Northeastern senior captain Aidan McDonough is intent on savoring each second of his last Beanpot expertise.
The 6-2, 200-pound left wing from Milton will anchor Northeastern’s first line when the Huskies encounter the defending champion Boston University Terriers within the nightcap (8) of the seventieth Beanpot Tournament doubleheader on the TD Garden on Monday, Feb. 6. The contest might be a rematch of final yr’s a last, a 1-0 BU win. Boston College will tackle Harvard within the opener at 5 p.m.
“My freshman year I wasn’t nervous at all and I was just trying to not fall over my feet and do the best I could,” stated McDonough. “Last yr I put an excessive amount of strain on myself to carry out and I felt I needed to make a major influence on the sport for our staff to win.
“I think this year I am just going to go out there and enjoy it. This is my last time playing in the Beanpot and if the 12-year-old me knew what I was doing now, he would be pretty excited. So, I’m just going to think back to the time when all I wanted to do was play in the Beanpot.”
Northeastern brings up the rear with seven Beanpot victories, effectively behind BU (31), BC (20) and Harvard (11). But the Huskies had been victorious in three straight from 2018-20 and had been poised to make it a four-pack when the occasion was cancelled in 2021 as a result of international pandemic.
“There was a lot of pressure having to keep that streak going so to win it my first year against BU was amazing,” stated McDonough. “It was heartbreaking in 2021 for the seniors, they were the guys that never lost one. We all kind of wanted them to end their Beanpot careers on a good note.”
For McDonough and the seven different seniors and graduate college students on the roster, profitable two out of three Beanpots would make for a passable sendoff.
Fenway swing
Northeastern was a staff in determined want of a significant victory going into its Frozen Fenway encounter with UConn at Fenway Park on Jan. 7.
The Huskies thought of Fenway their dwelling ice, a bonus they cultivated after dropping six of the final seven video games. Northeastern dispatched UConn 4-1 at Fenway and got here again to register a 4-3 victory in Storrs, Conn., on Jan. 14.
The Huskies adopted with a two-game sweep of Merrimack to vault into first place in Hockey East with a 10-4-2 mark in convention play. Both UConn and Merrimack had been forward of NU within the Hockey East standings previous to Frozen Fenway.
“Getting that win under our belts on that big stage gave us some much-needed confidence and we started to build,” stated McDonough. “We got that one and then we got another one and got rolling a bit and now we have to keep it going.”
McDonough had his hockey DNA splattered everywhere in the four-game profitable streak. He scored the opener and added an help at Fenway and netted a pair at UConn. He added a objective and an help within the 5-1 win at Merrimack and scored the lone tally at 18:26 of the third in a 1-0 win at Matthews Arena.
“To get the first goal was big for our group with him being a hometown kid growing up going to Fenway Park and watching the Red Sox,” stated second-year NU coach Jerry Keefe.
“That moment meant a lot for him and obviously the Fenway game was huge for us. To play on the big stage is huge and it is that much bigger when you can win the game.”
McDonough leads Hockey East in convention scoring with 12 objectives, 12 assists and 24 factors in 15 video games. He is second to Boston University’s Matt Brown (11-23-34) in general scoring with 17 objectives, 15 assists and 32 factors in 23 video games.
Bound for glory
Prior to his arrival on Huntington, Avenue, McDonough competed for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders within the USHL and he performed in 56 video games within the 2018-19 season.
McDonough was vacationing with buddies on Martha’s Vineyard on June 22, 2019, when his father Barry referred to as with the excellent news. He had been chosen by the Vancouver Canucks within the seventh spherical with the 195th choose. That yr’s NHL Draft befell at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
“I flew out the next morning to go to development camp,” stated McDonough. “They have been awesome with me and I have a great relationship with everyone in the organization. To have your named called in the NHL Draft is a dream come true.”
McDonough caught with the unique plan and joined NU program underneath coach Jim Madigan, who would hand the job over to Keefe when he turned athletic director.
Unlike soccer and basketball gamers who’re drafted out of school, hockey gamers like McDonough enter the collegiate ranks already realizing what their professional uniform appears to be like like.
Many drafted school hockey gamers, particularly people who go within the early rounds, do their two years on campus and leap to the AHL the morning after their last NCAA recreation. McDonough, who’s majoring in Business Management, elected to remain at school and full his training.
“Just because you are drafted doesn’t mean you are going to play in the NHL,” stated McDonough. “I feel it has taken me just a little bit longer to develop and physique sensible I’m a late bloomer. I nonetheless have loads of work to do within the fitness center and on the ice to get stronger and quicker.
“Getting my education is really important to me and my family and I love this program, I love Northeastern. Those are the factors that had me staying all four years and I’m really glad I did.”
Keefe has laid out what McDonough should work on to carry out on the subsequent stage and is assured he can get there.
“He knows has to be more than a scorer because at the next level he is going to have to prove himself to be strong on the walls and that he can defend and block shots and play in defensive situations,” stated Keefe.
“He has already shown he can score. But the big part of his development is he wants to make sure that his entire game is rounding out. He is getting better at each aspect.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com