The annual Beanpot tournament in Boston means something different to everyone. To the casual hockey fan, it’s a showcase of the NCAA college hockey product. For big pro hockey fans, it’s a reminder of the great hockey traditions in New England. For the diehard fan of either Northeastern, Boston University, Boston College or Harvard, winning is the ultimate bragging right.
Monday’s (Feb. 12) 71st annual Beanpot championship bout between the Northeastern Huskies and Boston University Terriers was a reminder of what is so great about the mid-season tournament. The unranked Huskies downed the No. 3 nationally ranked Terriers in overtime, clinching their fifth of the last six Beanpot titles.
David vs. Goliath
On paper, it wasn’t set to be a David versus Goliath sort of game. While Northeastern is unranked and BU is No. 3 in the nation, the two teams traded overtime wins earlier this season, and the Beanpot always feels like it’s anybody’s game.
By the end of the first period on Monday, however, BU had outshot Northeastern 11-3. By the end of the second, the shot totals were 23-8 in BU’s favor.
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NHL prospect Macklin Celebrini opened up the scoring for BU nearly 15 minutes into the game. Northeastern defenseman Pito Walton retreated into his own zone with the puck and coughed it up in front of his own net. Jack Harvey picked up the loose puck and dropped it back to Celebrini who sent it over the glove of sprawling Northeastern netminder Cameron Whitehead.
The whole game seemed to be going BU’s way, and it was a similar feeling for much of the second period, but despite being held to single-digit shot totals through the two frames, Northeastern refused to stay quiet.
Back-and-Forth Second Frame
The Huskies’ Matt DeMelis tied the game at one apiece just under six minutes into the second period. Cam Lund carried the puck down the right wing and into the zone, springing a 3-on-1 break. He patiently glided toward the front of the goal before sending it across the crease to Gunnarwolfe Fontaine. Fontaine threw a shot on goal that trickled through the pads of BU netminder Mathieu Caron and DeMelis cleaned up the crease to make it 1-1.
BU’s Devin Kaplan struck back five minutes later and then, 29 seconds later, Northeastern’s Justin Hryckowian tied things once more, 2-2, after another puck squeaked through Caron.
As the second period wound down, it looked like it would be a tie game heading into the third period. Then, with seven seconds left, the Terriers’ Jeremy Wilmer skated the puck into the zone, prepared to whirl around the back of the net but instead found Lane Hutson in the high slot who gave BU a 3-2 lead.
Northeastern Resurgence & Fontaine Heroics
Northeastern registered the only power-play goal of the game halfway through the third period. The Huskies cycled the puck until it reached Vinny Borgesi at the point. Goaltender Caron edged to the top of his crease, bobbing and weaving his head around bodies in front to try and spot Borgesi’s intentions – shoot or pass? Borgesi chose pass – down to the bottom of the face-off circle to Jack Williams, to be exact – and Williams fired a one-timer home.
From there it was truly anyone’s game. Gone was the ice-tilt in BU’s favor and the team’s respective places in the standings were long out the window.
Whitehead was bombarded in the three-on-three overtime, but he held strong. The goalie’s final save of the night acted as an honorary assist, as the rebound found its way to Fontaine. He was sprung on a 2-on-1 rush alongside Hryckowian, but a back-checking Terrier forced him to be patient. Hryckowian circled over to Fontaine and picked up a drop pass, nearly giving it up as both BU defenders swarmed him.
Hryckowian was able to find Fontaine floating, uncovered, at the hash marks and he fired it home for the OT-winner. TD Garden was abuzz.
The Reign Continues
The victory clinched Northeastern’s fifth Beanpot title in six years. As Northeastern players cleared the benches and threw off their gloves and helmets to celebrate, and as BU players collapsed to the ice in defeat, it didn’t feel like a midseason, bragging rights tournament. It felt like Northeastern had just won the national title.
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After the Beanpot banner was risen, however, it was back to business. Northeastern are looking to fight their way to the top half of the Hockey East Conference, while the No. 3 ranked Terriers look to solidify their place in the NCAA tournament. But for two weeks in February, the Beanpot tournament didn’t disappoint.
