Five Storylines To Know Going Into Highly Anticipated Beanpot

Everyone in Boston — and possibly beyond — knows where Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern and Harvard will be come the first Monday in February every year.

The four schools will reconvene at TD Garden on Monday night as they kick off the 72nd annual Dunkin’ Beanpot. BU and Harvard will get the tournament started with the first semifinal set for 5 p.m. ET and then BC will take on Northeastern in the night cap with the puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m. Both games can be seen on NESN.

There is plenty on the line as each team looks to secure the bragging rights as the best college hockey team in the city. Here are the five storylines to know going into this season’s Beanpot:

Heavy Is The Head That Wears The Crown
The Beanpot has belonged to Northeastern over the last handful of seasons as the Huskies are in search of their second three-peat over the last seven tournaments. Northeastern doesn’t come in as highly touted as years past as they sit ninth in the Hockey East standings.

But that was somewhat the case in 2024 and the Huskies were still the last team standing. They have had a flair for the dramatics, though, winning the last two tournaments via a shootout and in overtime, respectively. That gave Northeastern’s leaders plenty of experience in pressure-packed situations, which tend to play out on the Beanpot stage.

Northeastern split its series with BC earlier this season, which included a 4-2 win for the Huskies.

Can Anyone Slow Down BC’s High-End Talent?
If the Beanpot was played on paper, then BC would walk away with the title. The Eagles have by far the best roster in the tournament and they used it to obtain the No. 1 ranking in the country. They have three NHL first-round picks on their roster in Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault and Dean Letourneau while James Hagens could be the No. 1 overall selection in this year’s draft.

That type of firepower is tough to match and has the Eagles soaring into the tournament. BC owns a 19-4-1 record and is on a seven-game winning streak

Who Will Be This Year’s Gunnarwolf Fontaine?
Fontaine stepped into Beanpot lore last season due to an epic tournament in which he potted the game-winning goals in both the semifinal and final for Northeastern. But with Fontaine transferring to Ohio State, who will put on the cape and deliver heroics for their respective team this season?

Here are four options: Teddy Stiga (BC), Shane Lachance (BU), Dylan Hryckowian (Northeastern) and Mick Thompson (Harvard).

Collison Course Set
BC and BU just might be on a collision course for the final. The Eagles and Terriers come into the tournament as the clear top two teams and could add a chapter to their longtime rivalry with a Beanpot title at stake.

The two schools played just over a week ago with the Eagles sweeping the weekend series and outscoring the Terriers, 8-2. Jay Pandolfo’s club certainly would want a shot at revenge and also exact the demons from last season when BU fell in the final. Meanwhile, the Eagles haven’t won a Beanpot since 2016 — the three other schools have each won at least once since then.

Harvard Looking To Find Upset Equation
There’s no doubt Harvard is this season’s Beanpot underdog. The Crimson’s 7-11-2 record is the worst of the bunch. But Ted Donato’s group can’t be counted out. Harvard has a win over a ranked Quinnipiac squad already this season and will be looking to surprise BU. The Crimson just need someone to be Kevin Millar and let everyone know to not let them get one win because then, anything can happen in the final.

NESN Dunkin’ Beanpot coverage is presented by Dunkin.’