Vancouver Canucks prospect Jackson Dorrington has won his second consecutive Beanpot Championship.
The Beanpot is a highly anticipated ice hockey tournament held annually among the top college hockey teams in the Boston, Massachusetts area. The men’s tournament typically takes place over the initial two Mondays of February at the TD Garden, while the women’s competition rotates among the campuses of the participating schools.
This year, the Canucks pipeline was well represented, with players on each of the four teams, guaranteeing a Canuck prospect victory.
Boston University (ranked 3): Tom Willander and Aidan Celebrini
Boston College (ranked 1): Jack Malone
Northeastern University (ranked 20): Jackson Dorrington
Harvard University (ranked 54): Aku Koskenvuo
Following Boston University’s victory over Boston College and Northeastern’s triumph over Harvard in the semifinal matchups, the stage was set for Willander and Celebrini to face off against Dorrington in the Championship match.
In a thrilling back-and-forth duel, the Huskies managed to stick with the high-flying Terriers, despite never actually leading in the game.
Each time BU would score to go ahead, Northeastern clawed their way back and found an equalizer. Despite being outshot and facing a relentless offensive barrage from the Terriers, the Huskies relied on solid goaltending from Cameron Whitehead, who made 33 saves, along with strong defensive efforts to keep the game tight.
While on the man advantage in the third frame, the Huskies took full advantage of their opportunity, capitalizing on the power play to tie the game up one last time and send the game into overtime.
In the dying moments of the extra frame, Canucks prospect Tom Willander mishandled and failed to clear the puck in his own end, leading to a crucial turnover that resulted in Huskies forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine pouncing on the loose puck opportunity to secure Northeastern’s ninth Beanpot title, and their second consecutive.
For Dorrington, it marked his second Beanpot title, having contributed to Northeastern’s eighth victory as a freshman last year. Skating in a second-pairing role, he was held without a point in the game and did not see any ice time during the overtime period.
Despite the loss, Willander had a respectable performance, registering an assist and earning a plus-two rating while skating on the team’s second pair.
Midway through the second, the 18-year-old freshman showcased his typical aggressive defending. Positioned at his own blue line, Willander applied pressure with an active stick, successfully poking the puck through and creating a turnover.
The defensive effort quickly transitioned into an offensive counterattack for his team, sending Devin Kaplan on an odd-man rush, leading to a fortuitous bounce to regain the lead and earn Willander his first assist of the Beanpot tournament.
Meanwhile, Aidan Celebrini, skating on BU’s third defensive pairing, was held off the scoresheet in the loss.
In the consolation earlier in the day, Jack Malone and the Boston College Eagles shutout the Harvard Crimson 5-0, leading to a third-place finish in the tournament.
While he did not register any points, Malone was bumped up to the team’s top line, slotting alongside standout prospect Cutter Gauthier. He finished with two shots and a plus-two rating in the match.
Unfortunately, Aku Koskenvuo did not dress for either of Harvard’s games in the Beanpot tournament.
The matchups between the Boston University Terriers and the Northeastern Huskies have proven to be highly competitive this season, with each of their three games requiring overtime to determine the outcome.
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