Story by Emma Sullivan
Photos by Kayla Shiao and Sarah Olender
BOSTON — For two periods it seemed like anyone’s game. Lackluster offense up and down the ice, incomplete passes galore and two goaltenders carrying their teams to a 0-0 tie were the main narratives by the end of the second period.
Here at WRBB, those on the broadcast referred to it as boring for the first 40 minutes of play. However, the final 20 minutes were anything but. Both the Northeastern Huskies and the Boston University Terriers turned up the heat in the third period. Chances for both teams were stronger and more dangerous.
BU, who all night were the faster team, took advantage of a two-on-one to break out into the offensive zone before driving toward the Northeastern net. Husky defenders Jordan Harris and Tommy Miller made their best efforts to try and sprawl across the ice in order to knock the puck away from the approaching BU forwards. Forward Jamie Armstrong passed the puck across the crease to forward Dylan Peterson who then easily tapped the puck up and into the net giving BU the 1-0 lead with only 2:58 remaining. Defender Domenick Fensore also added an assist after helping clear the zone for the Terriers.
Northeastern did their best to sustain offensive pressure in front of BU goaltender Vinny Duplessis. However, a late clearance down the ice by the Terriers and a trapped puck along the boards ended the game, and with it, the Huskies Beanpot championship streak at three.
With the win, BU earned their 31st championship win in the tournament which leads all four teams in Beanpot titles. Northeastern completed a feat not seen for the program since 1967 — the first time they’d been shut out in the Beanpot final.
Special teams did not end up being that much of a threat to either side tonight. The only call against BU came with 2:02 remaining in the first period after forward Jay O’Brien threw a hard hit on forward Riley Hughes knocking him down. O’Brien headed to the box for boarding, but the teams only played at five-on-four for 23 seconds before Harris was whistled for a roughing minor penalty to put the teams both down a man. Both penalties expired with nothing to show for it.
At the conclusion of the game there was a bright spot for the Huskies. Goaltender TJ Semptimphelter was awarded the Eberly Award for the goaltender in the tournament with the highest save percentage. For the freshman that came after giving up only two goals on 69 shots for a save percentage of .972. For a netminder who hadn’t played in the NCAA before three weeks ago, it’s an outstanding achievement and one that was definitely deserved.
“You feel bad for him,” said head coach Jerry Keefe on Semptimphelter. “He had another great game.”
“The better team tonight won,” he added. “We didn’t deserve to win that game.”
The Huskies will look to get back in the win column with a weekend series against Boston College starting on Friday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. as Northeastern takes on the Eagles in a rematch of the Beanpot semifinals just last week. Khalin Kapoor, Adam Doucette, and Emma Sullivan will have coverage from Matthews Arena.
Photos by Kayla Shiao