The junior’s first goal came 6:51 into the second period. Whitney and Barry Almeida skated in on a two-on-one on Northeastern goalie Chris Rawlings. Almeida, carrying the puck, made a move toward the goal, then slid the puck through the slot to Whitney, who had an open shot on the empty left side of the goal vacated by Rawlings.

“Barry has great passing skills,’’ Whitney said. “It was open in the beginning and then it kind of closed off a bit, but he made a great effort to saucer-pass it over the guy’s stick and it landed right on my stick.’’

Five minutes later, Whitney and Almeida teamed up again. This time, Whitney carried the puck and intended to pass to Almeida. But Northeastern defenseman Anthony Bitetto slid in front of Whitney and deflected the puck. It landed right back to Whitney, who sent a wrister over Rawlings’s left shoulder.

“Barry was my killing partner and I was pretty tired so I was looking to pass to him there,’’ Whitney said. “[Bitetto] made a nice play and got a stick on it, but luckily it bounced right back on mine and I just took the shot.’’

The two shorthanded goals were Whitney’s second and third of the season and his career.

Whitney also contributed an assist on Almeida’s power-play goal in the third period, giving him a season-high three points in the game.

As a native of Reading, Whitney grew up watching the Beanpot. Then he watched his older brother Joe play in a few. This is Whitney’s third Beanpot as a player, and the first in which he scored.

“I have been to a few Beanpots growing up and watched a bunch,’’ Whitney said. “[Scoring two goals] is definitely pretty special.’’

A history thrill

Playing in the Beanpot is a thrill for any college hockey player, but it’s particularly special for those who grew up in the Boston area.

Harvard’s Colin Moore, who hails from Medfield, is the second member of his family to participate in the storied event. His brother, Aaron, played 83 games for Northeastern from 2003-04 through 2006-07.

“I think the Beanpot represents the premium of college hockey in New England,’’ the Crimson senior center said. “Growing up here, I went to pretty much every single Beanpot since I can remember. When I was being recruited, playing in the Beanpot was probably one of the biggest credentials I looked for in schools. So, I was lucky enough to be able to play at a school like Harvard where I could participate in such a historic event.’’

When asked if he received any advice from his older brother, Moore laughed.

“This is my fourth year now but every year, he reminds me that it’s just another game and you have to take advantage of it,’’ he said. “It’s a special opportunity but it is a game that you need to win. He actually had the opportunity to play and start in a historic Beanpot game when Northeastern lost in double overtime to BU, so he’s been there and played in the championship.’’

Harvard lost to Boston University, 3-1, in last night’s semifinal opener, snapping the Crimson’s six-game unbeaten streak (3-0-3).

The Crimson, who will face Northeastern in next Monday’s consolation game, have nine ties this season. Victories over Yale and Brown Jan. 27 and 28 have been a highlight of the season.

“We had two huge wins and we were lucky enough to have them both in the Ivy League,’’ Moore said. “It was definitely a big weekend after what seemed like an eternity of ties, and hopefully we can use it to our advantage.’’

Despite all the ties, Harvard is tied for third in the ECAC.

“It’s definitely a double-edged sword,’’ Moore said. “You don’t want to be satisfied without winning but you do have to be satisfied that you got something out of it. There are a lot of good things we can take away from those ties. It’s frustrating a little but we have to take the positive out of it.’’

Scoreboard watching

BC’s seven goals against Northeastern matched its output of a year ago in the championship game. As far as the first round, it matched BU’s total in a 7-1 win over Harvard Feb. 3, 1997 . . . BU will face BC in the championship game for the 21st time in the 60-year history of the tournament. BU leads that series, 12-8 . . . BC’s senior class is 6-1 in the Beanpot . . . BC’s Jerry York is 23-12 in the Beanpot as a coach. This will be his 12th time in the championship game and the 10th time he’ll face BU. The Eagles are going after their fourth title in five years and third in a row . . . BC (16-10-1) entered last night’s game against Northeastern (10-11-3) with the 11th-ranked offense in the nation. In their first nine games, the Eagles were 8-1 and averaged 4.6 goals a game. The scoring binge has slowed, but the Eagles were still averaging 3.20 goals through 27 games . . . Parker Milner got the start in net last night for the Eagles. Milner, a junior, was making his third straight start and 17th of the season . . . Jack Grinold, the associate director for communications for Northeastern for more than 50 years, was inducted as the 53d member of the Beanpot Hall of Fame.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Globe Staff contributed to this report. She can be reached at marrapese@globe.com.