Wilmer Skoog (CAS‘23) was the hero of BU’s 2020 Beanpot semifinal when he scored the game-winning goal in double overtime as BU beat BC 5-4. “We know it’s going to be a packed TD Garden, and every team is going to come out as if it’s their last game,” Skoog says of this year’s tournament. Photo by Matt Woolverton

Beanpot

2022 Beanpot Preview: Everything You Need to Know

Women’s ice hockey tournament begins February 1, men’s February 7, after being canceled last year

The Beanpot is back. 

After COVID-19 forced the first cancellation in the tournament’s 69-year history in 2021, Boston’s signature college hockey spectacle returns this month.

The Women’s Beanpot, set for Northeastern’s Matthews Arena this year, kicks off on Tuesday, February 1, with the championship game the next Tuesday, February 8. The Men’s Beanpot will be played as usual at TD Garden on Monday, February 7, and Monday, February 14. Fans will be admitted at both venues.

Before the games get going, check out the latest scouting report of each team in the tournament.

Boston University women’s hockey

The Terriers will hit the ice in the first game of the 2022 Women’s Beanpot, meeting Harvard at 4 pm on February 1. BU won its first Beanpot trophy as a varsity program in 2019 and nearly went back-to-back in 2020, before Northeastern netted the overtime winner in the championship game.

Courtney Correia (Questrom‘22) recorded an assist in BU’s most recent Beanpot win, a 4-0 victory over Boston College in the 2020 semifinals. Correia has produced for the Terriers throughout her senior season, posting a team-leading 10 goals and 18 points. Julia Nearis (CAS’23) leads BU with 11 assists and places second in points (14), while Mackenna Parker (CAS’23) ranks second in goals (7).

Head coach Brian Durocher (Wheelock’78) has BU at 10-9-4 this season, notching big wins over then–No. 2 Northeastern, 2-1, on October 8 and then–No. 10 Boston College, 5-4, on November 21. Kate Stuart (CAS’22) and Callie Shanahan (CAS’25) have split the net and both own save percentages over .920.

Harvard women’s hockey

The Crimson will face BU in the opener, aiming to avenge their 2019 title game loss to the Terriers and rebound from a first-round exit at the hands of Northeastern in 2020. Harvard last took the trophy in 2015 and has won 15 in total, 7 in a row from 1999 to 2005.

Juniors Anne Bloomer and Kristin Della Rovere and senior Becca Gilmore have each tallied multiple points in Beanpot competition. This season, Bloomer’s 15 goals, Della Rovere’s 16 assists, and Gilmore’s 26 points are all team highs. Senior forward Keely Moy is fifth in points (13), but will miss the Beanpot, having been named to Team Switzerland for the Olympics.

After sitting out the 2020-2021 college hockey campaign, Harvard and head coach Katey Stone have returned to action with an impressive 15-5 record. Senior Becky Dutton has backstopped the Crimson in 12 games, holding a .938 save percentage and 1.50 goals-against average.

Boston College women’s hockey

The second game of the women’s semifinals will begin at 7:30 pm on February 1 when Boston College faces Northeastern. The Eagles own eight Beanpot trophies, picking up their most recent when they completed a three-peat in 2018. BC has not reached the final since.

Only two BC student-athletes remain from the 2018 championship team, but the Eagles bring plenty of new talent to the competition, including standout first-year Abby Newhook, who leads the team in goals (12). Senior Kelly Browne paces BC in assists (14) and junior Hannah Bilka has a team-best 22 points, followed closely by Newhook and Brown with 21 points apiece.

Head coach Katie Crowley’s Eagles were ranked among the nation’s top 10 teams earlier this season, but have fallen since, currently holding a 14-11 record. Abigail Levy has emerged among BC’s three senior goalies, playing 24 games with a .936 save percentage and 2.46 goals-against average.

Northeastern women’s hockey

Defending Beanpot champion Northeastern is the favorite to win again this year, recently earning the top spot in the women’s college hockey rankings. The Huskies claimed the 2020 trophy with a 4-3 OT win over BU, and have won 17 Beanpot tournaments, the most of any of the women’s teams.

The Huskies boast 23 upperclassmen, including senior Maureen Murphy, the team leader in goals (15) and points (30), as well as international stars Alina Mueller and Chloe Aurard, both seniors. Mueller will not be on the ice at the Beanpot, however, as she will be joining Harvard’s Moy with the Swiss Olympics women’s hockey team, marking the third Olympics already in her young career.

Head coach Dave Flint has nine Huskies with 10 points or more so far this season, leading to a 21-3-1 record, claiming the most wins in the nation. Graduate student Aerin Frankel remains the top-choice netminder, posting a save percentage of .958 and goals-against average of 1.04.

Boston University men’s hockey

The men’s tournament kicks off on Monday, February 7, and the Terriers will begin the night with a matchup against Harvard at 5 pm. BU has won a record 30 Beanpot titles, the most recent in 2015. The Terriers were beaten by Northeastern in overtime in the last championship game, in 2020.

Wilmer Skoog (CAS’23) scored the double-overtime game-winner in BU’s 5-4 Beanpot semifinal win over Boston College in 2020. This season, Skoog is tied for the team lead in points (19) with junior Domenick Fensore (CAS’23), who has a BU-best 15 assists. Robert Mastrosimone (CAS’23) leads BU with nine goals and is another member of the deep junior class at the heart of the team.

Head coach Albie O’Connell (CAS’99) and the Terriers have won 9 of their last 11 games for a 13-10-3 record. Starting goaltender Drew Commesso (CAS’24) will miss the Beanpot to join Team USA at the Olympics, so BU will turn to Vinny Duplessis (CAS’24) or Ashton Abel (CAS’23) in net.

Harvard men’s hockey

It’s the Crimson vs. the Terriers in the semifinals first game, and Harvard is looking to advance to its first Beanpot title game in four years. They’ve won the trophy 11 times, the last in 2017, ending a 23-year drought. The Crimson beat BU in the first Beanpot tournament in 1952.

Sophomore Alex Laferriere is the only Crimson skater with a double-digit goals total (11) and is tied for second on the team in points (19) with junior Sean Farrell, behind only junior Nick Abruzzese (21). Farrell and Abruzzese will be absent this month as they represent the United States at the Olympics, but the team retains former Beanpot scorer senior Casey Dornbach.

Head coach Ted Donato’s team had a season off with the rest of the Ivy League last year, but has returned to compile a 10-7-2 record thus far this season. Junior netminder Mitchell Gibson has a .913 save percentage and 2.10 goals-against average in 15 games for the Crimson.

Boston College men’s hockey

The Eagles will skate in the first round nightcap, battling Northeastern starting at approximately 8 pm. Boston College has earned the second-most Beanpot trophies, with 20, and the most in the last 20 years, with 8. BC’s most recent Beanpot championship came in 2016, marking the Eagles’ sixth title in seven years.

BC’s leaders in all three major offensive categories are Olympic-bound: junior Drew Helleson and senior Marc McLaughlin will compete for Team USA and senior Jack McBain will be skating for Canada. Of the remaining team members, senior Jack St. Ivany has 15 assists and 19 points, and senior Patrick Giles has scored twice in three career Beanpot games, one his first goal as an Eagle in 2019.

The Eagles are winless through seven games in 2022, bringing a 10-11-4 record into head coach Jerry York’s 26th Beanpot tournament. Graduate student Eric Dop has controlled the crease, appearing in 20 games since his arrival from Bowling Green this past off-season. 

Northeastern men’s hockey

Northeastern is the team to beat in the 2022 Beanpot. The Huskies have won three consecutive Beanpot titles—after going 30 years without a trophy. Northeastern is also the only team to have changed coaches recently, as Jerry Keefe replaced new athletic director Jim Madigan in 2021.

Going into their semifinals matchup with BC, the Huskies are led offensively by junior Aidan McDonough, whose 16 goals are 10 clear of the team’s next highest goal scorer, senior Jakov Novak, who has lit the lamp 6 times. McDonough’s team-leading 23 points is followed by 17 for both sophomore Gunnarwolfe Fontaine and freshman Justin Hryckowian, who also share the top spot in assists (12).

Northeastern is 16-8-1 going into Keefe’s first Beanpot as head coach. The team will be without Canadian Olympian and star freshman goaltender Devon Levi, so freshman TJ Semptimphelter, with a .953 save percentage and 1.53 goals-against average in five games, has taken over.

Both Women’s Beanpot semifinal games on Tuesday, February 1, will be shown live on NESN+, as will the women’s championship game, beginning at 7:30 pm on February 8. Both Men’s Beanpot semifinal games on Monday, February 7, will be televised on NESN, as will the men’s championship game, starting at 7:30 pm on Monday, February 14. Fans can buy tickets for the women’s tournament online here and the men’s tournament online here. Follow BU’s teams @TerrierHockey and @TerrierWHockey on Twitter.