While Northeastern men’s hockey is in the thick of conference play, Monday will bring a break from Hockey East and a trip to the TD Garden. It’s a tournament rich in tradition, dating back to Dec. 26, 1952. And whether it’s loved more in 2013 for that tradition or for the rowdy student sections, the first two Mondays in February are reserved for the annual Beanpot Tournament. “This tournament obviously brings a special feeling to all of our players,” head coach Jim Madigan said at Wednesday’s Beanpot luncheon. “We have not had the chance to win this tournament. Our players are excited about it.” Northeastern has not won since the 36th Beanpot in 1988 with a 6-3 win over Boston University, and the fewest tournament titles overall with four. Boston University owns the top spot with 29 titles, Boston College trails with 17 and Harvard University has 10. While those numbers leave Northeastern at the bottom of the barrel, each year brings a fresh start to the tournament. If you haven’t seen much college hockey this season but still plan to make the trip to the TD Garden, here’s a breakdown of each team the Huskies could potentially face in the Beanpot, and how they’ve fared against Northeastern going into Monday’s competition: Boston University BU poses the first challenge for the Huskies, as the teams will face off at 5 p.m. Monday in the first round of the tournament. Oddly enough, Northeastern captain Vinny Saponari is the only current Northeastern player to have won the Beanpot – and he did it as a Terrier. The two teams have seen each other only once this season, Jan. 18 at Agganis Arena. With an early lead, the Huskies allowed BU to rally but left Commonwealth Avenue with a victory following late-game heroics from Saponari, who scored the game winner with two minutes and three seconds left in regulation. If the Huskies want a shot at the hardware, they’ll have to take down the 13-9-1 Terriers first in a classic Beanpot dog fight. Boston College The Eagles, who have won the last three consecutive Beanpots, are sitting in first in Hockey East and tied for fifth in the pairwise rankings, which determine NCAA Tournament matchups. Even with a 14-7-2 overall record, BC has struggled recently, dropping four of their last five matchups. Against the Huskies, the Eagles are 2-1 this year. Northeastern took the first game of the season series 3-1, but dropped the next two 3-0 and 9-3. However, the Huskies will only see the Eagles in the second round of the Beanpot; in the finals round if Northeastern defeats BU and BC defeats Harvard, or in the consolation round if both teams lose. Harvard University Harvard joins Northeastern in the bottom half of the Beanpot pack, as the tournament is known more for its BC vs. BU showdowns. The Huskies traveled to Cambridge to face the Crimson in their first game back from holiday break and walked away with a 5-1 non-conference win, as Harvard is the only Beanpot competitor not in Hockey East and instead competes in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference. In its loss to Northeastern, Harvard was missing freshman forward Jimmy Vesey, who was competing in the World Junior Championships tournament in Ufa, Russia, with fellow Beanpot competitor, BC Eagle Johnny Gaudreau. Harvard is on a six-game losing streak with a 5-13-1 overall record, and will face BC in the first round. “Our players are looking forward to putting their mark on this tournament,” Madigan said. “We have been to the finals, we have had some tough losses, last year we didn’t play well. We are really looking forward to being able to come in and show the rest of Boston that Northeastern is a good hockey club and that we can do well in this tournament.”

The Northeastern men's hockey team gave up a 3-0 lead Saturday night at Tsongas Arena and went on to lose in a 5-4 overtime nail biter at the hands of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks. The Huskies maintained their lead into the third period, when they were up 4-1 on No. 15 Lowell, but allowed three goals in the final period before heading to extra time.

The Northeastern men's hockey team cut the University of Massachusetts-Lowell's nine-game winning streak short Friday night in a 4-4 draw at Matthews Arena. The Huskies gave up a 4-2 lead and neither team was able pull ahead in overtime to come away with anything more than a single Hockey East point.

The Northeastern Huskies fell to first-place Drexel University in a 73-85 loss on Thursday night that dropped them to 11-7 overall and 4-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The Dragons, who remain undefeated in conference play at 6-0, fired on all cylinders offensively, shooting a blistering 61 percent and dishing out 23 assists.

The Northeastern men’s and women’s track teams traveled to the Gordon Track and Tennis Center in Cambridge on Saturday to compete in the Harvard Challenge. Both squads earned third place finishes and numerous Huskies recorded new personal bests.

The Northeastern swimming and diving team took advantage of its senior day celebration by beating the University of Vermont (UVM) 187.5-112.5 at Barletta Natatorium on Jan. 19.

During my last three years at Northeastern, it seems that the Husky men’s basketball and hockey teams have followed similar trends. They’ll have unbelievable streaks or surprising wins that will get you excited about the season, mixed in with stretches when the teams will inexplicably struggle, spots of brilliance marred by weeks of disappointment.

The Huskies and Friars put up big numbers this weekend as the Northeastern women’s hockey team defeated Providence College 8-7 Sunday in the seventh annual Hockey East Skating Strides weekend.

As much of campus grieves over the Patriots’ AFC Championship game defeat, there is something else approaching besides Super Bowl XLVII in a couple of weeks. That, of course, is the 62nd annual Beanpot Tournament.

As the minutes ticked down in Agganis Arena at Boston University on Friday night, the Terriers and the Huskies were each playing for their lives; tied at 5-5 with three minutes to play. Shortly, it would be Northeastern captain Vinny Saponari banging on the glass and victoriously pointing at the husky on his jersey, having scored the game-winner against his former team.

The Huskies used a balanced offensive attack and resharpened defensive focus to overcome a seven-point, second-half deficit and grind out a 60-51 victory against the George Mason University Patriots on Tuesday night to sweep the season series. The win, the Huskies’ second straight, puts them at 11-6 overall and 4-2 in the CAA.

With a 15-point lead at halftime, the men’s basketball team found themselves only leading by three points at the three-minute mark, allowing the College of William & Mary to score 49 points in the second half. The Tribe’s 19 points on the first half were the fewest allowed by Northeastern this season, but the Tribe’s second-half tear kept the Huskies on their toes in the 95-91 double overtime victory at Matthews Arena last night.