By Jill Saftel, News Staff
When people ask me why I spent the better half of my Friday nights over the past four years at hockey rinks, I always try to explain why college hockey in Boston is different. In this city, hockey rules, but college hockey brings fans to another level. For example, I’m a Bruins fan, but I don’t consider myself a Bruin. But our college teams; these are our friends, our classmates, fellow Huskies. It’s more than a game; it’s a matter of pride.
When you sit in one of the four student sections in the Garden during the first two Mondays in February, your school is your identity. For Northeastern students, that identity is 26 years without a Beanpot. Decades of graduating classes never saw the Huskies bring home the hardware during their time on Huntington Avenue. And every year, a new set of seniors makes a pilgrimage to Causeway Street, hurls insults at the opposition, and prays that maybe this will be Northeastern’s year.
This year, it just might. This year, the Northeastern hockey team really might be different. Last year’s 3-2 semifinal Beanpot win over Boston University was a glimpse at what the 2012-13 team could have been, amidst a dismal season which ended with the Huskies in the Hockey East basement. But head coach Jim Madigan’s 2013-14 group has a different feel. A large group of experienced freshmen has melded almost seamlessly with the veteran core at Matthews Arena, and with an 8-5-1 league record, it shows on the ice.
Last year, Kevin Roy made jaws drop when he scored a hat trick in the semifinals and finished with five of the Huskies’ six goals for the tournament as a freshman. He now has six goals through three Beanpot games, and while that stat is a great one, Northeastern’s scoring this year didn’t come from just one player. Senior Braden Pimm had a goal and an assist, freshman John Stevens recorded two assists, freshman Dalen Hedges had a goal and an assist, and freshman Mike Szmatula scored a goal and had two assists. Of Northeastern’s six goals, no two were scored by the same player. That kind of scoring spread is key to Northeastern’s success, along with grit and resilience.
Speaking of resiliency, this year’s team also survived without its captain, and arguably its best defenseman, when Josh Manson was handed a game misconduct for contact to the head in the first period Monday night. Despite a defensive lineup already short of veteran Dustin Darou and now without its captain, the remaining players each took on the extra responsibility to give Clay Witt the best opportunity to stop pucks. Considering the 6-0 final, they did that job pretty well.
Boston College is more than a formidable opponent. The Eagles have already defeated Northeastern twice this season, first in a 4-2 final at Conte Forum and in a 4-3 overtime win the next night at Matthews. They boast both the nation’s leading offense and leading scorer in Johnny Gaudreau — who will likely enter Monday’s championship on a 23-game point streak — and are eight league points ahead of the pack atop Hockey East. The ‘Pot is nowhere near being in the bag for Northeastern. We all remember the elation after last year’s semifinal win and the disappointment after last year’s championship loss. It might feel a lot like the 2013 Beanpot, but it’s not. Northeastern’s current status — tied for second place in Hockey East, nationally ranked with the ninth best offense in the country — is a hugely different story from last year’s season.
And there’s always a chance next Monday night’s story could be different, too.
