Men’s Hockey: No. 3 BU Faces BC For First Time in Beanpot Consolation Game

By Sasha Abrams

No. 3 Boston University Men’s Hockey (20-7-0, 14-4-0 HE) will face the Boston College Eagles (9-12-6, 5-8-5 HE) in the consolation game of the Beanpot Tournament for the first time in its 70 years. The puck is set to drop in TD Garden at 4:30 pm. 

After a 3-1 loss to No. 17/20 Northeastern in the semifinals, the Terriers are no longer in the contest to defend their title as the Beanpot champions. On the other side of the bracket, Boston College lost 4-3 in overtime to No. 10 Harvard.

Through 70 years, BU has only played in the consolation game 14 times, with 55 appearances in the final, more than any of the other three schools by 19 games. The Terriers’ record all-time for the third-place position is 7-7, and they’ve lost their last four consolation games, while BC’s 34 consolation games have amassed a 25-8-1 record. 

The No. 3 Terriers have not lost hope for the NCAA championship, as the 1994 class of BU saw a 4-2 defeat to Harvard in the opening round of the Beanpot, the same year they went on a 14-game win streak to bring them to the championship game, where they fell to Lake Superior State. The next year they came back to win it all with their current head coach Jay Pandolfo as a junior on the team. 

The last time BU met BC was at Conte Forum on Jan. 28, when the Terriers finished the weekend sweep with a 3-1 win after a 6-3 victory on Jan. 27 at Agganis Arena. With BU claiming a loss on Dec. 9, the Terriers are 139-130-21 all-time against their Green Line rival. 

The Terriers are optimistic to have senior forward Ethan Phillips back in the lineup for Monday’s game since he’s been out since Dec. 11, when the team won 3-2 against UConn. Senior forward Jamie Armstrong will still be out for the remainder of the tournament, with his last game played on Jan. 28. 

Although Monday’s matchup between two Hockey East members is a non-conference meeting, it will have an impact on Pairwise. Puck drop for the consolation game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.