Men’s Hockey: Terriers face Northeastern in Beanpot rematch
By Patrick Donnelly
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Boston University will play Northeastern for the Beanpot title on Monday night.
For the second straight tournament, and now the fourth time in seven Beanpots, the Terriers and Huskies will square off for Boston’s college hockey glory.
“We’re really excited about the opportunity to play in the second game at the Garden and the chance to play for the Beanpot championship,” BU head coach Albie O’Connell said. “I think the guys are very excited. I think there’s a buzz around campus about it, and I think there’s a buzz around the city.
“Obviously, the Beanpot’s back. Last week, it felt like it was 15 years ago, so it was.pretty exciting. So, I’m hoping and expecting the same environment for the championship.”
Recent results
The No. 20 Terriers (16-10-3, 11-6-3 HE) are coming of a 4-1 win at No. 17 Providence, scoring four unanswered goals after the Friars jumped out to a 1-0 lead. BU scored three power play goals, two of which came off the stick of ex-Friar Jay O’Brien. The junior forward had two goals and an assist, while junior forward Wilmer Skoog (one goal, one assist) and junior defenseman Dom Fensore (two assists) each had two points. Sophomore goaltender Vinny Duplessis made 24 saves.
BU, 12-1-1 in their last 14 games, overtook Harvard in last Monday’s Beanpot semifinal, winning 4-3. Duplessis made 22 saves, O’Brien had a goal and an assist, and Fensore and Skoog each had two assists.
“We’re really happy with the way we played down at Providence in the game in between,” O’Connell said. “Really excited for these guys to have the opportunity to compete for the championship.”
Meanwhile, No. 15 Northeastern (19-8-1, 1o-6-1 HE) won 4-2 at No. 13 UMass Lowell on Friday. Sophomore forward Sam Colangelo and senior defenseman Julian Kislin each had a goal and an assist against the River Hawks. Freshman goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter made 25 saves.
In the nightcap of the Beanpot semifinals last week, the Huskies, 3-3-0 in their last six contests, took down Boston College 3-1. Colangelo and sophomore forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine each had a goal and an assist, and Semptimphelter made 41 saves.
Tale of the tape
On the season, Skoog (10 goals, 14 assists) and Fensore (four goals, 20 assists) have led the way offensively for BU with 24 points in 29 games each. Behind them is junior forward Robert Mastrosimone with 11 goals and 11 assists for 20 points in 28 games. O’Brien is the Terriers’ only player scoring at or above a point per game pace with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 18 games.
Aside from O’Brien, Skoog and Fensore, one of the hottest BU skaters of late is junior forward Matt Brown, who is in the midst of a nine-game point streak with five goals and six assists over that span.
In goal, Duplessis is in the midst of a four-game winning streak. On the season, he holds a 4-2-0 record, one shutout, a .920 save percentage and a 1.87 goals-against average.
“Vinny had good poise,” O’Connell said. “He played a lot of junior hockey, so I think the more and more he plays, the more comfortable he gets. I think playing him again [against Providence], he gained a little more comfort and a little more confidence in that game. He’s a competitor. We’re happy he had another good result, and hopefully he can carry that into the Beanpot.”
Junior forward Aidan McDonough has paced Northeastern this season with 17 goals and eight assists for 25 points in 27 games. Behind him, Colangelo (eight goals, 12 assists) and freshman forward Justin Hryckowian (six goals, 14 assists) each have 20 points in 18 and 24 games, respectively. Colangelo is NU’s only point-per-game player.
Semptimphelter has won three in a row, and is 3-1-0 with a .938 save percentage and a 2.09 GAA in five appearances on the year.
Northeastern has the advantage over BU in the season series, winning in 1-0 in overtime at Agganis Arena on Nov. 19 before taking the extra point in the shootout in a 2-2 tie at Matthews Arena on Nov. 20. McDonough had two goals and an assist that weekend for Northeastern, and freshman forward Jack Hughes had an assist in addition to the shootout winner in the second game. Six different Terriers found the scoresheet in the rematch, including O’Brien (one goal).
Due to the Winter Olympics in Beijing, each team will be without their starting goaltender. Terrier sophomore goaltender Drew Commesso (USA) made 44 saves combined between the two games in November, and Northeastern sophomore goaltender Devon Levi (Canada) made 71 total saves between the two games.
“I think it’s a unique situation. Obviously, a unique situation with the Olympic teams and how that entire situation transpired,” O’Connell said. “But it’s one man down, one man up. It’s a good opportunity for [Duplessis and Semptimphelter] to help their teams win a hockey game, and try to push for the starting job at some point. You always gotta be ready. You always gotta be sharp if you’re not in that No. 1 position.So both of those guys have a great opportunity ahead of them.”
A stark contrast
With the NCAA’s new overtime format – five minutes of 3-on-3 to decide a winner, followed by a shootout to determine the extra point for conference play if no one wins in overtime – the Beanpot has lost part of its storied tradition, hopefully for the time being. According to ESPN’s John Buccigross, the Beanpot committee submitted a waiver to the NCAA, which was denied.
The news of the change to the Beanpot’s overtime format, which featured continuous 20 minute periods until a winner is decided, sent shockwaves through fans and media around the area last week.
While unfortunate, O’Connell did not seem terribly bothered by the rule change, even though the Terriers have not won a shootout this season.
“Well, it’s even for every team,” he said. “At the same time, it’s a little funky to play 3-on-3 and potentially a shootout, but that’s what was decided. I think there was an appeal put in, which got denied. It’s way above my head. So, whatever the rules are, we’ll follow them. Hopefully we can execute. If it does get to overtime, hopefully we can execute in 3-on-3, and if it does get to the shootout, we’re going to need a couple saves and for someone to be a hero scoring a goal.
“So, I think it’s more like a regular season game, which is unfortunate from a traditional standpoint, but it kind of is what it is.”
Looking back
In the 68th Beanpot final in 2020, Huskies senior captain Jordan Harris, then a sophomore, was the hero, scoring in double-overtime to capture Northeastern’s third straight title. Among players currently on each team, senior captain Logan Cockerill and sophomore defenseman Case McCarthy had assists for BU, McDonough had a goal and two assists for NU, and Kislin had two assists.
In the 2018 Beanpot final, the first of Northeastern’s three-peat and their first title in 30 tournaments, Cockerill had a goal and an assist for BU.
Cockerill and senior assistant captain Ty Amonte were with BU for both the 2018 and 2020 defeats, and the Terriers have 14 total returners from the 2020 final.
O’Connell says the Terriers have not dwelled on recent history.
“No one’s really talked about it,” O’Connell said. “They’re just excited to play in the second game, and excited for the opportunity to play Northeastern, a team we played a couple times this year. Hopefully, we’ll play our best game at the right time.”
The Terriers, who have the most Beanpot championships of the four schools, are in search of their 31st title and first since 2015 when then-junior captain and current Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk scored in overtime to defeat Northeastern. This year marks the sixth time in seven Beanpots that BU has made it to the championship.
Northeastern is looking make it four Beanpots in a row. Overall, the Huskies have seven titles in program history. Between their 2018 and 2020 victories against BU, Northeastern defeated BC in 2019.
This will be the 15th time the Terriers and Huskies have met in the championship. BU is 9-5 all-time against Northeastern in the Beanpot final and 33-11 against NU, overall, in the tournament.
Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. at TD Garden, following the consolation game between Harvard and BC at 4:30 p.m.
Featured Image: Junior defenseman Alex Vlasic controls the puck during the third period of a 4-3 win against Harvard in the Beanpot semifinals at TD Garden on Monday, Feb. 7, 2021. Photo by Patrick Donnelly.