Growing up in Massachusetts, Northeastern senior defenseman Ryan Shea wanted nothing more than to lift the Beanpot.
Not only has the Milton native and former BC High standout watched the 68-year-old tournament all his life and now followed in the footsteps of father Danny by playing in it, but also he has looked up to his team’s last two captains who raised the trophy high during the Huskies’ first-ever run of three consecutive titles.
Given the circumstances of it being Shea’s senior year and the Huskies coming back to win in double overtime after Boston University scored in the final seconds of regulation, this one was especially sweet.
“It’s always crazy-exciting winning the Beanpot, but I wanted to be the one to lift that trophy and bring it to the team,” said Shea, who became the first solo captain from the Bay State to raise the Beanpot since Boston College’s Teddy Doherty (Hopkinton, Mass.) in 2016.
“With the way the game played out going to overtime — probably the most exciting game I’ve been a part of — and obviously it being my last one, I think this one topped them all for me.”
For ninth-year head coach Jim Madigan, winning three straight Beanpots marked a chance to do something that his beloved hockey program had never done before. Seeing Shea lead the way in this instance certainly was special because he knows the meaning of the tournament to his crop of local players.
“I’ve known Ryan and his whole family for a long time, and Ryan came over and carved out his own niche, an unbelievable niche here at Northeastern (coming out of a Boston College family),” Madigan said.
“To think he’s walking away with three Beanpots, a Hockey East championship and two NCAA appearances — and we’re still looking to add to all that — it’s special. It’s a big deal for every senior, but even more so for the senior captain because you’ve led the group. He has been a model player for us and played in every situation since day one.”
For a team featuring a great mix of youth and experience, Shea has, indeed, been a key cog. He is among the Hockey East leaders in defenseman scoring after matching his previous career high of 17 points in just 18 games this season and recently putting together a four-game point streak that included both Beanpot games and spanned into the following weekend’s series against UMass Lowell.
The local roots on Northeastern’s roster run deep, so Shea certainly wasn’t the only Husky whose youthful hockey dreams included skating on the TD Garden ice in Boston’s traditional tournament for college hockey bragging rights. Freshman forward Aidan McDonough played prep hockey at Thayer and joins Shea and Madigan in calling Milton home.
There are many Beanpot memories in Shea’s past. Whether he was sitting up close or in the last rows of the Garden balcony or taking advantage of a canceled Boston Junior Terriers practice to attend, the first two Mondays of February always were circled on the calendar.
The newest memories, though, are certainly the best now.
“Every young hockey player who was in the stands wanted to be on that stage, so I knew I just had to trust the process and worked my hardest to get to that point,” Shea said. “(Playing in the Beanpot) was one of the main things when I was looking at colleges. I was like, ‘All right, I have a chance to do this, so why not go for it?’ ”
Shea certainly has made the most of his college hockey chance as he has played in every one of Northeastern’s games during his college career, making him the most experienced defenseman in all of Hockey East.
Madigan couldn’t be happier.
As far as the Beanpot is concerned, Shea has helped Northeastern make history, as well as family history. His father, a Quincy native and 1987 Penguins draft pick, didn’t get to hoist a Beanpot during his career (1984-88) at BC and predicts he’ll be hearing about that for some time.
“I remember playing in the old Garden when it was absolutely jammed, so it has been exciting to see Ryan have that same experience,” Danny Shea said. “They’re creating memories for life and a great legacy over there. It’s a great, great tradition and a trophy that all four teams want. Unfortunately, I didn’t win any and I’m sure Ryan will tell me that 10 times over, but it was special to see him play in it. It’s a dream come true for him and all those other local kids.”
