You can’t blame Northeastern for entering Monday’s 71st Beanpot championship game feeling a little bit like a neglected sibling compared to their crosstown rivals.
Boston University and Boston College have gotten plenty of attention this season — all well deserved — perched high atop both the Hockey East standings and the USCHO.com poll.
But Northeastern’s 2023-24 resume ain’t too shabby — after a slow start, the Huskies (12-12-2, 6-11-0 Hockey East) are 9-4-1 since Dec. 1, a stretch that kicked off with a 5-3 win at then-No. 1 BC.
And as far as the Beanpot is concerned, Northeastern has been the envy of the city, winning last year’s tournament and four of the last five.
The overlooked middle child of college hockey in Boston is back in the Beanpot championship game for the sixth straight year, having dispatched Harvard (ECAC Hockey) 3-2 in overtime in the semifinals before a packed house at TD Garden. Boston University (18-7-1, 12-4-1) will be the Huskies’ opponent in Monday night’s title game. The No. 3 Terriers held off a late rally by top-ranked Boston College (19-5-1, 12-3-1) for a 4-3 in the other semifinal.
“We expect to win,” Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe said after his team’s victory over the Crimson. “It’s a confident group, and we feel like if we play a certain way we’re going to give ourselves the best chance to win.”
Anyone looking back at the previous two meetings between the schools for some prognostication on what will happen Monday will find no answers — at least if the final scores are any indication. Each team won 4-3 in overtime on their own home ice, BU on Jan. 9 and Northeastern on Jan. 30.
“We’ve had a hard time with Northeastern since I’ve been here,” said second-year BU coach Jay Pandolfo. “They play us very tough. It seems like they’re always at their best playing against us. We certainly have to be ready. (Northeastern), especially recently, has been very good in the Beanpot. We’ll be ready for them. We’ll be prepared.”
Unfazed by the Beanpot spotlight, BU standout freshman forward Macklin Celebrini scored the Terriers’ first two goals vs. BC in the semifinals. Celebrini is now tied for the national lead with 21 goals and is tied for third in the country with 39 points.
“It was pretty special stepping out there for the first time,” Celebrini said. “You see the student section and all the people there, you definitely know what it means for our school and our program. It was exactly what I thought it would be like.”
BU will be looking for its 32nd Beanpot title and first since 2022, when it beat Northeastern in a 1-0 thriller — Dylan Peterson scored with 2:48 remaining for the game’s only score. Monday will mark the 16th time BU and Northeastern have met in the final, with the Terriers holding a 10-5 edge. Four times the finals matchup has gone to overtime, with BU winning three of those four.
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The Beanpot consolation/third-place game will pit BC against Harvard. The Eagles were a 4-1 winner when the teams met on Nov. 26 at Harvard. The Crimson entered the season with high hopes, ranked No. 15 in the preseason USCHO.com poll, but have since struggled mightily with injuries, and enter Monday’s contest with a 4-14-3 overall record.
“They were really hit by the injury bug, so we know they’re a better team than their record,” BC coach Greg Brown said. “We know we’re going to have to be sharp. Every game is huge from here on out.”
As of this writing, BC held the No. 1 spot in the PairWise rankings, and Harvard will be the Eagles’ final non-conference opponent of the regular season.
Monday’s games are scheduled for 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on NESN and ESPN-Plus.
