The third installment of the Battle of Commonwealth Ave. will happen at a impartial facility on Causeway Street.
No. 1 ranked Boston College (19-4-1, 12-3-1) will have interaction No. 3 Boston University (17-7-1, 12-4-1) within the nightcap (8) of the 71st annual Beanpot Hockey Tournament twinbill on Monday on the TD Garden.
Defending champion Northeastern (11-12-2, 6-11-0) will tackle Harvard (4-13-3, 4-8-3) within the opener (5) in a rematch of final yr’s championship recreation. The Huskies prevailed 2-2, 1-0 within the first Beanpot remaining decided by a shootout. All video games within the Beanpot are non-league although three of the 4 groups are from Hockey East.
The Eagles changed BU on the high of the USCHO rankings after finishing a weekend sequence sweep in opposition to the Terriers in late January. BC went into the sequence ranked No. 2 and it was the primary time the 2 packages met as the highest two groups within the nation. BC received the opener 4-1 with two empty-net targets at Conte Forum and prevailed 4-3 at Agganis Arena.
“I think it is the same pressure,” mentioned BU coach Jay Pandolfo. “I don’t see any completely different strain and clearly the end result wasn’t there for us however total, I assumed we dealt with ourselves fairly properly.
“Of course, we want the opportunity to play them again and hopefully end up on the right side of it. But I don’t think our group feels any different. The atmosphere was pretty special and it was great for college hockey and great for our guys to experience. But sure, we were disappointed that we didn’t get the results we wanted to get.”
The catalyst of the BC sweep was goaltender Jacob Fowler, a 6-2, 214-pound, freshman from Melbourne, Fla. The Montreal Canadians’ third-round decide recorded 58 saves over the 2 video games. On the season, Fowler has made 24 begins with 2.21 targets in opposition to common and a .925 save share.
First-line heart Cutter Gauthier is an completed sniper who leads BC with 21 targets. But the storyline of the Eagles’ offense this season has been the membership’s second line which is comprised of three freshmen first-round choices from the 2023 NHL SuperDraft. The trio have been additionally members of the U.S. Team that seize the gold medal on the IIHF World Junior Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, in January.
Center Will Smith (Lexington) was taken fourth by the Sharks, proper wing Ryan Leaonard (Amherst) was chosen by the Capitals with the eighth decide whereas the Rangers grabbed left wing Gabe Perrault with the twenty third decide. Over the course of 24 video games, they’ve mixed for 38 targets, 69 assists and 107 factors.
“This is their first Beanpot and two of them are local kids so they have been watching it as they were growing up,” mentioned BC coach Greg Brown. “But on the whole, they’re very excited to play hockey they usually have smiles on their faces each day in observe.
“The excitement level is the least of our worries with that line. They embrace every chance they get to play games and the Beanpot I am sure is something they have all been looking forward to.”
While Northeastern takes up the rear with eight Beanpot titles since 1952, the Huskies have loved a mini-dynasty having received 4 of the final 5. NU was anticipated to repeat in 2021 when the event was cancelled as a result of pandemic. BU received in 2022 and leads the sphere with 30 championships adopted by BC (20) and Harvard (11). Harvard’s final win was in 2017 and BC in 2016.
NU struggled early within the season because of a rash of accidents however have loved a resurgence, profitable 4 straight that included a 4-3 time beyond regulation win in opposition to BU on Jan. 30 and a 6-3 beatdown of No. 6 Maine on Friday evening. NU coach Jerry Keefe feels he has an skilled and assured pack of hounds headed into the Beanpot.
“It is all about playing to our identity,” mentioned Keefe. “We have guys in that room which have received a number of Beanpots and from an expertise standpoint that’s necessary.
“It gives you a little confidence knowing that guys in that room have done it before and they know what it takes win a Beanpot. The other part is the expectations, going into the tournament expecting to win and not hoping to win.”
Harvard is the outlier program of the Beanpot quartet. The Crimson are one of many six Ivy League colleges that compete within the ECAC, a convention dominated by reigning nationwide champion Quinnipiac.
Harvard’s Ted Donato, the Dean of Beanpot coaches, has seen his younger staff wrestle this season and hopes a Beanpot victory can spark a turnaround for the stretch run to the ECAC playoffs.
“We have been really challenged health-wise throughout the year and continue to be,” mentioned Donato. “We have numerous younger guys who’ve made nice enchancment this yr.
“I think we have built some confidence over the last few weekends and I think we are improving but not necessarily at the rate we want.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com