Northeastern goalie Devon Levi – once on an eight-foot shot and again on the rebound – with about 4 minutes left.

Harvard outshoot Northeastern, 32-24, in regulation.

Fontaine’s second goal of the game pulls Northeastern even

Junior Gunnarwolfe Fontaine’s second goal of the game has pulled Northeastern even, 2-2, with 15:03 left.

The score was set up by senior defenseman Jayden Struble, whose left-to-right pass found Fontaine with an empty net. Fontaine did the rest, sliding a backhander past fallen Harvard goalie Mitchell Gibson.

The goal was the ninth of the season for Fontaine. Matt Demelis picked up the second assist.

Harvard leads Northeastern entering third period

Playing in its first Beanpot final since 2017, Harvard leads Northeastern, 2-1, after two periods.

Sophomore Matthew Coronato scored both goals for the Crimson after Junior Gunnarwolfe Fontaine gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead 1:27 into the second.

Northeastern junior goalie Devon Levi has stopped 16 of 18 shots so far, while Harvard’s Mitchell Gibson has 14 saves.

Coronato’s second goal of the period gives Harvard lead

Matthew Coronato’s second goal of the period has given Harvard a 2-1 lead.

The sophomore’s 18th goal of the season was assisted by Ryan Siedem and Henry Thrun.

The Crimson are outshooting the Huskies, 15-12.

Coronato’s power-play goal pulls Harvard even

With Northeastern defenseman Tyler Spott in the penalty box for cross-checking, Matthew Coronato’s power-play goal pulls Harvard even, 1-1.

Sean Farrell and Ian Moore earned the assists.

Gunnarwolfe Fontaine gives Northeastern the lead

Junior Gunnarwolfe Fontaine gives Northeastern a 1-0 lead 1:27 into the second period.

The goal is the eighth of the season for Fontaine. Junior Sam Colangelo and defenseman Jack Dorrington picked up the assists.

Dorrington kept the puck in at the blue line and fed Colangelo at the top of the right faceoff circle. Colangelo then snapped a quick shot on net that was stopped by Mitchell Gibson, but Fontaine was there to finish.

Northeastern, Harvard scoreless after one; Levi sharp so far

Northeastern junior All-American goalie Devon Levi stopped 33 of 34 shots in the Huskies’ 3-1 semifinal win over Boston University last Monday.

He was tested early in the championship as Harvard outshot Northeastern, 12-7, in the first period.

Levi’s first big stop came in the opening minutes, a 10-foot one-timer by Harvard’s Alex Laferriere.

Levi leads Hockey East in wins (11), shutouts (4), saves (598) and save percentage (.948).

Northeastern’s best chance – and there were a few – was a wrist shot from between the hashes by junior Sam Colangelo. 

Sophomore Justin Hryckowian put three pucks on net in the first period. Senior captain Aidan McDonough, who leads Northeastern with 19 goals, doesn’t have a shot yet.

Red jerseys, loud ovation for McDonough, identical lineup

The Huskies are wearing their red jerseys, the same ones they wore last Monday when they upset Boston University, 3-1, in the semifinals.

Aidan McDonough received the loudest ovation during warmups. The Huskies’ captain is the NCAA’s active leader in goals with 65 and power-play goals with 29.

Northeastern’s four forward lines and three defensive pairings are unchanged from a week ago. However, the Huskies are dressing an extra forward, Michael Outzen, instead of an extra defenseman, Braden Doyle.

Northeastern’s third line of Jakov Novak (LW), Jack Hughes (C) and Riley Hughes (RW) got the start along with Jayden Struble and Jeremie Bucheler on the blue line and Devon Levi in goal.

Boston College upsets BU, 4-2, in consolation game

Boston University (20-8-0) entered the 70th Beanpot riding a seven-game win streak, ranked No. 3 in the country and favored to win its 32nd title.

The Terriers finished 0-2 and were outscored, 7-3, by Northeastern and Boston College.

After being upset by the Huskies, 3-1, in the semifinals, BU was upset again in the consolation game, 4-2, by the Eagles.

The win was the biggest of the season for BC (10-12-6).

Live championship updates: Northeastern vs. Harvard

Northeastern Global News is providing live updates from tonight’s Beanpot men’s championship between No. 15 Northeastern (14-10-4) and No. 10 Harvard (17-6-1).

Check back before, during and after the game for scores, highlights and analysis.

Puck drop at TD Garden is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are sold out, but the game will be televised live on NESN. Fans watching on TV will see a Northeastern hype video. Watch parties will be held at the West Addition inside the Curry Center on the Boston campus and at other global locations.

Led by senior captain Aidan McDonough, junior goalie Devon Levi and freshman defenseman Hunter McDonald, Northeastern advanced to the championship with a 3-1 semifinal win over Boston University with the support of its loyal fan base. Meanwhile, Harvard defeated Boston College in the last second of overtime.

The Huskies and Crimson have never faced each other in a Beanpot final, but are meeting for the 106th time overall. Harvard defeated Northeastern on New Year’s Day, 8-4, in Cambridge. Since then, however, the Huskies are 6-1-1, with the loss coming in OT to UConn and the tie a shootout win at Providence on Friday night.

“Stacy’s Mom” won’t be in attendance tonight, but the Northeastern pep band hopes to play the team’s unofficial theme song with the Huskies leading in the third period.

David Nordman is executive editor of Northeastern Global News. Follow him on Twitter @davenordman.