The Boston University men’s hockey team (15-10-3, 10-6-3 HE) kicked off the 69th annual Beanpot tonight at TD Garden with a 4-3 victory over Harvard University (12-8-2, 9-5-2 ECAC).
With scarlet flooding the stands, history on BU’s backs and a buzz in the building, the Terriers pieced together a gutty win — a culmination of the first-class hockey the team has been producing of late.
After settling into the moment, BU began to play its game. The team produced some quality chances, was aggressive on the backcheck, and hit a Harvard jersey whenever possible.
Sophomore forward Dylan Peterson reentered the lineup for his first game since Jan. 21, taking his place on the fourth line with Jamie Armstrong and Sam Stevens. Sophomore forward Nick Zabaneh slotted in with Peterson at times.
Following his shutout performance on Friday, sophomore goaltender Vinny Duplessis started in the crease for BU. The Quebec City native played comfortably between the pipes, giving up far less rebounds with good puck control. Duplessis garnered 22 stops and stood tall under the brightest lights he has played in.
“He gave us an opportunity to win the game, and that’s all you can ask for,” BU head coach Albie O’Connell said.
Senior forward and captain Logan Cockerill opened up the scoring for BU for the second game in a row. Picking up a pass from junior defenseman Case McCarthy, Cockerill blasted down the left side leaving two Crimson in his dust. Pulling junior goaltender Mitchell Gibson out to the left, the BU leader tucked the puck behind his opposite pad to give the Terriers a 1-0 lead with 13:52 left in the first period.
“This guy here played one of his better games at BU — he was dynamite tonight. He led by example and kind of led the way to the victory,” O’Connell said, while pointing to Cockerill beside him.
Harvard was quick to respond, finding the equalizer less than a minute later with a top-shelf goal from senior forward Casey Dornbach. BU left Dornbach open in front, but that was their only lapse in coverage for the period.
The Terriers had their first power play with just under four minutes remaining in the opening period after Harvard sophomore defenseman John Fusco was assessed two minutes for holding. Junior forward Jay O’Brien capitalized on the man-advantage with a snipe from the right faceoff circle, regaining a 2-1 lead.
BU put together a largely cohesive opening period, leaving the frame up 14-8 in shots on goal and with momentum on their side.
Senior forward Ty Amonte suffered a big hit in the first period and didn’t return for the remainder of the night. Stevens took his place on the third line –– a relatively seamless transition after losing a veteran player.
The Scarlet and White got back on the power play four minutes into the middle frame and set up junior forward Matt Brown on a wrist shot scoring play which meant far more than just a Beanpot tally. Pointing up to the sky following the goal, Brown honored his mother who passed away last week and emotionally secured the 3-1 lead at 4:10 of the second period.
“He really handled himself well,” O’Connell said. “He’s a passionate guy. He probably has a heavy heart right now, but I think he’s probably looking up thinking about his mother when he’s scoring the goal. I was really happy for him.”
Junior forward Ethan Phillips, along with his upperclassmen counterparts, played with great tenacity in the contest. Fighting up until –– and sometimes past –– the whistle, Phillips was finally rewarded midway through the second period.
A strong blast from the point off the stick of freshman defenseman Ty Gallagher made one more stop before finding the back of the net. Phillips deflected the puck mid-air to make it 4-1 on his sixth of the season.
Harvard didn’t leave the period without a fight, though. Propelled by a Peterson roughing penalty, freshman forward Zakary Karpa and senior forward Jack Donato brought the Crimson within one, scoring goals 21 seconds apart at 18:16 and 18:37.
The late burst from the opposition set up for a high-pressure third period. The Terriers handled the moment with poise and determination, working as a unit to fend off a desperate Crimson side.
BU dove through passing lanes and threw themselves in front of Harvard shots to support Duplessis as the final frame winded down — you could feel from the very highest press box how much this Terrier team wanted to win.
“The third period I thought we kind of locked it down, not a lot happened for either side,” O’Connell said. “It was a really good third and I thought we closed out really well.”
BU players poured out from the bench onto the ice, and an elated Dog Pound cheered as the final buzzer sounded.
“This was one of the main reasons I came back to BU,” Cockerill said in the post game press conference. “I wanted to win a Beanpot and I’m happy I get a chance to compete for it next Monday.”
BU is now headed to the finals next Monday to face off against Northeastern University, which defeated Boston College 3-1 in the other semifinal matchup. First, the Terriers will travel to Providence College to battle with the Friars this Thursday at 7 p.m. before they fight for the Beanpot title.
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.
