Legendary coach Jack Parker left his perch at the helm of Boston University over a decade ago with 21 Beanpot titles to his name.
Parker’s grandson is trying to get his hands on his first next month.
Shane Lachance certainly knows what it is like to watch BU hoist the trophy on the TD Garden ice after watching his grandfather accomplish the feat as a kid. But Lachance, a sophomore forward for the Terriers, wants that experience for himself as he continues his family’s hockey legacy.
“Just me going to the games when I was younger, it was always the most fun I had,” Lachance said during Monday’s Beanpot media day. “The rules are a little different with no five-on-five overtime. We used to hope it would go to overtime — you can stay up later when you’re younger. Obviously, it was super, super important to me and to my family. And obviously would mean the world to win.”
The significance of the annual midseason tournament between Boston college hockey powers certainly isn’t lost on Lachance. The Andover, Mass., native understands the meaning behind the Beanpot probably more than any of his BU teammates due to his family’s influence on the Terriers program.
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Aside from Parker’s Beanpot dominance, Lachance’s father, Scott Lachance, also got to play in the tournament in 1991 for BU. It was Scott Lachance’s only Beanpot appearance as he went off to play for the New York Islanders the following season to start a 13-year NHL career.
“We’ve grown up here,” Shane Lachance said. “You go to BU games every year and everyone around Boston talks about the Beanpot, the Beanpot. It’s such a great, great tournament.”
There’s an inherited pressure donning the BU jersey since it’s one of the most illustrious college programs in the country. But being the grandson of Parker only magnifies that pressure on Lachance.
Then there’s the fact that Lachance is the first sophomore in the history of the program to be named captain. Much will be expected of him when he leads the Terriers into the Beanpot semifinals next Monday against Harvard (5 p.m. ET).
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Lachance has handled everything thrown his way since becoming a Terrier. The sixth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2021 NHL Draft worked his way into having a solid freshman season and currently is tied for third on BU with 21 points off seven goals and 14 assists.
And BU head coach Jay Pandolfo believes Lachance will be unfazed by the task at hand of leading the Terriers to just their third Beanpot title since Parker retired in 2013.
“He’s a very mature kid. I think he’s very comfortable in the pressure situations. It doesn’t seem to affect him at all. So, I think he actually thrives in those situations,” Pandolfo said. “Being around this program since he was a little kid, seeing them win a national championship when they won in ’09, being a part of all that, I think it only helped him and prepared him for these moments.”
Lachance came close to getting his hands on the Beanpot trophy last year, but walked away with a stinging overtime loss to Northeastern.
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Lachance remembers that feeling all too well, but is looking to replace that memory with a more uplifting one this year. One that will help him relate to his grandfather just a little bit more.
“He was able to win a lot of them and hopefully we can win this year,” Lachance said.
NESN Dunkin’ Beanpot coverage is presented by Dunkin‘.
Featured image via Erin Bush/BU Athletics