Beanpot Preview: BU Aims To Dethrone Northeastern In Title Bout

Boston University and Northeastern already played two overtime contests this season.

And fans of the Terriers and Huskies surely won’t have any fingernails left by the time Monday’s Beanpot title game ends with the two schools colliding again with much more at stake. Boston College and Harvard will have an attempt to get a win Monday as well, but in the Beanpot consolation game.

This is what you need to know about the championship game between BU and Northeastern, which can be watched on NESN, as well as the matchup between the Eagles and the Crimson.

Boston University (19-7-3) vs. Northeastern (12-12-2), 7:30 p.m. ET
Northeastern has made it a habit of hoisting the Beanpot trophy as of late, winning four out of the last five tournaments, including triumphing over Harvard in last year’s championship bout.

BU is the only team to upend the Huskies during that steak and the Terriers certainly have the talent, plus a top-tier offense to deny the Huskies’ bid of back-to-back titles and capture the Beanpot for a record 32nd time.

The two games between the sides drew similar results with BU and Northeastern each capturing 4-3 overtime wins. Who will be the hero this time around? Northeastern senior forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine would be a good choice given his heroics in the Beanpot semifinal win over Harvard or Huskies captain Justin Hryckowian, who has seven goals and 19 assists on the season. Macklin Celebrini and his powerful left-handed shot can get the job done for BU at any moment while sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson is a difference-maker and Luke Tuch seems to have that senior magic sprinkled on his stick.

The Huskies got off to rough start this season — they endured a seven-game losing streak from late October to mid-November — but have found their footing at the right time and ride a five-game winning streak into the title game.

But even if the Huskies weren’t playing their best, BU head coach Jay Pandolfo is aware Northeastern just seems to find a way to rise to the challenge against the Terriers.

“We have had a hard time with Northeastern since I’ve been here,” Pandolfo said. “They play us very tough. It seems they’re always at their best playing against us. So, we certainly have to be ready.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Macklin Celebrini, BU: All eyes should be glued to this talented freshman forward, who many expect to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NHL draft. Celebrini is a high-level scorer, which he showed in the 4-3 win over BC in the Beanpot semifinal by scoring two first-period goals, including an eye-popping laser that flew off the 17-year-old’s stick into the top of the net. With the chance of Celebrini jumping to the pros after this season, this might be the last time to watch him in the Beanpot.

Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Northeastern: Fontaine, who was a seventh-round pick by the Nashville Predators in 2020, has carved out quite the Beanpot legacy for himself. He has four career goals in the tournament and has a knack for coming up clutch. The East Greenwich, R.I. native has six goals and 16 assists for 22 points on the season.

Boston College (20-5-1) vs. Harvard (4-14-4), 4:30 p.m.
It’s a massive mismatch on paper as the Eagles are one of the top teams in the country while the Crimson have struggled to obtain wins this season.

BC never fully recovered from falling into an early deficit in its semifinal tilt with BU, but came on strong and will look to carry that momentum against Harvard. The Eagles’ all-freshman line of Ryan Leonard, Will Smith and Gabe Perreault, who netted two goals versus the Terriers, are as dangerous as they come and create offense in the blink of an eye.

Harvard doesn’t have the same star power as BC, but displayed grittiness and toughness in its overtime loss to Northeastern. The Crimson also have a solid defensive unit spearheaded by Concord, Mass. native Ian Moore.

The Eagles and Crimson have already played once this season with BC taking a 4-1 road win on Nov. 26 behind two goals from Leonard.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cutter Gauthier, BC: The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft is a potent goal scorer and leads college hockey with 23 tallies on the season. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore also has 15 assists for 38 points.

Derek Mullahy, Harvard: The Crimson wouldn’t have had a chance against the Huskies if it wasn’t for their senior netminder. Mullahy made 35 stops in the loss, including a few worthy of a highlight-reel, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Harvard coach Ted Donato go back to the Scituate, Mass. native against the Eagles.