Men’s Hockey: Stage is set for BU v. BC rivalry in Beanpot Championship game

Featured image by Holly Gustavsen

By Stevie Potter

For the first time in nine years, Boston University Men’s Ice Hockey (15-10-1, 10-6-1 HE) will face off against their biggest rivals, the Boston College Eagles (21-4-1, 13-3-1 HE), in the Beanpot Championship at TD Garden. 

In the semifinal round, both BU and BC defeated their opponents by staggering amounts. The Terriers pummeled Harvard 7-1, and the Eagles clobbered Northeastern 8-2.

Since then, both teams have played Hockey East matchups. Merrimack upset BU on Friday, beating the Terriers 2-1 in overtime. On the other hand, BC defeated UNH 4-2 and extended their winning streak to nine games. 

“We’ve got to move past Friday,” Coach Jay Pandolfo said. “For whatever reason we just didn’t have a good overall effort from our group and it was disappointing but we can’t look back now, we’ve got to move forward and focus on the game tomorrow and make sure we have the right mindset going into that game.”

As far as the BU lineup goes, Pandolfo confirmed that defenseman Gavin McCarthy is healthy and ready to go for tomorrow’s game. McCarthy did not dress against Merrimack on Friday following a hit to the head in the semifinal game against Harvard. Pandolfo also stated that freshman goaltender Mikhail Yegorov, who’s posted an impressive .940 SV% in four games, will get the start in net against the Eagles.

To pull off a win, the Terriers will have to shut down BC’s Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard. The linemates, who are New York Rangers and Washington Capitals draft picks, respectively, have put up a combined 69 points on the season. In the last series between the Eagles and the Terriers, Leonard put up a weekend total of four goals, getting a hat trick in the Friday night tilt. 

“I like that we played [Boston College] recently,” forward Jack Hughes said. “You know we’ve got a chance for revenge and all the guys are hungry.” 

BU will look to the Hutson brothers to continue their offensive production from both the slot and the blue line. Forward Quinn Hutson leads the Terriers in points with 33, and his younger brother, defenseman Cole Hutson, is not far behind with 27 points. 

Puck drop for the 72nd Dunkin Beanpot Championship game will be at 7:30 pm from TD Garden. Streaming will be available on NESN and ESPN+, and radio coverage for WTBU Sports can be found on Mixlr.