Dreaming of Beans (Beanpot Semifinal Preview)
It's officially Beanpot season, BU will face off with Harvard in the early game while BC and Northeastern have the night cap
The most wonderful time of the year is upon us, the Beanpot. The oldest active Division I Men’s Ice Hockey tournament begins its 72nd edition on Monday night with the Boston University Terriers facing off with the Harvard Crimson at 5pm and the Boston College Eagles and the Northeastern Huskies facing off at 8 pm (or an hour after the first game ends, whichever is later).
The Matchups
Semifinal 1 (5 pm): Harvard vs. BU
For the first time in 766 days, Boston University and Harvard face off in a regular season game—their last game, December 30th, 2022 at Walter Brown Arena (2-1 OT W). It is the fourth-largest gap between regular season games for the two team in the history of the matchup, and 3rd longest since BU moved to Hockey East. The two did play in an exhibition, skating to a 2-2 tie on October 19th of this season.
BU is 20-4 all time vs. Harvard in Beanpot semifinals, 7-1 when playing in semifinal one against the Crimson. The last time the two teams faced off in Beanpot semifinal was 2022, BU won 4-3 en route to their 31st Beanpot title. Harvard’s last win over BU in a Beanpot semifinal came in 1994, a 2-4 Harvard win in the second semifinal. The first and last time Harvard defeated BU in the first semifinal came all the way back in the 2nd Beanpot in 1954.
Semifinal 2 (8 pm): BC vs. Northeastern
Boston College and Northeastern face off for the third time this season, in November each team won their home game (3-0, BC; 4-2 NU). BC holds the all-time lead in semifinals 17-7, but the two are 4-4 in semifinal two. Northeastern has won 3 of the last 4 semifinals between the teams, with BC’s last win coming in 2012. Only 4 of their semifinal matchups have gone to overtime, with the last coming in 1994 at the old Boston Garden.
The Teams
Northeastern
The Huskies (9-12-3, HEA (9th): 4-9-3) come into the 2025 Beanpot as the two-time defending champions, having beat BU in overtime 4-3 in 2024 and Harvard in a shootout in 2023 after skating to a 2-2 tie. Northeastern’s Beanpot hero, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine—who scored the OT GWG in both the 2024 Semifinal and Finals—transferred to Ohio State in the off-season.
Northeastern began the season winning just 1 of their first 11 games, before beating BC at home on November 23rd. Since losing to Providence in the Ledyard Bank Classic semifinal, the Huskies have won 5 of their last 8, including a 3 game win streak in mid-January.
Players to Watch
Jack Williams (F, JR) leads the Huskies with 17 assists and 29 points—third in Hockey East—including 3 games in which he recorded 3+ points. Williams record the game tieing goal in the third period of the 2024 Beanpot final
Cam Lund (F, JR) is second on the team in points (26), assists (15), and goals (11), Lund recorded a career high 4 points against Providence on November 9th
Cameron Whitehead (G, SO) has a 2.60 GAA and .915 SV% for the Huskies tied for 5th and 6th, respectively, among Hockey East goalies
Vinny Borgesi (D, Jr) leads all Husky defensemen in goals (5), assists (15), and points (20)
Boston University
The Terriers (14-9-1, HEA (2nd): 10-5-1) enter the Beanpot as last season’s runner-up, coming up short in overtime. Devin Kaplan and Ryan Greene are the only returning Terrier goalscorers from last season’s Beanpot run.
After starting the season 3-0, the Terriers hit a rough patch, losing 5 of their next 7. Thanksgiving would see the Scarlet and White earn their first hardware of the season, securing their first Belpot, winning the Friendship Four in Belfast after beating Merrimack (6-2) and Notre Dame (4-3). In December and January, the Terriers won 7 of 10, with the only consecutive losses coming against Boston College.
Players to Watch
Cole Eiserman (F, FR) leads all freshmen nationally with 15 goals on the season, 14 of which have been scored at Agganis Arena—a record for goals scored at the arena in a season.
Cole Hutson (D, FR) leads all freshman defensemen nationally with 22 pts, and 5th among all defensemen nationally
Quinn Hutson (F, JR) is first among Terriers with 30 points and one of only 4 players in Hockey East to reach the 30 point milestone
Ryan Greene (F, JR), second on the team in points (26) has scored 13 points in his last 8 games
Boston College
The Eagles (19-4-1, HEA (1st): 12-3-1) enter the Beanpot as the #1 team in the nation, the team finished 3rd in last year’s Beanpot beating Harvard 5-0 in the consolation game.
After starting the season with a split of Michigan State on the road, the Eagles won 6 straight before losing to UConn (4-5) on November 15th. Since the calendar turned to December, BC has won 9 of 11, including each of their last 7 games.
Players to Watch
Ryan Leonard (F, SO) leads Hockey East and the nation with 22 goals. Leonard record his first hat trick of the season against BU on January 24th and his second against UML on January 31st
Gabe Perreault (F, SO) is first on the team in assists (23)—2nd nationally—and points (32)—7th nationally
James Hagens (F, FR) recorded his first multipoint game on October 18th vs. AIC and has 9 on the season
Jacob Fowler (G, SO) leads the nation with 6 shutouts and leads Hockey East in GAA (1.63) and SV% (.938)
Harvard
The Crimson (7-11-2, ECAC (6th): 6-7-2) enter the 2025 Beanpot off of a last place finish in the 2024 edition, losing to BC 0-5 in the consolation game.
An up and down start to the season for the Crimson saw finish November 4-3-1 including a third place finish in the Friendship Four in Belfast, after a 4-2 win over Merrimack in the consolation game. Harvard has a 2-5-2 record at home, having not recorded a home win till January 10th vs. Brown. Outside two instances November 8th and 9th at Princeton (4-3 OT) and Quinnipiac (3-0) and January 10th and 11th vs. Brown and Yale (3-1, 3-1), Harvard has failed to win multiple games in a row.
Players to Watch
Joe Miller (F, JR) leads the Crimson in assists (11) and points (15). Miller record a 3 point game against Merrimack in the Friendship Four consolation game
Casey Severo (F, JR) leads the Crimson in goals (8), 3 of which were scored against Merrimack in the Friendship Four consolation game
Mick Thompson (F, FR) is 2nd on the team in points (14), assists (8), and goals (6)
Ben Charette (G, FR) started his first game in Belfast against Merrimack and got the win over the Warriors, saving 31 of 33 shots on goal. Charette recorded his first career shutout on December 7th in a 0-0 tie with St. Lawrence
