PETRECKI LIFTS BC PAST HARVARD, 6-5 IN OVERTIME, IN BEANPOT FINAL
Freshman Nick Petrecki scores twice, including game-winner; Fellow freshman Brian Gibbons named Beanpot MVP

Brian Gibbons was named MVP at the 56th Beanpot

BOSTON (AP) - Nick Petrecki scored his second goal of the game -- and the second of his college career -- at 7:07 of overtime to lead Boston College to a 6-5 victory over Harvard on Monday night in the 56th Beanpot championship game.

BC led 5-3 midway through the third period, but Jon Pelle scored an unassisted goal to cut the deficit to one, then Mike Taylor tied it with 4:24 left in regulation when he tipped Alex Biega's slapper into the net.

The Eagles dominated the extra period -- outshooting Harvard 7-0 -- before Petrecki got to a rebound during a scramble in front of the net and poked it past Kyle Richter.

Petrecki, a freshman, flopped onto the ice and slid over the red line while his teammates poured out of the BC bench to pile on top of him. It was BC's first victory since 2004 in the annual contest for the region's college hockey bragging rights.

Brian Gibbons scored twice and was the tournament's MVP, and John Muse stopped 21 shots for the Eagles (15-6-7), who beat BU in last week's opening round.

Doug Rogers had a goal and two assists for Harvard, and he also put the puck past Muse in the second period but the goal was disallowed because the whistle had blown. Richter made 27 saves for the Crimson, who were playing in their first final since 1998; Harvard (9-11-3) hasn't won since '93.

A sellout crowd of 17,565, heavily weighted toward Boston College, saw the highest-scoring Beanpot final since BU beat Northeastern 11-4 in 1996. It was the fourth time in five years that the championship game has been settled in overtime.

The teams traded goals over the first two periods, leaving the game tied 3-3 on Rogers' goal with 2:35 gone in the third.

The Eagles took a 4-3 lead at 5:48 of the third when Matt Price dug the puck out from behind the Harvard net and backhanded it to Pat Gannon in front. The 5-foot-6 senior whacked at it twice before it trickled between Richter's pads.

Andrew Orpik, the brother of Pittsburgh Penguins and former BC defenseman Brooks Orpik, gave the Eagles a 5-3 lead midway through the third. But Harvard cut the deficit in half 52 seconds later when Pelle came over the blue line and faked two defenders onto the ice, looking to pass before taking it himself at 11:14.