Monday, February 05, 2024

UPDATED: Game Day: Terriers vs Eagles in 71st Beanpot opener; 4th R-O-W for Celebrini; Women shut out BC

 

#3 Terriers take on top-ranked BC in the opening round of the 71st Beanpot Tournament at TD Garden. BU and BC will be facing each other for the third time in 10 days. This semifinal will be the late game, scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m., but possibly later if the Northeastern-Harvard contest goes beyond regulation. NESN will air the game, which also will be live streamed on ESPN+ and TSN+.

The game matches teams who have won a combined 51 of the 70 previous tournament:: BU with 31 titles and the most recent in 2022, and BC with 20 titles and the most recent in 2016.

In tournament games against the Eagles, BU leads overall 29 to 17 and in opening round meetings, the Terriers lead 17 to 6.

                             Photo credit Gracie Davenport

The recent home-and-home series saw BC snap the Terriers' seven-game winning streak, winning 4-1 (with two empty-net goals) and 4-3. Six of the Eagles' eight goals came from their standout freshman line of Gabe Pereault, Will Smith and Ryan Leonard, and from sophomore Cutter Gauthier, who leads all conference skaters with 21 goals.

To advance to next Monday's title game, BU will need to limit opportunities from BC's top offensive weapons and create more grade-A scoring opportunities as well as second chance shots to score against Jacob Fowler.

“I think it’s good to have another opportunity,” said BU coach Jay Pandolfo. “Hopefully we can come out on the right side of it.”

BU had struggled to score even-strength goals during the losing streak, but produced five even-strength goals in Friday's win against New Hampshire. 

The Terrier have received offensive contributions across all four lines. Macklin Celebrini leads BU with 37 points, which is tied for second in Hockey East and fifth in the nation. His 19 goals lead all D1 freshmen. Four sophomores have delivered consistent offense as well: Lane Hutson with 32 points (10G,22A), Ryan Greene with 25 (8G,17A), Jeremy Wilmer with 24 (3G,21A) and Quinn Hutson with 22 (10G,12A). Freshman Shane Lachance has a 9-7-16 line that includes four power-play goals.

GoTerriers.com Hockey Writer Scott Weighart has prepared a 2024 Men’s Beanpot Primer for the less-initiated with tournament background and mini-profiles of each of the Terriers expected to be in the line-up.

TONIGHT’S TERRIER LINEUP

● GoTerriers.com preview, Game Notes, Live Stats, BU All-Access (audio), BU Men’s Hockey Twitter

● Live Stream ESPN+, TSN+, International stream

● Boston Hockey Blog BU to rematch with BC in Beanpot semifinal

● Boston Hockey Blog Steve Nazro and the Beanpot’s evolution: ‘Start of the championship season’

● Boston Hockey Blog Willander looks to turn tide in first Beanpot tournament

Boston Globe Familiar foes set to face off again in first round of Beanpot

Boston Herald BC,BU set for round three in the Beanpot

● College Hockey News Tale of the Tape

● NCAA.org 11 numbers to know in Beanpot History

 

Beanpot Tradition 

                      

The Beanpot Information site includes links for the results of all 70 tournaments to date, records and a list of Beanpot Hall of Fame members. Mike Sullivan, former BU captain and now Pittsburgh Penguins head coach, is this year's inductee.

The top eight all-time Terrier Beanpot scorers are:  Bob Marquis 16 points, Vic Stanfield 15, Shawn McEachern 14,  Sullivan 14, Todd Johnson 13, Dave Tomlinson 13, Rick Meagher 13.

With four Terrier alums on board, the Bruins make their Beanpot picks. (video)


For the fourth time this season--and third time in the past for weeks, Macklin Celebrini is Hockey East's Rookie of the Week. He recorded a goal and an assist in both Terrier games this past week. Overall, he has two or more points in 14 games. The projected first pick in the NHL Entry Draft this coming June has goals in seven of eight games since returning from the World Junior Championship.

● GoTerriers.com Celebrini named Hockey East Rookie of the Week

Poll Story 


In the USCHO Division 1 weekly poll, BU remains at #3 behind BC and North Dakota and just ahead of Wisconsin, Quinnipiac, Denver and Maine.

The USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll has the exact same top seven as the USCHO poll. Other HEA times ranked: #10 Massachusetts, #13 Providence and #17 New Hampshire. 

John Buccigross’ weekly ranking has BU at #4, up one slot since last week's ranking, while the Terriers remain at #3 in the Everything College Hockey ranking.

Terriers remain at #3 behind BC and North Dakota in both the Pairwise Rankings and College Hockey News’ Power Ratings. BU also stays at #1 in Strength of Schedule.

 

FNL (Friday Night Leftovers)

We’ll start with defkit’s Terrier Takeaway from Friday’s 6-3 win over New Hampshire.

- An overall good win to get back into a positive mindset. And we are still #3 in the PWR.
- Good to see both Jacks have good games. Harvey certainly seemed like he was at another level, though for the second game in a row, he failed to score on a breakaway.
- Not a smart penalty by Hughes late in the game. I get that he wanted the Hat Trick, but that doesn't give you license to just keep backing all the way into the goalie. I'm sure Caron and Pandolfo were pretty perturbed by that one.
- We need to shake up the PP. When Lane is just playing catch with Macklin and Quinn, we are killing our own PP. If four passes later you are in the exact situation you were 15 seconds ago, what have you accomplished? And I agree that goalies are ready for the Macklin one-timer.
- Lane and Macklin both had terrible giveaways that Caron bailed the team out on. I've been saying since last year’s playoffs that teams are going to learn how to defend Lane's jukes. He needs to start moving into keeping it simple mode, at least in our own end. Save the juking for the offensive zone and power plays.
- Willander has regressed, though I expect him to bounce back. There are many plays where he seems to underestimate the opponents speed and ability to close in on the puck, turning what should be a clear win for the puck into an even battle or a loss of possession.

A new addition to media coverage of Terrier Hockey is a post-game wrap-up from Voice of the Terriers Bernie Corbett and the Boston Hockey Blog's Belle Fraser.

The Player of the Game jacket went to Nick Zabaneh on Friday. The senior center scored twice. It was his first multi-goal game since recording a hat trick in last season's Hockey East quarterfinals against Vermont.

From @BUHockeyStats:

-Prior to Friday, BU's last win at the Whittemore Center also had a 6-3 scoreline on 12/2/22.

-Macklin Celebrini has now scored in 7 of 8 games since returning from the WJC.

From the lens of Bernie Perisie: another look at the first of two goals scored each by Jack Hughes and Nick Zabaneh; also Shane Lachance’s power-play goal.

 

Looking ahead  

2025 recruit Callum Hughes scored his 17th goal for West Kelowna on Friday, assisted by 2024 recruit Jack Pridham. With 35 points, Pridham is tied for the points lead among BCHL rookies. Hughes is tied for second in goals with 17.   

  

Looking back

Clayton Keller, Jake Oettinger and Brady Tkachuk, along with Jack Eichel, took part in the NHL’s All-Star Weekend. Keller and Oettinger played for the winning Team Matthews with Keller contributing a goal and two assists in the 7-4 win over Team McDavid in the final. Oettinger stopped eight of nine shots playing in the second half of the contest.

Women’s Team

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One day after being shut out, 3-0, by BC, the Terriers flipped the script and dealt the #15 Eagles a 3-0 blanking at Conte Forum, led by junior Callie Shanahan’s 19-save effort.

BU failed to convert on two first period power plays, but did get on the board during a BC man-advantage. Liv Haag pressured goalie Grace Campbell into giving up the puck and the junior forward backhanded it into the empty net. It was her first collegiate goal.

Despite outshooting BC, 18-5, in the second period, BU failed to add to its lead. However, in the third period, the Terriers would score twice.

Early in the period, junior Christina Vote took a pass from Nadia Mattivi in the neutral zone, weaved her way through the Eagle defense and fired a backhand shot past Campbell for her third tally of the season.

Four minutes later with BU on a power play, senior Lacey Martin wristed home a shot from the top of the right circle for her team-leading 13th goal. Classmates Mattivi and Catherine Foulem collected assists.

For Shanahan, it was her first shutout since her freshman season.

Per @BUHockeyStats: BU earns its first shutout at Conte Forum since January 15, 2011, a 4-0 win.

GoTerriers.com recap and box score

● Post-game comments Coach Tara Watchorn and Shanahan

● Boston Hockey Blog recap

 

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