Men’s Hockey: No. 5 BU Finishes Fourth in 2023 Beanpot
By Michael Wax
After winning the 2022 Men’s Beanpot, No. 5 Boston University Men’s Hockey (20-8-0, 14-4-0 HE) went from first to worst in the 2023 tournament after losing 4-2 to the Boston College Eagles (10-12-6, 5-8-5 HE) in the consolation game Monday afternoon.
“I thought tonight, our first shift was good,” BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said. “Then, for whatever reason, we just got away from our game… That’s two games in a row that we didn’t have our game.”
The loss marked the first time BU has lost back-to-back games this season, and the eighth time BU has finished fourth in the Beanpot. BC broke a seven-game winless streak with the victory.
“It was a pretty, pretty tight game,” BC Head Coach Greg Brown said. “Probably a little more important for us than them. Just because our last month has been a tough goal for us, so our guys were desperate, very hungry to get a win.”
Senior forward Ethan Phillips returned to the lineup for the first time since Dec. 11, a win over UConn.
“I thought Phillips was really good,” Pandolfo said. “Not playing for two months. I thought he was good on the forecheck. Overall, I was happy with his game for not playing for a while.”
The Eagles grabbed the lead just under two minutes into the game. On the counterattack, freshman forward Oskar Jellvik got BC into the Terriers’ zone before dropping a backward pass to junior forward Nikita Nesterenko.
Nesterenko, who scored a highlight-reel goal against Harvard in the semifinal, skated around a Terrier defender and beat Terriers junior goaltender Drew Commesso glove side.
“He’s been skating very well for the last while,” Brown said. “I thought early in the year he was deferring too much, didn’t really want to take shots and now he’s reading plays where if it’s the right play to take a shot, he’s taking them.”
BC doubled the lead on the power play. After BU senior forward Matt Brown was sent to the box for hooking, BC’s power play went to work and created several dangerous chances. Freshman forward Cutter Gauthier sent a pass from circle to circle to junior defenseman Eamon Powell, whose one-timer went off the leg of senior defenseman Case McCarthy and past Commesso.
BU responded quickly to cut the lead in half. A big-time shift from the third line saw freshman forward Ryan Greene get the puck between the circles from freshman forward Quinn Hutson. Greene turned towards the goal and fired a shot through the legs of BC graduate goalie Mitch Benson to make it 2-1.
BC took a 2-1 lead into the locker room and led in shots on goal 13-8.
Commesso started the second period with a beautiful left pad save on a breakaway from Andre Gasseau to keep the game 2-1. Benson responded minutes later with a pad save of his own, robbing Greene with the right leg as he was down and out to keep the BC lead.
Even though BU had two power plays in the second, the Terriers couldn’t get the tying goal in the middle frame.
BC kept their 2-1 lead into the second intermission and led 18-15 on the shot counter.
BU tied the game just over eight minutes into the final frame. The second line for BU went to work in the offensive zone, and freshman forward Jeremy Wilmer sent a pass across the slot for senior forward Jay O’Brien. While the pass was deflected and didn’t reach its initial target, a second deflection went right into the wheelhouse of O’Brien, who put it home.
BC grabbed the lead back just 27 seconds later. Gasseau came into the BU zone against two Terrier defenders and released a snapshot that beat Commesso’s glove side.
“We win and we lose as a team,” Pandolfo said. “Things happen over the course of the game. I’m sure he’d like to have that one back, but that’s the least of my worries right now.”
BC iced the game with an empty netter from Kuntar to take the game 4-2.
BU will return to their Hockey East schedule this weekend with a home-and-home against Merrimack. The first game will take place at Lawler Rink in North Andover, MA, on Feb. 17. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.