Men’s Beanpot 2026: Boston University keeps title dreams alive with shootout win over Northeastern

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Boston University will have a chance to defend its Men’s Beanpot title after escaping the semifinal round with a thrilling shootout victory over Northeastern.

Monday’s matchup between the Terriers and Huskies was an intense, physical contest from start to finish, so the fans in attendance at the TD Garden certainly weren’t complaining when Boston University and Northeastern couldn’t break a 2-2 tie by the end of regulation and overtime.

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BU defenseman Cole Hutson brought the battle to a dramatic end with a shootout goal that just barely slid past Northeastern goaltender Lawton Zacher, who was stellar throughout the game with 36 saves.

The Huskies opened the scoring in the first period with Dylan Hryckowian’s power-play goal, and they entered the locker room with a 1-0 lead. The action picked up in the second period with goals from BU’s Jonathan Morello and Nick Roukounakis and Northeastern’s Jacob Mathieu.

Both teams had scoring opportunities in the third period, but Zacher and BU goaltender Mikhail Yegorov were brick walls, making impressive saves to preserve the tie.

Zacher appeared to suffer an injury during the overtime period when BU’s Cole Eiserman slipped and crashed into Zacher’s right leg, but after a blade replacement, he remained in the game. Terriers forward Ryder Ritchie appeared to score the game-winning goal with just 33.6 seconds remaining in OT, but an interference call wiped it off the board.

In the shootout, Jack Harvey scored for the Terriers, but Hryckowian responded. Hutson’s shot attempt bounced off Zacher’s pad, but the puck had enough spin to roll to the back of the net, sparking a BU celebration.

Boston University will meet Boston College in the Beanpot championship game on Feb. 9, while Northeastern will face Harvard in the consolation game.

Men’s Beanpot 2026: Boston University vs. Northeastern Highlights

Men’s Beanpot hockey 2026 schedule

Semifinals

Date	Game	Time (ET)
Monday, Feb. 2	BC 5, Harvard 1	—
Monday, Feb. 2	BU 3, Northeastern 2 (SO)	—

Championship Round

Date	Game	Time (ET)
Monday, Feb. 9	Harvard vs. Northeastern	4:30 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 9	Championship: BC vs. BU	7:30 p.m.

Men’s NCAA hockey rankings (USCHO poll)

1. Michigan
2. Michigan State
3. North Dakota
4. Western Michigan
5. Quinnipiac
6. Penn State
7. Providence
8. Denver
9. Cornell
10. Minnesota Duluth
11. Boston College
12. UConn
13. Wisconsin
14. Dartmouth
15. St. Thomas
16. Augustana
17. Minnesota State
18. Maine
19. UMass
20. Michigan Tech