The No. 12 Northeastern Huskies will be look to get back on track Monday night when they take on the Boston University Terriers at TD Garden in a semifinal matchup in the 67th annual Beanpot tournament. The Huskies are looking to win back-to-back Beanpot championships for the first time since they did it in 1984 and 1985.
BU has been a staple in the Beanpot final in recent years, reaching the championship game in each of the last four seasons. Although they have been able to advance past the semifinals consistently over the last four seasons, the Terriers have gone 1-3 in those games.
Will Northeastern repeat as Beanpot champions, or will BU get its revenge?
Here’s a preview of BU vs. Northeastern, Monday at 8 p.m. ET on NESN.
Beanpot Records
Boston University: 90-42 record (585 goals for, 417 goals against) with 30 championships and 23 runner-up finishes
Northeastern: 41-91 (414 GF, 626 GA) with 5 championships and 13 runner-up finishes
Head-to-Head History
The Terriers and Huskies have played each other tightly in their last five Beanpot matchups, with BU winning three out of the five, including an overtime thriller in the 2015 final. BU narrowly has outscored the Huskies over the last five games (16-14), but Northeastern eclipsed BU in the Beanpot championship game last season to win its first Beanpot in 30 years.
2018 Final: Northeastern 5, BU 2
2016 Semifinal: BU 3, Northeastern 1
2015 Final: BU 4, Northeastern 3 (OT)
2013 Semifinal: Northeastern 3, BU 2
2009 Final: BU 5, Northeastern 2
2018-19 Season
The Terriers have been one of the most dominant teams in the Hockey East in recent years but have not lived up to expectations so far this season. BU currently is tied for fifth place in the Hockey East standings (10-11-3, 8-6-2 Hockey East) and is not ranked in the most recent NCAA Division I hockey rankings.
Northeastern, on the other hand, is in the middle of an extremely successful season. The Huskies are in fourth place in the Hockey East (15-8-1, 9-6-1) but currently sit at No. 12 in the most recent NCAA rankings. Northeastern’s squad has played well against other nationally ranked teams this season, including victories over No. 1 St. Cloud State, No. 2 UMass and two wins over No. 17 UMass Lowell.
BU and Northeastern met in November for a home-and-home series, with the first game ending in a 5-5 tie, and the Terriers taking game two, 4-1.
Key Players
Joel Farabee is just a freshman but is already a leader in the Terriers offense. Before playing at BU, Farabee served as the captain of the 2017-2018 U.S. National Under-18 Team. The forward has been solid for BU, sporting a line of 9-14-23. Farabee was the 14th overall selection in the 2018 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Tyler Madden is another freshman who might have a big tournament. The young center has played a crucial role in a solid Husky offense with a line of 8-12-20. The 19-year-old was selected in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks.
Prediction
Northeastern 4-3
