Both Beanpot Tournament games on this second Monday night of February carry significant meaning as Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern will then enter the final stretch of their Hockey East and ECAC Hockey regular seasons.
Of course, only BC and Northeastern earned the opportunity to compete for the 67th Beanpot as a result of their 2-1 victories in last week’s semifinal round and will do so against one another for the first time since 2014. But all four teams have plenty to play for during the second TD Garden doubleheader in as many weeks, which commences with the 4:30 p.m. consolation game.
Northeastern has history to make as far as the Beanpot itself, though it will have to gain momentum back after dropping into a fifth-place tie in Hockey East following Thursday’s 3-2 overtime loss at Connecticut. After not winning a single title in 30 years prior to last February, the Huskies can make it back-to-back Beanpots for the first time since 1984 and 1985.
That latter statistic means a great deal to eighth-year head coach Jim Madigan, who was a player on both of the aforementioned teams and then served as an assistant coach on the 1988-winning club. He knows what a special feat bringing the ‘Pot back to Huntington Avenue again would be.
