It’s rare a team puts together one of its most complete games of the season and comes out on the losing end.
However, that’s exactly what happened to the Boston University men’s hockey team (19-8-1, 13-4-1 Hockey East) in Monday’s Beanpot Championship at TD Garden where it fell 4-3 in overtime to the Northeastern University Huskies (13-12-2, 6-11-0 HE).
“Really disappointed with the end result. Taking nothing away from them, they kept fighting. But I thought we were the better team for a majority of the game,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo said postgame.
Senior forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine sealed the win for the Huskies in the five-minute, 3-on-3 period, earning Northeastern its fifth Beanpot title in the past six years.
“We’ve got to get past it, we’ve got to keep our heads high. We played a good hockey game. We can’t get discouraged by it,” Pandolfo said.
From the start, BU did a good job containing Northeastern’s transition game, dominating the middle of the ice and shutting down Husky chances at the blue line.
The Terriers got rewarded for their pesky forecheck at 14:41 of the first period when freshman forward Macklin Celebrini gave his team a 1-0 lead — marking his 23rd goal of the season and third goal in two games at TD Garden.
Husky graduate defenseman Pito Walton mishandled the puck in front of the Northeastern net while pressured by Jack Harvey’s active stick. The freshman forward — and latest first-line addition — poked the rubber away and over to Celebrini who was left all alone in the low slot, and ripped it past freshman Cameron Whitehead.
Here's a look at Macklin's third goal in TD in two games: pic.twitter.com/PRodkITvAc
— Boston Hockey Blog (@BOShockeyblog) February 13, 2024
Northeastern found the 1-1 equalizer at 5:52 of the second period off a goal from graduate forward Matt DeMelis. The Terriers got caught with just one player — graduate defenseman Case McCarthy — back as the Huskies rushed up ice on a 3-on-1.
Sophomore forward Cam Lund dished a cross-crease pass to Fontaine for the initial shot. DeMelis then buried the rebound from the right doorstep.
Devin Kaplan regained BU’s lead at 9:11 of the second while on a 2-on-1 break with graduate forward Sam Stevens. The sophomore forward’s attempted pass to Stevens instead tipped off of Husky defenseman Hunter McDonald’s stick and over Whitehead’s shoulder to make it 2-1.
“I liked the way we played. I liked our competitiveness. I thought we owned the puck most of the night. I just liked the way all our guys came to play tonight,” Pandolfo said.
The Terriers’ advantage didn’t last for long, though, as Northeastern junior forward Justin Hryckowian knotted things 2-2 just 29 seconds later with a right-side, backhanded shot.
Just before the buzzer sounded, sophomore forward Jeremy Wilmer showcased his signature patience and vision of the ice to set up sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson with seven seconds remaining in the middle frame. A net-front Hutson one-timed it for the 3-2 lift and his first goal since Jan. 20, snagging the momentum for BU heading into the third period.
While BU commanded the offensive zone for a majority of the final period of regulation — and led in shots on goal 36-17 by the end of the game — it couldn’t find a way to close out the competition.
“We were in their end for lots of the third period. We just couldn’t extend the lead. That was probably the biggest issue. We just couldn’t find a way to extend the lead,” Pandolfo said.
Northeastern got its first power play of the night after freshman defenseman Gavin McCarthy was called for holding at 8:36. Husky sophomore forward Jack Williams capitalized on the man advantage and wired one past Caron to tie the game 3-3.
“We ended up having to kill a penalty. I’ve got to take some deep breaths before I talk about that, to be quite honest with you. But, we ended up in the box,” Pandolfo said of the questionable call on McCarthy.
Williams’ tally ultimately sent the matchup to overtime with a 3-3 score — the same storyline as the previous two games between BU and Northeastern — where Fontaine potted the Beanpot-clinching goal.
“Our players are really disappointed. It’s a big deal, this tournament. As a group, I’m sure our guys felt like we should’ve won that game,” Pandolfo said.
The Terriers will need a short-term memory as they get over the emotional hump of watching their crosstown rivals steal the pride of Boston from their hands. BU will be back in action Friday as it opens a home-and-home series against Providence College.
“Can’t get down,” Pandolfo said. “We’ve got to be ready to bounce back.”