The Beanpot often does not go the way most would expect. For example, Boston College and Boston University – the two tournament favorites more often than not – had not actually met in the final since 2016 entering this year’s tournament.
Monday night did go as expected, however, and now the No. 1 Eagles and No. 8 Terriers will be meeting in next Monday’s Beanpot championship game after a pair of blowout wins.
BU punched its ticket first, dominating Harvard 7-1 in Monday’s first semifinal. BC followed suit, beating Northeastern 8-2 in the nightcap and ending the Huskies’ dreams of a Beanpot three-peat in the process.
The Terriers actually got off to a slow start against the Crimson, falling behind 1-0 early and getting outshot 8-3 through the game’s first 12 minutes. They tied the game late in the period on a Devin Kaplan goal off a nice feed from Jack Hughes, and then they completely took over in the second.
In the middle 20 minutes, BU scored more goals (5) than Harvard had shots (4). The go-ahead goal, and what proved to be the game-winner, came on a filthy finish from Shane Lachance on the power play, as the sophomore captain and grandson of Jack Parker took a pass down low, pulled the puck through his legs, and flipped a shot past Harvard goalie Ben Charette.
The Terriers weren’t done with the highlight-reel goals. Cole Hutson also went through his own legs, dangling around a Northeastern defenseman before squeezing the puck past Charette. Hutson, a 2024 second-round pick of the Washington Capitals who leads all freshman defensemen in scoring, added another goal and two assists for a four-point night in his Beanpot debut.
Kaplan would also add a second goal, while Hughes, Quinn Hutson (Cole’s older brother), Nick Roukounakis and Gavin McCarthy all finished with multi-point games as well. When it was all said and done, BU’s seven goals were the most scored by any team in a Beanpot game since 2013 -- a feat BC would surpass a few hours later.
In the second game of the evening, BC opened the scoring just 46 seconds into the game when Sudbury native and Nashville Predators second-round pick Teddy Stiga cut to the middle off the rush and fired a shot high glove past Northeastern goalie Cameron Whitehead.
Westwood native Connor Joyce made it 2-0 with 6:01 left in the first period, finishing off a nice feed from Brady Berard. Bruins first-round pick Dean Letourneau didn’t get a point on the goal, but did help set it up by winning a battle on the forecheck and then applying some pressure that helped cause a turnover. Letourneau had several grade-A scoring chances of his own in one of his most impactful games of the season, but couldn’t beat Whitehead. The 18-year-old remains stuck on zero goals while centering BC’s fourth line.
The Huskies cut it to 2-1 just 40 seconds later when Ben Poitras (no relation to the Bruins’ Matt) tipped in a shot from the point, but that celebration was short-lived. Eamon Powell scored for BC a few minutes later to push the lead back to two.
The Eagles struck again in the opening minute of the second period, with Hobey Baker candidate Ryan Leonard wheeling off the wall and zipping a seam pass to Lukas Gustafsson at the backdoor for an easy finish.
Northeastern had a few chances to get back in the game, but BC goalie Jacob Fowler – also a Hobey Baker candidate – stood tall, as he has all season. The 2023 third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced.
Leonard finished with a goal and two assists, while Stiga, Powell, Gustafsson, Gabe Perreault, James Hagens and Aram Minnetian all had multiple points as well. Sixteen of BC's 19 skaters had a point. The Eagles' eight goals were the most by any team in a Beanpot game since 2001.
BC and BU will now meet for the third time in the last two and a half weeks, with the Eagles having swept a weekend home-and-home series on Jan. 24-25. Last year, BC also swept that series, only to then lose to the Terriers in the opening round of the Beanpot.
The Eagles, surprisingly, will be looking to win their first Beanpot since that 2016 final against BU, which they took 1-0 in overtime. The Terriers last won in 2022.
Between now and then, BC will face New Hampshire in Durham on Friday, while BU will take on Merrimack in North Andover that night.