The Terriers (17-8-1) advanced to their 26th championship game in 29 yearsand will face the Boston College-Northeastern winner next Monday night to decidethe annual showdown between the area’s four college hockey powers.

Matt Nieto had the other goal for BU, which won for the seventh time in ninegames. Earlier in the day, the Terriers took over the top spot in the NCAADivision I poll compiled by U.S. College Hockey Online.

Still, coach Jack Parker didn’t think his team played like the No. 1 squadin the nation.

“We were fortunate to get out with a win tonight and get to the Beanpotfinal,” he said. “We owe that to Kieran Millan.”

Alex Killorn scored a power-play goal for Harvard (7-7-9), which was 3-0-3in its previous six games.

The Terriers are trying to end what is—for them—a Beanpot slump. Theyhaven’t captured the championship the past two years and will look to avoidtheir first three-year drought since 1983-85 when they make their 49thappearance in the final next week.

BU has won the most Beanpot titles with 29, including 28 in the last 46years. But last season represented a rare flop—the Terriers lost in overtimeto archrival Boston College in the first round and then were beaten by Harvardin the third-place game.

It was Harvard’s first Beanpot victory over BU since 1994 and the firstfourth-place finish for the Terriers since 1980.

“Last year left a bad taste in our mouth,” Megan said. “We knew we had toplay a good game today and this team was in our way.”

Megan’s two goals came just less than 7 minutes apart midway through thesecond period and pushed BU’s lead to 3-0.

On the first, he fired a wrist shot from the bottom of the right circlebetween goalie Steve Michalek’s pads for a power-play goal. His second goal cameoff his own solid effort when Megan collected the puck in the left corner, cutto the front of the net and slipped a short backhander by Michalek.

Harvard cut it to 3-1 just more than a minute later when Killorn collected apass in the slot and slipped a wrister over Millan’s right shoulder.

“I really felt that if we could have got that second one we could have gotsome momentum and made the game a lot different,” Harvard coach Ted Donatosaid.

The Terriers grabbed a 1-0 lead when Nieto beat Michalek with a wraparound8:14 into the opening period.

BU rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat Harvard 4-3 in overtime Jan. 15 intheir only other meeting this season. The Crimson have won the Beanpot 10 times,but their last title was in 1993.

There was a sparse crowd for most of the game, with the TD Garden less thanhalf full.

“I think it’s tough playing the afternoon game. New atmosphere and not aton of fans,” Megan said. “You kind of have to make your own energy.”

Boston College won last year’s Beanpot, beating Northeastern 7-6 in overtimefor its second consecutive title and third in four years.

That doesn’t mean there’s not some serious college hockey on tap. In fact,in Boston on Monday, it doesn’t get any more serious.

The title of “Best of Boston” will soon be decided as the Beanpotcelebrates its 60th anniversary. Harvard, Boston University, Boston College andNortheastern hit the ice for two games at the TD Garden, with each team skatingfor area bragging rights.

Win the Beanpot and the season is a success—regardless of what elsehappens.

“Just those two games, it’s so tremendously hard to win,” said Harvardcaptain Ryan Grimshaw, a defenseman who hopes his fourth Beanpot will bring theCrimson the coveted trophy for the first time since 1993. “People might look atit from the outside and say, `It’s only two games. It’s just a tournament.’ It’snot at all.

“It’s just so much more in the Boston area.”

That’s why they’ve been playing it since 1952, when Harvard won the firsttitle by beating BU 7-4 in the championship game.

The schools nestled among Boston’s historic sites and neighborhoods play thesemifinal round Monday, the day after the New England Patriots face the New YorkGiants in the Super Bowl.

Though the old Boston Garden has given way to the modern-day TD, the “new”building is still home to the Bruins and Celtics, and the same championshipbanners and retired numbers hang from the rafters. And of course, it will stillbe loud, and even a bit rowdy, as students face off with their peers from otherschools.

Mike McLaughlin, a native of Canada, said he was playing juniors in theOntario Hockey League when Northeastern lured him south with a recruiting visitto Boston. It just so happened to be the week of the Beanpot.

“I didn’t really know about college hockey. When I started gettingrecruited for schools I had to do some research,” said McLaughlin, the Huskiessenior captain who is also looking for his first title. “After seeing that, Iwas sold.”

Harvard plays Boston University on Monday evening, followed by BostonCollege against Northeastern. The winners advance to the championship game aweek later.

BC is the defending champion after beating Northeastern 7-6 in overtime forthe Eagles’ third Beanpot trophy in four years. The only school keeping BC froma four-year streak is BU, which beat Northeastern 5-2 for the 2009 championship— the Terriers’ 29th in the tournament’s history.

That’s just short of half the Beanpot titles. And 21 have come under coachJack Parker, who won three as a player for the Terriers in the late 1960s.

For the first time in tournament history, all four coaches are alumni whoalso won Beanpot titles as a player. Northeastern’s Jim Madigan rounded out thegroup when he took over the Huskies in July. Madigan was a back-to-back Beanpotchampion in 1984-85. Harvard coach Ted Donato helped the Crimson win both theBeanpot and the NCAA titles in 1989, and BC’s Jerry York starred for the Eaglesin the 1960s.

There is plenty of familiarity, and it’s not just because the schools are soclose.

“I recruited Teddy (Donato). I’m still waiting to hear an answer,” Parkerjoked last week during a news conference.

BC and Northeastern have already played three times this season, with theEagles winning all three by a goal, starting with a 4-3 victory in overtime onOct. 22. BC won the last two 2-1, including a game Jan. 14 outdoors at FenwayPark.

Madigan hopes the experience of playing in an unusual venue like thehistoric baseball stadium, and the Huskies’ repeated close calls against theEagles, can finally lead Northeastern to a win this time.

After that, it’s a one-game tournament.

“It’s not always the hottest team coming in, it’s the team that comes inand bonds together during this tournament. It’s the team that gets goodgoaltending and plays smart defensive hockey. And that plays an entire 60minutes,” Madigan said. “The emotions are running so high, you can’t afford toplay outside your capabilities or outside your emotions. You have to have youremotions in check.

“The teams that can do that usually come out winning this.”

Besides the giant ice luge in the background and the below-freezing temperatures, the fifth-year senior goaltender looked right at home between the posts.

Hunwick had 31 saves in the Frozen Diamond Faceoff, as the Michigan hockey team completed its weekend sweep of Ohio State, 4-1. The Buckeyes’ lone goal was off a deflection, and was one of several open looks on the night — Hunwick was at his best.

His performance on Sunday came after a gem of a game on Friday, where he saved a career-high 46 shots in a 4-0 victory over Ohio State. So over the span of two games, Hunwick allowed only one goal on 77 shots.

“He gives our team a lot of confidence, and he is playing rock solid right now,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “To come out of the weekend with only one (goal) against — you have to be playing well to do that against a team like Ohio.”

Even though he entered the game from the Cleveland Indians dugout and not from the locker room of the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Hunwick didn’t miss a beat from Friday’s game.

“I thought (Hunwick) played very well on Friday night, and I thought he carried that again tonight,” said Ohio State coach Mark Osiecki. “When he did have a couple opportunities, he was there and he was rock solid. You know that in him. He’s a proven goaltender.”

It also helped that Hunwick played most of the game while he was ahead, after junior forward Chris Brown took a rebound off a shot from sophomore defenseman Kevin Clare, spun 180 degrees to his left, and slid the puck past Buckeye netminder Cal Heeter.

Brown had a hand in the Wolverines’ next goal, too, assisting on freshman forward Alex Guptill’s team-leading 12th goal of the year. Michigan stayed in control for most of the first period, with the puck spending most of its time in Ohio State’s zone.

The Wolverines’ only costly penalty of the night came at the end of the first period, but even then, they were two seconds away from killing it unscathed. Hunwick was caught out of position after a rebound — really the only time he was in the wrong spot — and Buckeye forward Chris Crane whittled the advantage down to one just 50 seconds into the second period.

But after sophomore forward Derek DeBlois and senior captain David Wohlberg scored back-to-back in a 28-second stretch later on in the period, the momentum, and the game, gave way to Michigan.

In that second period, it showed that Michigan had some outdoor experience. This was the third outdoor game for Michigan’s juniors and seniors, including the Camp Randall Classic in Wisconsin in 2010 and The Big Chill at the Big House last December.

Ohio State got flustered, but the Wolverines kept their cool and put the game away.

It wasn’t just Hunwick that gave the Ohio State offense fits, though. Michigan’s defense suffocated the Buckeyes as soon as they crossed the red line, basically eliminating shots near the crease. Hunwick’s goaltending was superb, but the defense also did its job.

“The biggest thing is that everyone is taking pride in their job in the defensive zone,” said senior defenseman Greg Pateryn. “Everyone is rolling right now and doing what they are supposed to, and you cant ask for much more — one goal against over a weekend is pretty good.”

Osiecki added: “Lets give credit where credit is due — Michigan is really good. Their defensemen do a tremendous job, and having (sophomore defenseman) Jon Merrill back in the lineup is … in my opinion, he is the best defenseman in the country.”

Last time Hunwick played in an outdoor game — the Big Chill — he didn’t know he was going to play until after warm-ups, when then-starting goalie Bryan Hogan went down with a groin injury.

This time around, Hunwick knew he was going to be playing since day one, and it showed the whole weekend. The spectacle of the Frozen Diamond Faceoff didn’t seem to faze him at all, even as fireworks flew through the 27-degree night sky.

One goal on 77 shots — just another day at the office for Michigan’s backbone, leading his team to its ninth-straight game without a loss.

And when Ohio State’s tuba player bowed to dot the “i” and the crowdroared, it felt and looked like a football Saturday in Columbus or Ann Arbor.

Except it was January and the band member was standing directly on the blueline—outdoors—on a spot normally occupied by a second baseman.

Ohio State and Michigan took their heated rivalry to the ice Sunday, playingthe first outdoor college hockey game in Ohio before 25,864 fans who downed hotchocolate and other beverages to combat plunging temperatures at ProgressiveField, seasonal home of the Cleveland Indians.

Derek DeBlois and David Wohlberg scored 28 seconds apart in the secondperiod to lead the No. 15 Wolverines to a 4-1 win over the No. 2 Buckeyes, whowere the “home” team despite being a two-hour drive from campus and wereoutplayed for three periods by their nemesis from the north.

However, the outcome was secondary to the event, which was deemed a hugesuccess.

“A great spectacle,” said Michigan coach Red Berensen, who has led theWolverines to 21 straight NCAA appearances. “It was a special event.”

Especially for Michigan, which beat Ohio State 4-0 on Friday in Columbus.

While the hockey programs don’t share the same blood feud the schools havehad in football since the early 1900s, there were still plenty of punishing hitsand after-the-whistle roughness to serve as reminders that no matter the sport,Michigan and Ohio State don’t like each other.

Ohio State’s mascot, Brutus, had to dodge several snow balls aimed at hislarge head in the third period.

The ballpark was blanketed with several inches of fresh snow, which arrivedjust in time on Friday to finally allow the Indians to finish their second“Snow Days” promotion with some actual white stuff on the ground. Like almosteverywhere, Cleveland has had an unseasonably warm winter to this point, but theweekend’s frigid weather provided the perfect backdrop for hockey—or sled-dogracing.

There were football overtones as well.

Archie Griffin, the two-time Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State, droppedthe ceremonial puck. Both schools sent their bands and fans alternated chants of“Let’s Go Blue!” with “Let’s Go Bucks!”

On a rink built over the infield, there was also one baseball-esque momentwhen the puck sailed over the glass and Indians’ dugout into the stands, sendingfans scrambling for the souvenir puck like they were going after a foul ball.

Michigan was playing in its fourth outdoor game. Ohio State was in just itssecond and the large stage may have caused some early jitters.

“We need to be on a stage like this for our program to grow,” said OhioState coach Mark Osiecki, whose young team wasn’t expected to be this strong.

Several hours before the start, fans fired up small grills around thedowntown ballpark, which is usually unoccupied from October until April’s seasonopener. The sight of smoke drifting into the chilly air was warming to Indianspresident Mark Shapiro, who knew the “Frozen Diamond Faceoff” would attract acrowd.

Shapiro was confident the unique event, which concluded the team’s second“Snow Days” promotion—a tubing hill and ice skating track inside theballpark—would bring fans of both programs to Cleveland. He was also surelocal hockey enthusiasts would be interested. Shapiro joked that he monitoredticket sales “every three or four hours” since the game was announced inAugust.

“I don’t think we felt like there was much risk,” said Shapiro, whoacknowledged the “Snow Days” promotion lost money for the second year in arow. “We were going to get a lot of people here, just what level of a lot?”

There are no current plans for a second outdoor game. Shapiro said theIndians will evaluate the success of this year’s game before deciding whether toschedule one for next year or beyond.

“We have not limited ourselves in anything we’re looking at or anything wemight do,” he said. “What’s most important is that we do this well, that weexecute and we operate in a way that for everyone that comes, we can’t guaranteethey’ll be warm, but we want to guarantee they create special memories and havea special time.”

Ohio State sophomore Chris Crane hopes the Indians decide to do it again.

He wants another shot at the Wolverines in Cleveland.

“Absolutely,” he said. “It’s every hockey player’s dream to play in agame like this. It was a blast, but we want a chance at redemption.”

With the rivals’ fans sitting side-by-side in Progressive Field, home of theCleveland Indians, the Wolverines and Buckeyes are playing the first outdoorcollege hockey game in Ohio. A crowd of 30,000 is expected for the FrozenDiamond Faceoff, a unique event Indians president Mark Shapiro says could happenagain.

Once it’s over, Shapiro said the Indians will evaluate the event and decidewhether to hold it again next year.

Shapiro arrived at the downtown ballpark more than five hours before thestart and was greeted by hundreds of fans tailgating like it was a Saturdayduring college football season.

Ohio State, which came in ranked No. 2, is trying to avenge a 4-0 loss tothe Wolverines on Friday in Columbus.

With helmets similar to the ones they wear in football, the Wolverines andBuckeyes will meet Sunday in Ohio’s first outdoor college hockey game, whichwill take place on a rink built over the Cleveland Indians’ dirt and grassinfield. A crowd of 30,000 is expected at Progressive Field for the uniqueevent, which will wrap up the baseball team’s second annual Snow Days.

They’re rivals in football, but Michigan and Ohio State can also skate. TheWolverines, who have won nine NCAA titles, beat the second-ranked Buckeyes 4-0on Friday in Columbus.

When Ohio State practiced at the ballpark last week, strong wind made itdifficult for the players to skate in one direction but pushed them toward thegoal when they went the opposite way.

The former leader of the U.S. Olympic Committee was introduced ascommissioner of the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference on Wednesday, ajob sure to be filled with its share of threats and challenges, though almostcertainly not so many from within his own office.

“One of the nice things about this position is that everyone’s on the samepage about where they want to take the conference,” Scherr said. “From thatperspective, it’s a nice feeling.”

Scherr was guiding the USOC through a period of success after years ofturmoil when he was unexpectedly pushed out in 2009—a move engineered by theboard of directors, one of whom, Stephanie Streeter, ended up getting his job.The CEO position has since been filled by Scott Blackmun and things have calmeddown at the USOC. But at the time of Scherr’s departure, critics said it was aninside job that sullied the reputation of the USOC, which had tried numerousreform attempts over the years.

Scherr started his own marketing company, which had some success, but he’llstep down as CEO there to concentrate on the hockey job.

Not that the new position doesn’t have its own share of potential traps.

In moves that mirrored the seismic shifts in college football, but on asmaller level, college hockey has been realigning. Last year, the Big Tendecided to start a hockey conference and poached Minnesota and Wisconsin out ofthe 60-year-old WCHA. That left teams such as Colorado College and Denver—small schools that support large hockey programs—scrambling as they decidedwhether to salvage the WCHA, find a new home in an existing conference or createsomething completely new.

Their choice: the new NCHC, which also includes Miami (Ohio),Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State and WesternMichigan. The conference begins play in the 2013-14 season.

The 50-year-old Scherr conceded everyone in the new conference must payattention to the changing landscape in college sports.

“Given the fact that nobody knows where the world of collegiate sports willgo three to five years from now, you always have to be cognizant of the factthat there could be potential additions or realignment,” he said. “I thinkwe’re pretty satisfied with where we are today.”

Of course, if there’s any intrigue or maneuvering to be done—well, Scherris well-versed in that. A former Olympic wrestler, who served as executivedirector of USA Wrestling before coming to the USOC, he has spent most of hisadult life in Olympic circles. As leader of the USOC, he had to deal with theintricate politics of the international Olympic movement, to say nothing of themachinations in his own office.

“He’s been in real important sports positions for 20 years where you’ve gotto herd cats, got to organize volunteers, got to get people to follow in thedirection you want them to go,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USAHockey who serves on the USOC board. “He’s done that, especially in the last 10years, at the national and international level. He comes with a hell of aRolodex, a hell of a network of friends.”

The university said he died Tuesday of natural causes at his home in SouthBend, Ind.

Smith compiled a 307-320-30 record in 19 seasons from 1968-1987, includingrunner-up finishes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in 1973and 1977. He was selected the WCHA Coach of the Year in 1973 and coached sixAll-Americans during his career.

After coaching, Smith became the facilities manager at the school’s LoftusSports Center and remained in that role until he retired last month. He had beenthe athletic department’s longest-tenured employee at the time of hisretirement. A new hockey rink was named for him last fall.

The person confirmed the deal, first reported by the Colorado SpringsGazette, to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because anannouncement has yet to be made.

The NCHC will introduce its new commissioner Wednesday. The eight-teamconference starts play in 2013 and will include WCHA teams Colorado College,Denver, North Dakota, Minnesota-Duluth and St. Cloud State.

Scherr worked as CEO of the USOC beginning in 2003 but was unexpectedlyousted in 2009. A former Olympic wrestler, he also served as executive directorof USA Wrestling from 1990-2000.

Corey Trivino of Toronto, Canada, was released on personal recognizanceafter pleading not guilty Monday to charges including indecent assault andbattery.

Trivino, a 2008 draft pick of the New York Islanders, is the leading goalscorer in Hockey East, with 13 in 15 games. On Tuesday, BU coach Jack Parkersaid the 21-year-old Trivino was “no longer associated” with the ninth-rankedteam.

Prosecutors said late Sunday at a BU dorm, the woman asked Trivino and agroup he was with to be quiet during mandatory quiet hours. They said Trivinothen forced his way into her room, tried to kiss her and repeatedly groped her.Prosecutors said the woman resisted and demanded Trivino leave, but Trivinodidn’t go until she phoned for help, when he ran out of the room.

Prosecutors said campus police found Trivino in an elevator shortlyafterward, and he was visibly drunk.

Trivino’s attorney, William Sullivan, said there were “some inaccuracies”in the prosecution’s account of the incident, but he didn’t want to get intospecifics.

Trivino has been in trouble at BU before—last year, Parker suspendedTrivino for the early part of the 2010-2011 season for unspecified violations ofteam rules.

On Tuesday, Sullivan referred to unnamed “issues” Trivino has to dealwith.

“We’re looking to address those,” Sullivan said. “There’s more importantthings in a young man’s life than just hockey. I met with his parents, who arehere. I met with Corey. And we’re going to address these issues. … He’s veryupset, but he understands we’re going to have to deal with some of thesethings.”

“This is a good kid,” Sullivan said.

The court ordered Trivino to leave his dorm by Monday afternoon. Sullivansaid Trivino will stay enrolled at the school, but called the situation “day byday,” and cited possible academic sanctions.

BU’s dean of students Kenneth Elmore said the school would quicklyinvestigate what happened, and Trivino can attend classes until any officialsuspension or expulsion.