Hockey, Men's Hockey, Sports

Preview: No. 1 BC Begins Challenge for First Beanpot Championship Since 2016

No. 1 Boston College men’s hockey nears the final stretch of its season with three goals in mind: win the Beanpot Tournament, win the Hockey East Final, and win the 2025 National Championship Game. 

Simple, right? 

On Monday night, the Eagles kick off what could be their road to glory when they play Northeastern at TD Garden in the 72nd annual Beanpot Tournament. 

Coming off back-to-back Beanpot championships, the Huskies will not be afraid to give the Eagles a run for their money. 

Who is BC Playing?

Semifinal: Northeastern 

Consolation / Championship: BU / Harvard 

When is BC Playing:

Monday, Feb. 3, at 8:00 p.m. 

With LOSS: Monday, Feb. 10, at 4:30 p.m. 

With WIN: Monday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. 

Where is BC Playing?

TD Garden, Boston, Mass. 

How to Watch:

NESN / ESPN+ 

BC’s Beanpot History:

BC stands in second place for most titles in Beanpot history, falling short of BU’s first-place position at 30 titles. 

The Eagles haven’t met their fans’ expectations in recent years while competing in the Beanpot. 

The Eagles currently hold the second longest drought of the four schools, with their last Beanpot title coming in 2016 from a 1–0 overtime win versus BU. They last made a championship appearance in 2019, falling to Northeastern 4–2. 

BC has won, with the exception of one tie, every consolation game since then. 

What to Expect From Northeastern:

Believe it or not, Northeastern is the team that’s had a hot streak in the Beanpot, even though two of its three opponents are nationally ranked. Although there’s no number in front of their name, the Huskies are probably the last school BC would prefer to play if it wants to come out as the champion. 

Northeastern has made the last six Beanpot championship games, winning five of those six title games. 

BC’s last matchup with the Huskies was disappointing—a four-win Northeastern squad racked up three goals in the first period in a 4-2 win on Nov. 23. 

Expect Northeastern to come out with that same fire and put BC on edge early. The Eagles haven’t surrendered the first goal of the game since their 3–3 shootout loss to UMass Lowell on Dec. 6, so adjustments to BC’s game flow will have to be made if this stands true.

This will likely be the most aggressive game we’ve seen from both sides, so BC has to keep its heads up in open ice and match Northeastern’s assertiveness on loose pucks. 

Outlook:

Three of BC’s four losses this season have come to unranked opponents in UConn, Northeastern, and Merrimack. In those three losses, BC averaged four penalties per game. 

It sounds rather simple—almost too simple—but all the Eagles need to do Monday night is keep at the pace of play they’ve been at for the past three weeks. When they do this, the box stays empty and everybody is happy. 

Although BC still posts the best penalty kill percentage in Hockey East, its game versus BU—two goals during a five-minute major—proves that statistics don’t mean everything on the big stage. 

Special teams will be the deciding factor in this game—Northeastern falls near the bottom for both penalty-kill and power-play percentage in Hockey East. If the Eagles can control the game while man-down and man-up, they’ll be one step closer to ending their 12-year Beanpot drought.

February 2, 2025

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