New England’s annual tradition kicks off in a few hours as the semifinals of the 71st Beanpot Men's College Hockey Tournament takes place at TD Garden in Boston.
In the first game, Harvard (4-13-3, 4-8-3 ECAC) will face off against defending champion Northeastern (11-12-2, 6-11 Hockey East) at 5 p.m. The nightcap features another rematch as two of the top teams in the nation, No. 1 Boston College (19-4-1, 12-3-1 Hockey East) and No. 3 Boston University (17-7-1, 12-4-1 Hockey East) square off at 8 p.m.
The winners will advance to the final at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 12, while the consolation game will take place at 4:30 p.m. (NESN).
The Beanpot is one of the few local college sports offered for Massachusetts sports betting. Although you can’t wager on in-state collegiate teams during the regular season, you can wager on them in a tournament format with a minimum of four teams. Sports betting launched in the state just ahead of last year’s tournament.
BC-BU Nightcap
Boston College and Boston University will meet for the third time in 11 days on Monday as BC swept a home-and-home series as the NCAA's No. 2-ranked team vs. the then-No. 1 Terriers (Jan. 26-27). The Eagles enters tonight's matchup on a five-game win streak, their first five-game win streak heading into the Beanpot since 2014 when BC won its 19th Beanpot title.
Overall, the Eagles have won a remarkable 20 Beanpot titles (81-58-1 all-time), however they have not won since 2016. Last season, the Eagles suffered a 4-3 overtime loss to Harvard in the semifinals and bounced back with a third-place consolation 4-2 win against, you guessed it, BU.
At DraftKings Massachusetts this morning, Boston College is a -125 money line favorite over Boston University (-105). On the goal line, BC is -1.5 goals (+175), while BU is +1.5 goals (-230). The game's over/under goal total is 6.5 (-115).
Harvard-Northeastern Happy Hour
The first semifinal matchup will be a rematch of last year’s championship game, where Northeastern claimed the Beanpot championship in a shootout win over Harvard. Northeastern has won six of its last 10 meetings with Harvard, outscoring it 36-21.
Harvard, which has lost three of its last four games, is coming off a 2-1 road loss at Quinnipiac on Feb. 2. Northeastern has won four straight and five of its last six games including a 6-3 home win over No. 6 Maine, also on Feb. 2.
Northeastern is a heavy -298 Massachusetts betting apps money line favorite over Harvard (+220). On the goal line, Northeastern is -1.5 goals (-120), while Harvard is +1.5 goals (-110). The game's over/under goal total is 5.5 (over -105, under -125).
