Northeastern men’s hockey will play the Boston University Terriers for the first round of the 73rd Men’s Beanpot Tournament Monday, Feb. 2 at TD Garden.
It will be the fourth time that the teams meet this season. The first game between the rivals ended in a victory for Northeastern Nov. 21, but the next night, the Huskies lost their footing and fell in overtime after coming back from a two goal deficit.
The most recent matchup between the teams ended in a Terrier victory in the final game in Matthews Arena Dec. 13. BU was behind two goals but still managed to come out on top.
In terms of ranking, the Huskies and the Terriers are placed near to each other on the NCAA Percentage Index rankings, otherwise known as NPI, at 27 and 24, respectively.
But rankings don’t mean much in the Beanpot. On the women’s side of the tournament, Northeastern was the only ranked team, yet it came in third place this season.
There are a number of players to watch out for on both sides. For Northeastern, eyes will be on freshman forwards Amine Hajibi, Giacomo Martino and Jacob Mathieu. While young, these rookies have been reliable for the Huskies.
Hajibi has five goals and 10 assists so far in his freshman campaign, securing wins for Northeastern against top-ranked opponents, such as Denver University. His knack for scoring goals in high-stakes games might be useful for the Huskies in TD Garden.
Martino has the second-most goals on the team with eight, trailing behind junior forward Dylan Hryckowian, who has 14. His shot percentage is also second on the team at .250. He has eight assists and 16 blocks, making him a valuable asset on both ends of the ice.
Mathieu is another difference-maker on both ends of the ice with 35 blocks, the second most on the team. Offensively, Mathieu ranks second among the Huskies with 16 assists. He’s also netted six goals this season. His ability to set up his teammates in the offensive zone and his willingness to take blocks in the defensive will make him valuable for Northeastern in the Beanpot tournament.
For the Terriers, attention will be on sophomore defenseman Cole Hutson, junior defenseman Aiden Celebrini and sophomore forward Cole Eiserman.
Hutson leads the team in assists and points, with 15 and 23, respectively. Hutson also scored in the second matchup between the teams, where he collected his own rebound before netting it behind sophomore goaltender Quentin Sigurdson. The alternate captain has a tendency to be involved in critical plays and will be essential in helping the Terriers to victory.
Celebrini leads the team in blocks, collecting 50 this season; he has the most blocks in a single game against Northeastern out of the Terriers this season, with six Nov. 21.
Eiserman has the most goals on the team with 10, but has yet to score against the Huskies this season. Despite lacking goals against Sigurdson and junior goaltender Lawton Zacher, Eiserman’s reliability to score and assist his teammates should not be counted out.
The Feb. 2matchup will begin at 8 p.m., following the Harvard University and Boston College game at 5 p.m. The winners of the semifinals will compete for the championship trophy Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m., and the losers will meet for the consolation game at 4:30 p.m.
