BOSTON — Boston University punched its ticket to the 2016 Beanpot final Monday night with a 3-1 semifinal win over Northeastern at TD Garden.
Standing in the Terriers’ way of back-to-back titles is their most hated rival, Boston College, who beat Harvard 3-2 in the night’s first semifinal matchup.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play (BC)Â in the finals,” BU forward Danny O’Regan said. “It’s kind of how you draw it up. We definitely owe them after a few weeks ago. We’re all definitely excited to play them.”
The previous meetings O’Regan referenced were a home-and-home set with the Eagles on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16. BC won the first game 5-3 and tied BU 1-1 in the second matchup. The Terriers didn’t play well in that two-game stretch, and head coach David Quinn admitted his team must be better in all facets for a successful result next Monday.
“When that series ended, as a staff we were not happy at all,” Quinn said. “We looked like a poorly coached team. We felt, I in particular, that we had let a lot go in the time we had been back. I know the scores may look like the (games) were close, even though BC scored in both games with less than two minutes to go, but I thought they were clearly the better team both nights.
“We’re going to have to play a lot better than we did against them three weeks ago if we’re going to have a chance (in the final).”
BU and BC most recently met in the Beanpot final in 2012, when the Eagles won 3-2 in overtime with a Bill Arnold goal. Boston College also won the NCAA Division-I national championship that season. In fact, BC’s last two national titles came after defeating BU in the Beanpot final (2010 and 2012).
In addition to those two wins, this Beanpot matchup has been a one-sided affair for Boston College in recent seasons. The Eagles have won five straight games against the Terriers in this tournament, and BC will be favored to push that win streak to six games.
The Eagles have the fourth-highest scoring offense in the nation and many NHL draftees on their roster, including leading scorer Colin White, whose power-play goal in the second period proved to be the game-winner versus Harvard. BC goaltender Thatcher Demko also is one of the best players at his position in the nation.
That said. Monday’s final projects to be a closer game than the two previous meetings. Boston University is playing some of its best hockey of the season, and its young squad finally is showing the maturity and effort needed to win important games against the best competition.
“I think these guys are getting older,” Quinn said. “They’re starting to understand what it takes to have success. We’ve played in some big games. The games at Quinnipiac and Yale were tough, the game at Madison Square Garden against Cornell in front of 19,000 people — kind of forces you to grow up in a hurry.
“These kids work hard, they do a great job. We thought it was going to be a matter of time, and they certainly have grown up here in the last few months.”
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@TerrierHockey
