After being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beanpot, a staple of Boston college hockey, is finally back.
The Boston University men’s hockey team (14-10-3, 10-6-3 Hockey East) is set to face Harvard University (12-7-2, 9-5-2) in the semifinal on Monday at TD Garden. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m.
The last time the Terriers played in the Beanpot, they lost a thrilling championship game in double-overtime to Northeastern University, who are now hoping to win their fourth consecutive Beanpot.
“I’m just feeling the energy from our group,” BU head coach Albie O’Connell said on Sunday. “I know everyone’s excited that the Beanpot’s going off and we’re back at it.”
After starting Friday night and obtaining his first shutout of the season against the University of Maine in a 4-0 victory, BU sophomore goaltender Vinny Duplessis will likely get the nod to start.
“I think all things will point to Vinny playing,” O’Connell said. “He had a shutout. He played versus Brown [University] so he’s let in one goal in his last two games.”
The loss of players to the Olympics will be felt by all four teams. BU will miss their starting goaltender, sophomore Drew Commesso, while Harvard will be without their team leader in points, junior forward Nick Abruzzese, as well as sophomore forward Sean Farrell, who is fourth on the team with 19 points in 17 games. Both Abruzzese and Farrell have been nominated for the Hobey Baker Award.
Even without Abruzzese and Farrell, the Crimson still possess a significant amount of firepower. Harvard will be led up front by sophomore forward Alex Laferriere, a Los Angeles Kings prospect who is scoring at a near point-per-game rate so far this season.
Alongside Laferriere will be the 13th overall pick in last year’s NHL draft, freshman forward Matthew Coronato. Junior defenseman Henry Thrun is leading the Crimson on the back-end, another point-per-game player.
Despite a strong 4-0 start to the season, the Crimson have fallen out of the national rankings after losses to opponents like Brown University and the University of New Hampshire, and a stretch in which the team lost three of four games in January.
But the Crimson have won four games in a row since then and are starting to return to form despite losing Farrell and Abbruzese to the Olympics.
The Terriers are playing their best hockey of the season and have rebounded from their 3-7 start. BU has posted only one loss in regulation after Nov. 6, coming against Cornell at Red Hot Hockey. In that stretch, the Terriers have secured 11 wins and five overtime results. BU will also take a four-game winning streak into Beanpot competition.
“We’ve been a lot more consistent in our details,” O’Connell said. “Our defensive competitiveness, our back-checking, our shot-blocking has really improved. Offensively, guys gained some confidence and I think our goalie started to gain some confidence too.”
The last time the Terriers and Crimson saw each other was on Dec. 3rd, 2019 at Agganis Arena with the Terriers taking the contest 5-2.
“They’re fast, like they could skate. We’re gonna have to really be ready to skate,” O’Connell said.
With the exception of Commesso, the Terriers will likely be back to full strength for the first time this season as sophomore forward Dylan Peterson is expected to be available for Monday after being unavailable since Jan. 21.
The Terriers have gotten hot at the right time as they re-entered the national polls last Monday, coming in at No. 19 in the weekly USCHO poll. The Beanpot will serve as a test for the Terriers as they aim to climb the national ranks with the hope of receiving an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.
“It’s a great opportunity to obviously play for a championship and play in some pressure situations that can help you win games as you move forward,” O’Connell said.
If the Terriers win, they will take on the winner of the Boston College-Northeastern University contest set to take place after the BU-Harvard matchup. If they lose, the Terriers will face the loser of the BC-Northeastern game next Monday.
“There’s some giddiness to it, but just trying to get guys in the right mindset of just focusing on just playing, competing, skating and executing our game plan,” O’Connell said.
For complete BU hockey coverage, check out the Boston Hockey Blog and follow along with @BOShockeyblog on Twitter and @boston.hockey.blog on Instagram for updates.
