BU forward Macklin Celebrini (CAS’27) battles Northeastern alternate captain Jack Williams at the faceoff circle. Both Celebrini and Williams found the back of the net in Monday’s Beanpot championship. Photo by John Ratner

MEN'S BEANPOT

Beanpot Heartbreak as BU Falls 4-3 to Northeastern in Overtime

Upstart Huskies take the 71st annual tournament for second straight Beanpot title

The No. 3–ranked Boston University men’s hockey team outshot and outskated city rival Northeastern in the 71st Beanpot Championship on Monday at TD Garden, but it wasn’t enough, as the Terriers fell 4-3 in overtime. For Northeastern, it was the second consecutive Beanpot trophy and fifth in six years.

“I am disappointed with the end result,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo (CAS’96) says. “Taking nothing away from Northeastern, they kept fighting, but I thought we were the better team for the majority of the game. We controlled possession, we had the better scoring chances, but we ended up on the wrong side of it, we lost, so it’s a tough way to go.”

Monday’s matchup was the sixth consecutive year BU and Northeastern met in the Beanpot. In that same six-year span, Northeastern has made the Beanpot final each time, winning five and falling to BU only in 2022.

The Terriers were able to carry momentum into the final period, thanks to a goal in the waning seconds of the second period. With the score tied 2-2, Terrier forward Jeremy Wilmer (CAS’26) methodically carried the puck up Northeastern’s left flank, finding one of BU’s Hobey Baker nominees, Lane Hutson (CAS’26), directly in front of Huskie freshman goalie Cameron Whitehead’s crease. Hutson flicked it past Whitehead with just seven seconds left in the period, for a 3-2 lead. But the Terriers were silenced in the third period while Northeastern tied it, then won in the extra session when the teams played with just three skaters on the ice in wide-open play.

In overtime, both teams had opportune chances to win. With less than 30 seconds remaining in the sudden-death period, Northeastern’s Gunnarwolfe Fontaine found a pass from Justin Hryckowian, beating BU goalie Mathieu Caron (CAS’25) and clinching the championship for the Huskies. Despite outshooting Northeastern 36-17, the Terriers ultimately failed in the only measure that mattered: goals scored.

Having two games already decided in overtime this season, it seemed inevitable that this pivotal matchup would need more than three periods to crown the victor. BU bested the Huskies 4-3 in overtime at Agganis Arena on January 9, only to fall by the same score at Matthews Arena on January 30. Monday’s result was yet another 4-3 overtime final.

When the puck dropped at TD Garden Monday night, excitement for the impending snowstorm—and the cancellation of classes on Tuesday at both schools—translated into some extra energy from BU’s Dog Pound and Northeastern’s DogHouse. The student sections went chant for chant with each other as their skaters fought to establish some momentum on the ice.

The Terriers were the first to deploy their game plan to limited success. Their control of Northeastern’s defensive zone yielded seven shots on goal in the opening 10 minutes, although none beat Northeastern goaltender Whitehead.

It would be the Terriers’ eighth shot that would break through to open the Beanpot scoresheet. Forward Jack Harvey (CAS’27) intercepted a miscued pass from Huskies defenseman Pito Walton in Northeastern’s zone with just over five to go in the first. Harvey then found linemate and Hobey Baker nominee Macklin Celebrini (CAS’27), whose 23rd goal is his 3rd in the Beanpot and ties BC’s Cutter Gauthier for the national lead.

The 1-0 score would hold for the remainder of the first period. As the second began, it appeared to be more tough skating for the Huskies. BU swarmed Whitehead in the opening three minutes, mounting six shots to Northeastern’s one.

Terrier fans succumb to the game result. Photos by Jake Belcher

The Huskies made sure to capitalize on their opportunities. Skating in transition after making a strong clear out of their zone, Northeastern alternate captain Matt DeMelis led a 3-on-1 charge into BU’s zone. DeMelis ferried a pass and then scored the subsequent rebound to even the Beanpot final at one.

BU was fast to respond. Leading a charge in front of Whitehead, Devin Kaplan (CAS’26) lobbied a stretch pass to linemate Sam Stevens (Questrom’23). Huskies defenseman Hunter McDonald attempted to interrupt the pass, but the puck bounced hazardously off his stick, hopping over Whitehead and returning the lead to BU 2-1.

Northeastern, skating off the lead change, brought the game back to even almost immediately. While the BU faithful were still rejoicing, Huskies captain Hryckowian collected a deflected puck off the boards and lodged it past Caron to tie the game at two.

After doubling the score in under 30 seconds, the Terriers and Huskies settled the game down, but continued to trade rushes at each other’s zones. BU’s shot attempts proceeded in bunches—BU led in shots on goal 23 to 8 at the end of two.

The torrid pace of the first two periods continued in the third. The high-octane action was amplified by the lack of penalties called on either team. BU would go nearly two and half periods before being called for their first penalty—a minor for holding on Gavin McCarthy (CAS’27). Skating on the man advantage, Huskies’ alternate captain Jack Williams would rip a one-timer from the left circle to beat Caron and even the score at three-apiece.

Now knotted up again, BU found a new gear to combat the Northeastern DogHouse’s renewed energy from the stands. Northeastern bench boss Jerry Keefe utilized his timeout with six minutes left on the clock. The Terriers’ onslaught proceeded, levying 10 unanswered shots.

The effort was not enough, however, as the third period ended before either team could take the lead. Thus the game went to a three-on-three five-minute overtime period, the third time this season that these teams entered a fourth period with this scoreline.

“We have got to get past this,” Pandolfo says. “We have to keep our heads high—we played a good hockey game. We can’t get discouraged by it, we can’t get down, we have got to be ready to bounce back. We have a couple of tough weekends coming up, Providence is a very good team, so we’ve got to put this one behind us and move forward.”

The No. 3–ranked Terriers fall to 19-8-1 and will return for a home-and-home on February 16 and 17 against No. 10/11 Providence College. The Terriers will face three Hockey East opponents—Providence, UConn, and UVM—as the season moves toward the Hockey East tournament, which begins March 13.