BOSTON ― They’re running it back.
For the second straight February and the 24th time in the tournament’s 73-year history, Boston College and Boston University will play for the Beanpot title at TD Garden. The Commonwealth Avenue rivals will take their show to Causeway Street again.
The semifinal round had Boston College roll past Harvard 5-1 before Boston University edged past Northeastern in a shootout following a 2-2 tie.
Here are some takeaways from each game.
The Bruins first-round picks stood out
Dean Letourneau and James Hagens — the Boston Bruins’ last two first-round draft picks — have taken a sophomore year leap to the forefront of the Boston College offense all season long, but the team’s four-game win streak has brought out the best of the duo.
Hagens was at his best on Monday, netting two first-period goals within a 2:10 span before adding an assist. Boston’s seventh overall pick in 2025 upped his team-leading point total to 28.
“He’s gotten points the whole season, but he’s (been) more impactful of late,” BC coach Greg Brown (Southborough, Mass.) said of Hagens. “I don’t know if his decisions are a little bit quicker. He always has the puck on his stick every game, so it seems like whether he’s on or off, he’s still going to create chances. But it’s been more consistent of late.”
Hagens has developed great chemistry on a line with Oscar Hemming — a midseason debutant from the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers — during the recent run. After burying Hemming’s rebound for Monday’s eventual game-winner at 13:11 of the first, they teamed up for a beautiful give-and-go to extend the lead to 3-0.
Hagens and Letourneau connected on a power play to up the Eagles’ lead to 4-1 in the waning minute of the middle period, with the big-bodied Letourneau providing a screen in front and tipping home a Hagens shot from the point.
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“Dean being at the net front, with his frame, his height, it’s tough for any goalie to see around that,” Hagens said.
Former Cushing defenseman Lukas Gustafsson scored BC’s final goal with 1:05 left in regulation, tallying a one-timer off a faceoff.
Local Roukounakis has a big moment
Amidst a BU lineup that included 15 NHL-drafted skaters, unheralded sophomore Nick Roukounakis (Pembroke, Mass.) delivered in the big game.
Roukounakis capped a back-and-forth stretch of three combined goals in the first 7:44 of the second period, which tied the game at 2-2 and ultimately forced it into overtime and then a shootout. It was his second goal in the last five games and fifth of the season. The 6-foot-2 winger returned to a line with Bruins prospect Jonathan Morello and touted freshman Ryder Ritchie.
“Those guys have been playing a lot together, and they’re pretty consistent in the way they’re going to play,” BU coach Jay Pandolfo (Burlington, Mass.) said. “They cause a lot of havoc, and they’re usually playing in the offensive zone, which is great to see.”
On his goal, the former Thayer standout caused a turnover in the neutral zone, carried the puck down the left side and fired a wrister from the top of the circle that beat Northeastern goaltender Lawton Zacher high on the blocker side.
“Originally I was looking low glove, but I looked up a second time and noticed he was a bit off his angle…and just had a little more room than I thought,” Roukounakis said. “It’s a childhood dream (to score in the Beanpot), for sure.”
Terriers found a way
The second semifinal between BU and Northeastern featured a pair of desperate teams, both of whom carried three-game losing streaks into their fourth meeting of the season. All of them have been one-goal games, including a pair going past regulation.
The Terriers were coming off a 4-1 Friday loss to BC at home and were 3-5-0 to start the semester. They knew that they needed a win to defend their title. That mission was accomplished.
Though there were chances on both sides, BU had a 38-26 advantage in shots and won the game on sophomore Cole Hutson’s deciding goal in a shootout. Ritchie put a puck past Zacher in overtime as well, but the goal was waved off due to an interference penalty.
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“I thought we deserved that win. … We had 87 shot attempts, we had the puck a lot,” Pandolfo said. “It’s too bad we couldn’t win it in regulation or overtime, but listen, we got the job done. We really needed that. … It’s been a bit of a struggle recently, but this is a huge win for us.”
Hutson was not going to be denied. After triggering six shots and dishing out an assist in regulation, he cut down the center of the ice and slipped a backhander through Zacher to decide the shootout. Junior Jack Harvey also scored in the opening round.
“He wanted to win this game tonight,” Pandolfo said of Hutson, who was last year’s Beanpot MVP. “You could see it right from the start.”
What's next for Harvard and Northeastern?
In the earlier game, falling into a 3-0 hole against a talented team like BC proved to be too much for Harvard, though senior defenseman Ryan Healey (Hull, Mass.) netted the Crimson’s lone goal on a rebound just 29 seconds into the second.
As is often the case for Beanpot teams after defeat, the season is not over.
A challenging schedule and strong resume in ECAC play (10-5-0) have helped Harvard to No. 21 in the NPI, even after the loss, which is a handful of spots off the NCAA at-large bubble.
“I just thought we gave up goals way too easily. We had some sustained shots and pressure, but I don’t think we executed at a level that gave us a chance to win the game,” Harvard coach Ted Donato said. “I expect us to regroup and come out with an excellent effort on Friday night (against Dartmouth).”
On Northeastern’s side, the going has been tougher of late.
The loss to BU was the Huskies’ fourth in a row and moves them to 2-7-0 since the holiday break. In the midst of a tight Hockey East race, though, they sit in a tie for sixth.
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Former Salisbury standout Dylan Hryckowian has been key since the start for coach Jerry Keefe’s (Billerica, Mass.) team, leading Hockey East with 33 points, including 15 goals. Monday marked another multi-point effort for the junior, who opened the scoring in the first and also tallied in the shootout.
“Dylan’s got a skill set of getting better, and that’s what he does,” Keefe said. “He’s just a very determined hockey player. … Everything in his game has gotten a little bit better.”
