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BOSTON – Kevin Roy scored twice in the late stages of the 61st Beanpot Championship game on Monday evening in the TD Garden – on his way to earning Beanpot MVP honors – but a four-goal Boston College second period proved to be too much for the Huskies (8-14-3) to overcome. Behind three points each from Johnny Gaudreau and Steven Whitney, the Eagles (17-7-2) came away with the 6-3 victory over Northeastern, winning their fourth consecutive tournament crown.
With five Beanpot goals in two games, Roy garnered most valuable player honors, marking the first time since BU's Sean Fields in 2004 to take home the award from a runner-up. Boston College's Parker Milner, with a .907 save-percentage, took home the Eberly Award, presented to the tournament's top goaltender.
BC held the upper hand through the first 20 minutes of scoreless play, outshooting the Huskies 10-4, including seven shots on the power play, while NU was forced to kill off three penalties during the opening frame.
The Eagles tested
Chris Rawlings (24 saves) right away in the first period, collapsing in on goal trying to produce rebounds in front of the Husky cage. BC thought it had taken an early lead just 2:15 into the contest when Quinn Smith tried to tuck the puck under Rawlings' pad on the doorstep off a wraparound bid from Brooks Dyroff, but the net was knocked off its moorings before the puck crossed the goal line. The play was reviewed and stood as called.
NU registered its first scoring chance of the game seven minutes in when Roy went coast-to-coast before feeding
Vinny Saponari for a shot that went just wide with the Huskies on the power play. Rawlings came up big for the Huskies seconds after the Eagle penalty expired, denying Patrick Brown and Smith on shots from point blank range as Boston College crashed the net.
With BC on the power play midway through the stanza, Bill Arnold slashed through the Husky defense on his way towards goal, firing a shot off the crossbar and out of play. Saponari created a shorthanded bid later in the shift when he picked up an errant pass from Kevin Hayes and streaked down the right side of the ice before snapping a shot that Milner swallowed with his pads.
With less than a minute left in the first, and BC on its third power play of the period, the Eagles nearly broke through when Isaac MacLeod's shot from just inside the blue line when redirected through traffic and trickled past the left post and into the corner.
The Husky offense got going coming out of the intermission when Roy controlled the puck behind the net after a shot from Saponari. Roy quickly settled the puck before finding
Garrett Vermeersch in the slot for a one-timer that Milner steered aside at the last moment.
NU dodged a bullet four minutes into the second when MacLeod coasted down the left side before letting off a rocket from the top of the circle that rang off the right post and landing in the crease before the Huskies could clear it out of danger.
The Eagles hit yet another post, their third of the night, with 10:05 remaining in the second when Pat Mullane tipped a Patrick Wey shot from the right side that got past Rawlings but clipped the crossbar.
Boston College broke the deadlock with 9:07 left in the frame when the Eagles made a quick transition in the neutral zone on a give-and-go between Arnold and Hayes. Arnold gathered a loose puck, dumped it across to Hayes on the left side before Hayes promptly returned the puck for a low snap shot past Rawlings for a 1-0 BC lead.
The potent Eagle offense struck again just 75 seconds later when Gaudreau picked the pocket of a Husky defender in the corner, cut right to the net, and stuffed it under the pad of Rawlings for his 14th goal of the season.
Northeastern would answer with 4:56 left in the stanza when Roy netted his 16th goal of the season, and fourth of the tournament. Saponari began the play when he hit Roy with a cross-ice pass in the neutral zone. Roy then skated into the attacking zone, toe-dragged into the slot and fired a shot through the five-hole of Milner to make it 2-1 Boston College.
Gaudreau and Roy went shot for shot less than a minute after the Roy tally, the first coming when Gaudreau skated through the NU defense before Rawlings turned away a scoring bid. Seconds later, Roy nearly knotted the score at two aside when he took a long clearing feed and went in on a breakaway. Roy deeked left before trying to send a backhand past Milner, but the BC netminder flashed a glove to make the save.
The Eagles regained its two-goal edge with 1:23 left in the second when Wey redirected a shot from MacLeod at the point that trickled over the goal line.
BC capitalized on a Husky miscue in its defensive zone in the waning seconds of the period to take a commanding 4-1 lead into the second intermission. Following a casual dump in late in the frame, the Eagles caused a turnover, and Whitney scored with 0.4 seconds left in the period on a shot from the left side, beating Rawlings for his 18th goal of the season.
Roy gave the Huskies hope just 11 seconds into the third period, picking up a loose puck from Vermeersch, flying into the offensive zone and rifling a shot over the blocker of Milner.
NU continued to build momentum, drawing a tripping penalty on Whitney before
Braden Pimm made it a one-goal game 3:56 into the third. After taking a pass from Vermeersch, Saponari teed up a slap shot from the top of the left faceoff dot. The puck found its way through traffic, off the stick of Pimm and into the back of the net to make it 4-3.
Rawlings kept the Huskies in the game three minutes after the Pimm tally, denying Gaudreau on a shot from the hash marks.
With 11:19 left in regulation, Vermeersch had a chance to level the score at four when he took a pass from Roy along the boards. Vermeersch went in uncontested, and tried to beat Milner blocker side, but the netminder was able to make the save and cover for the faceoff.
Two minutes later, Saponari's tenacity landed the puck onto the stick of Roy looking to complete the hat trick. Saponari skated down the right side and past an Eagle defender before poking the puck into the slot. Roy, joining the rush, gathered the puck and skated in on goal, but Milner poked the puck away before Roy could get off a shot.
Gaudreau would give Boston College a two-goal cushion with 5:23 left in regulation, netting his second of the night off a feed from Matheson. Whitney started the play waiting for a trailer entering the NU zone. He found it in Matheson, and hit him with a pass inside the blue line. Matheson then carried the puck towards goal before sliding it across the crease to a cutting Gaudreau, who sent it home for the score.
BC struck again as Mullane fired an empty-netter from the blue line at 18:22 following an NU turnover, wrapping up their fourth consecutive Beanpot championship with the 6-3 win over the Huskies.
The Huskies will be back in action this weekend when Northeastern hosts Vermont for two games at Matthews Arena, beginning Friday night at 7 p.m.
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