About Us
Originally named the New England Hockey Invitational, much has changed since the Beanpot’s first game in December 1952. The name “Beanpot” was coined by Leonard Fowle, a Boston Globe writer, who referred to the tournament as “the so-called Bean Pot” in reference to Boston’s nickname Beantown as well as the shape of the trophy. Other awards given from the tournament are the Eberly Trophy, given to the goalie who has the highest save percentage, and the Beanpot MVP, which goes to the tournament's most valuable player.
The current format of playing on the first two Mondays of February wasn’t adopted until 1958, offering a much needed break during peak seasonal depression. In 1961, the Beanpot witnessed its first sellout tournament.
The Beanpot has come a long way from its early years as far as convenience and ticket sales go, in addition to being infused with tradition and memories that define Boston—some of the most famous examples being the Blizzard of 1978 that trapped fans overnight in the Garden, and Northeastern’s emotional 28 year fight for a win.
Not only does the Beanpot give bragging rights to the winning team, but it also marks the start of “Trophy Season” according to Boston College’s head coach, Jerry York. This tournament often foreshadows season results: the Boston-based teams have not won the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship without first winning the season’s Beanpot title.
Boston University, with 30 Beanpot titles, has the most wins under their belt. The Eagles are in second with 20 wins, followed by Harvard with 11 wins and Northeastern with 7. While Northeastern has not been very successful historically, being without an NCAA title and placing last in several past Beanpot tournaments, they currently have a winning streak in the tournament that began in 2018. The last Beanpot win for Boston College was in 2016 when the Eagles beat BU 1-0 in overtime, resulting in the first 1-0 final score in the tournament’s history.
The first-round lineup rotates annually. This year on Monday, February 7, Boston University (13-10-3) will play Harvard (10-7-2) while Boston College (10-11-4) is up against Northeastern (16-8-1). Based on performances this past year, Boston College has the advantage over Northeastern, having previously won 5-3; however, this was back in October. Boston University has yet to play Harvard this year, but in November they lost to (0-1) and tied with (2-2) Northeastern. They also had another tie with Boston College in December (3-3).
With the Winter Olympics approaching, players’ absences could significantly impact the outcome of these games. Boston College’s captain and forward Marc McLaughlin, alternate captain and forward Jack McBain, and defenseman Drew Helleson will be heading to Beijing along with Harvard’s Nick Abruzzese and Sean Farrell. Boston University’s goalie Drew Commesso and Northeastern’s goalie Devon Levi will also be missing this year’s tournament.
The first round matchups provide much excitement, as the student sections of each respective school take up the four corners of the 300 level at TD Garden, providing a rowdy game atmosphere for everyone in attendance.
The winners of the games on February 7th face off in the finals the following Monday, February 14th in the later game, while the losers of the first round games play for third place in the first game on the 14th.
A Timeline of Beanpot Final Results:
| 1952 | Harvard defeats Boston U. (7-4) |
| 1954 | Boston College defeats Harvard (4-1) |
| 1955 | Harvard defeats Boston College (5-4) |
| 1956 | Boston College defeats Harvard (4-2) |
| 1957 | Boston College defeats Boston U. (5-4) |
| 1958 | Boston U. defeats Northeastern (9-3) |
| 1959 | Boston College defeats Boston U. (7-4) |
| 1960 | Harvard defeats Boston U. (3-2) |
| 1961 | Boston College defeats Harvard (4-2) |
| 1962 | Harvard defeats Boston U. (5-0) |
| 1963 | Boston College defeats Harvard (3-1) |
| 1964 | Boston College defeats Boston U. (6-5) |
| 1965 | Boston College defeats Boston U. (5-4) |
| 1966 | Boston U. defeats Harvard (9-2) |
| 1967 | Boston U. defeats Northeastern (4-0) |
| 1968 | Boston U. defeats Harvard (4-1) |
| 1969 | Harvard defeats Boston U. (5-3) |
| 1970 | Boston U. defeats Boston College (5-4) |
| 1971 | Boston U. defeats Harvard (4-1) |
| 1972 | Boston U. defeats Harvard (4-1) |
| 1973 | Boston U. defeats Boston College (4-1) |
| 1974 | Harvard defeats Boston U. (5-4) |
| 1975 | Boston U. defeats Harvard (7-2) |
| 1976 | Boston College defeats Boston U. (6-3) |
| 1977 | Harvard defeats Boston U. (4-3) |
| 1978 | Boston U. defeats Harvard (7-1) |
| 1979 | Boston U. defeats Boston College (4-3) |
| 1980 | Northeastern defeats Boston College (5-4) |
| 1981 | Harvard defeats Boston College (2-0) |
| 1982 | Boston U. defeats Boston College (3-1) |
| 1983 | Boston College defeats Northeastern (8-2) |
| 1984 | Northeastern defeats Boston U. (5-2) |
| 1985 | Northeastern defeats Boston U. (4-2) |
| 1986 | Boston U. defeats Boston College (4-1) |
| 1987 | Boston U. defeats Northeastern (4-3) |
| 1988 | Northeastern defeats Boston U. (6-3) |
| 1989 | Harvard defeats Boston U. (8-6) |
| 1990 | Boston U. defeats Harvard (8-2) |
| 1991 | Boston U. defeats Boston College (8-4) |
| 1992 | Boston U. defeats Harvard (5-2) |
| 1993 | Harvard defeats Boston U. (4-2) |
| 1994 | Boston College defeats Harvard (2-1) |
| 1995 | Boston U. defeats Boston College (5-1) |
| 1996 | Boston U. defeats Northeastern (11-4) |
| 1997 | Boston U. defeats Boston College (4-2) |
| 1998 | Boston U. defeats Harvard 1 (2-1) |
| 1999 | Boston U. defeats Northeastern (4-2) |
| 2000 | Boston U. defeats Boston College (4-1) |
| 2001 | Boston College defeats Boston U. (5-3) |
| 2002 | Boston U. defeats Northeastern (5-3) |
| 2003 | Boston U. defeats Boston College (3-2) |
| 2004 | Boston College defeats Boston U. (2-1) |
| 2005 | Boston U. defeats Northeastern (3-2) |
| 2006 | Boston U. defeats Boston College (3-2) |
| 2007 | Boston U. defeats Boston College (2-1) |
| 2008 | Boston College defeats Harvard (6-5) |
| 2009 | Boston U. defeats Northeastern (5-2) |
| 2010 | Boston College defeats Boston U. (4-3) |
| 2011 | Boston College defeats Northeastern (7-6) |
| 2012 | Boston College defeats Boston U. (3-2) |
| 2013 | Boston College defeats Northeastern (6-3) |
| 2014 | Boston College defeats Northeastern (4-1) |
| 2015 | Boston U. defeats Northeastern (4-3) |
| 2016 | Boston College defeats Boston U. (1-0) |
| 2017 | Harvard defeats Boston U. (6-3) |
| 2018 | Northeastern defeats Boston U. (5-2) |
| 2019 | Northeastern defeats Boston College (4-2) |
| 2020 | Northeastern defeats Boston U. (5-4) |
California native who has somehow ended up on the east coast.
