Category: Northeastern Huskies

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Posted on Posted in Boston University Terriers, Hockey East, Northeastern Huskies
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The 53rd Beanpot took place February 2005 between the same four men’s hockey teams that had participated since the first tournament in 1952. At the time, the Boston College Eagles were the reigning Beanpot champions after defeating Boston University the previous February by a score of 2-1 in overtime. It was the Eagles 13th Beanpot title. The 2005 tournament was held in the arena currently known as TD Garden. However, it was known as YourGarden in 2005 when it was in naming-rights limbo after FleetCenter and before TD Garden.

The early game on Monday, February 7, was between Northeastern and Harvard. The crowd got its money’s worth from the get-go when it took two overtimes for Northeastern to defeat the Crimson 2-1. The nightcap saw Boston University defeat the Eagles 3-1 setting up a Northeastern versus Boston College Beanpot title game.

The Huskies brought a 10-13-4 record into the Beanpot. The Terriers had a winning record of 15-10-2 at the time. Boston University had previously defeated Northeastern 3-1 earlier in the season on January 7. A sellout crowd was on hand for the Beanpot final between the two Boston schools. Boston University scored twice in the first period but Northeastern chipped away with a goal in each of the final two periods. At the end of regulation, the score was tied 2-2. The game was decided a little more than 14 minutes into overtime when Chris Bourque (son of Ray Bourque) scored to clinch the Beanpot for Boston University.

It was the third time in four years and ninth time in eleven that the Terriers had won the men’s Beanpot. It also marked the 24th time in 39 years. A truly incredible Beanpot run for Boston University. In the above photo, Boston University players mob Bourque and celebrate the Beanpot championship.

Exactly seventeen years later on February 14, the same two teams will meet in the 69th men’s Beanpot final at TD Garden. As the reigning three-time Beanpot champions, Northeastern will be looking to four-peat. Boston University will look to win the Beanpot for the first time since 2015.

Posted on Posted in Boston College Eagles, Hockey East, Northeastern Huskies
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The first Beanpot tournament took place the weekend after Christmas in December 1952. At the time it was called the New England Invitational Tournament and included the same four Boston-based teams that participate today. The single-elimination men’s tournament is now split between the first two Mondays in February and is a spectacle of Boston college hockey. All four teams have had success within the tournament but one of them took a little bit longer than the others to capture its first Beanpot trophy.

Heading into the 1980 Beanpot, Northeastern had a record of just 3-11-0. However, the team had impressively beaten Maine 9-3 in the game leading up to the tournament. The previous Beanpot in 1979 saw the Huskies win the consolation game against Harvard 5-4. At the time, Northeastern had yet to capture the Beanpot trophy. The three other teams had their time in the spotlight. Harvard won the inaugural tournament in 1952. Boston College won the next Beanpot that took place in 1954. Boston University won its first Beanpot trophy in 1958. Northeastern had only participated in the championship game twice before 1980 and had finished last in the tournament 18 times. The team was due.

The schedule for the opening round included Northeastern versus Boston University and Harvard versus Boston College. The first game on Monday, February 4 went into overtime. Northeastern found the back of the net in the extra frame and defeated Boston University 6-5. The second game of the day saw Boston College defeat Harvard 4-3 setting up the Huskies and the Eagles in the championship game February 11 to see who the kings of college hockey in Boston would be.

The championship game took place after Harvard downed Boston University 7-4 in the consolation game. Boston College came into the Beanpot with a 17-4-1 record and was two seasons removed from a national runner-up finish. The title game was one for the ages as it went to overtime to determine the champion. It didn’t take long. At two minutes and 47 seconds into overtime, Wayne Turner scored for the Huskies to clinch Northeastern’s first Beanpot championship with a 5-4 victory. The program’s first Beanpot title in the 28th tournament caused some people to call it the most memorable moment in the history of Northeastern sports. The game was only one of seven losses throughout the season for Boston College.

Fast forward to 2022 and the script has been flipped. There was no Beanpot played in 2021 marking it as the first calendar year where the tournament didn’t take place since 1953. However, Northeastern is the reigning champions. In fact, the Huskies are the reigning three-peat champions having won in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Northeastern is still fourth in terms of the number of first place Beanpot finishes with seven. But the Huskies are narrowing the gap. The opening game of the 2022 tournament will see Boston University face Harvard February 7. The nightcap is a rematch of the 1980 Beanpot championship game when Boston College and Northeastern go toe to toe.

To read additional detail about Beanpot history, view our historical write up that covered U.S. college hockey in the 1950s.

In the featured photo, Wayne Turner celebrates his Beanpot-clinching goal in overtime of the 1980 Beanpot championship game. This historic goal for the program earned him the nickname Wayne “Beanpot” Turner.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Jet Commercial Photographers, Northeastern University Photograph collection, at the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections.

Posted on Posted in ECAC, Harvard Crimson, Hockey East, Northeastern Huskies

In a game that took place nearly three years before the first Beanpot Tournament, Northeastern and Harvard met on the ice on January 16, 1950. Harvard outlasted Northeastern 5-4. It was technically a home game for Harvard even though both teams called Boston Arena their home rink at the time. Harvard would later win the inaugural Beanpot Tournament (then known as the New England Invitational Tournament) between the four Boston teams on December 27, 1952. Northeastern has won the last three Beanpot Tournaments. The 2021 Beanpot championship game would have taken place tonight but the tournament has been cancelled due to COVID. Northeastern will look to make it four in a row in 2022. Despite there only being four teams in the tournament, these two teams have never faced each other in the Beanpot Final.

Photo courtesy of Herb Gallagher, in the Northeastern University Photography records at the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections.