BOSTON -- The battle for Boston's bragging rights is finally here, and No. 11/9 Northeastern will look to take the first step towards its fifth Beanpot title on Monday when the Huskies battle No. 16 Boston College at TD Garden. The game will air on NESN and TSN2.
Comin' in hot
The Huskies are currently ranked 11th in the nation in the USCHO.com poll (Jan. 29), the highest of any Beanpot team (Boston College, 16th). It marks the first time since the start of the poll (1997-98 season) that the Huskies have been the highest ranked Beanpot team entering the tournament.
Huskies vs. Eagles in the Beanpot
Northeastern and BC will be meeting in the Beanpot for the seventh time in the last eight seasons, and 46th time in tournament history. The Eagles lead the series, 34-11, including victories against NU in three of the last seven championship games. Monday marks the 23rd time that the teams will meet in the semifinals, with BC leading that series 17-5.
Northeastern in the Beanpot semifinals
Entering the 66th annual Beanpot, the Huskies will be looking to return to the championship game for the 18th time in team history. Northeastern is 17-48 all-time in semifinal games, and 3-2 in the last four semifinal games.
Madigan and the Beanpot
Jim Madigan played and coached in the Huskies' golden era of Beanpot success. Madigan has direct involvement with three of NU's four Beanpot championships, two as a student-athlete (1984, 1985) and one as an assistant coach (1988).
Madigan actually scored a goal in one of Northeast- ern's two victories over BU in the Beanpot, including the 4-3 victory on Feb. 8, 1983. Trailing 3-0, Madigan scored the Huskies' first goal, sparking a four-goal flurry for the win. As a head coach, Madigan is 5-7 in six seasons.
The soul of the Beanpot
2018 will mark the first time in 50 years that the Beanpot will be played without Jack Grinold. Grinold, the longtime Northeastern sports information director, passed away last April at the age of 81. He was inducted into the Beanpot Hall of Fame in 2012 and was a member of the Beanpot committee and the executive editor of the tournament program for decades.
Huskies for Hobey
Adam Gaudette and
Dylan Sikura have been nominated for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, presented annually to the top player in the nation. Fan voting, which is open until March 4, plays a role in narrowing down the nominee pool to ten candidates. To vote once per day, visit GoNU.com/Hobey.
Century Club
Captain
Nolan Stevens became the 52nd player in team history to reach 100 career points on Jan. 20, and third player to do it this season (Sikura and Gaudette). It's the third time in team history that three different players have reached 100 career points in the same season (1991-92 and 1974-75).
Dynamic duo
Junior
Adam Gaudette and senior
Dylan Sikura and have picked up right where they left off a season ago, recording 39 and 36 points apiece, respectively, through 27 games. They make Northeastern the only team in the NCAA to have two players with at least 35 points this season.
They, with
Nolan Stevens, also make NU one of two teams in the country (Denver) to have three players combine for 100 points so far this season.
In the 83 games that the two have played on the same line, Gaudette and Sikura have combined for 193 points (Gaudette: 45-48-93; Sikura: 36-64-100), leading NU to a 46-25-12 record in those games.
Earlier this year, they made NU the first team to have a pair of skaters with three straight multi-point games to start the season since Cornell (John McCarron and Joel Lowry) in 2013-14. In the last six seasons, only five players in the nation have recorded multi-point efforts in their teams' first four games.
Prime'd for success
Freshman
Cayden Primeau has acclimated himself to the college game, earning starts in 21 of Northeastern's 27 games and posting an 11-5-5 mark with a 2.01 goals against average. He reached 11 wins in the third fewest starts in the NCAA, and is one of three rookie netminders with double-digit victories.
After a 6-4 loss to Quinnipiac on Oct. 21, Primeau has bounced back in a big way. Since then, Primeau is sixth in the nation with a 1.86 goals against average and seventh with a .929 save percentage.
He also posted a 4-0-1 record in December to earn Stop It Goaltending Goaltender of the Month and HCA Rookie of the Month honors.
Primeau has allowed one goal or fewer in 11 games this season, the most for a Northeastern team since the 2009-10 season.
Aston-Reese recalled by Pittsburgh
Former All-American
Zach Aston-Reese was recalled by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, and made his NHL debut that night against New Jersey.
Aston-Reese (Staten Island, N.Y.) has compiled 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) and a plus-21 in 41 games with Wilkes-Barre Scranton (AHL) this season. His 20 assists are tied for the club lead, while his plus-21 is tied for second-best. Aston-Reese has six goals, nine assists and 15 points with a plus-10 in his last 14 AHL contests. During that span, he has notched at least one point in 11 of 14 games, including an active four-game point streak (three goals, two assists) at the time of his recall.
The road ahead
Northeastern welcomes Connecticut to Matthews Arena for one game next weekend ahead of the second week of the Beanpot. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. on Friday and will be televised on NESN.