by Scott Weighart, GoTerriers.com
 
For much of a given year, the eyes of the average New England sports fan focuses more on the Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox and Patriots than on college sports.
 
That all changes on the first two Mondays of February, when the four Division I men's college hockey programs in the immediate Boston area face off to see who can claim bragging rights for the year to come by winning the Dunkin' Beanpot Tournament at TD Garden in front of a spirited sellout crowd.
 
Whether you're following the tournament for the first time or the 50th — and regardless if you are watching it in person or on television — brace yourself for something special. College hockey doesn't get more exciting than this prior to the postseason.
 
The tournament's history has been marked by stretches of dominance by one school or another, but that is especially true for the Terriers, who have hoisted the Beanpot trophy 31 times out of 70 tournaments, more than any of the four schools by a wide margin. During one exceptional stretch from 1995 to 2000, some journalists started referring to the tournament as the "BU Invitational" as the Terriers won it six times in a row, even in some years when the team's overall record was subpar.
 
That said, archrival Boston College won the tournament five years in a row from 2010 to 2015. Harvard ended an astonishing 23-year stretch in which either BU or BC won the Beanpot when the Crimson claimed the crown in 2017. Northeastern endured chants of "1988!" for decades because they failed to win it all again until 2018. However, the Huskies have now won four of the last five tournaments.
 
Does that mean that Northeastern is the favorite to win it again this year? Not necessarily. BU is 17-7-1 and was the No. 1 team in the nation until BC (19-4-1) swept the Terriers last weekend to earn that top spot. BU spent this past week at No. 3 in the polls.
 
Meanwhile, Northeastern had a brutal fall semester, losing its first seven Hockey East games on the schedule. Now over some injuries, the Huskies are playing great hockey and riding a four-game winning streak going into the tournament, including a 4-3 overtime win over BU last Tuesday. Harvard would have to be considered the long shot of the field, as they are just 4-13-3 this season.
 
The four teams rotate in terms of who plays whom the first week. This year, Harvard and Northeastern play the early game, while BU and BC will play in a marquee matchup an hour after the first game ends. The winners advance to the high-stakes final the following week, while the losers are left to play in the consolation game at 4:30 p.m.
 
If you're watching on TV or in person, you might find it helpful to know what to watch for from this year's BU team. With that in mind, here's an introduction —or a review — of the Terrier lineup.
 
It would be misleading to think of the following lines as set in stone. With the general exception of the fourth line, head coach Jay Pandolfo has rearranged the lines frequently this year, sometimes even within the same game. On top of that, the power-play units will look very different from what I'm showing below. But as of last Friday night, at least, this is what I expect the lines to look like on Monday.
 
TOP FORWARD LINE

• Freshman center Macklin Celebrini is one of the top players to watch on Monday night. No. 71 is the youngest player in college hockey and won't turn 18 until June. Even more impressive, he is widely expected to be the first overall pick in the NHL Draft just a couple of weeks after his birthday. Why is he so highly regarded? He can do it all. When he had five goals and one assist in his first four collegiate games, it was easy to conclude that he was more of a shooter. But anyone who only watched him notch one goal and ten assists in a five-game stretch in November would say he's a playmaker. He now has 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points in just his first 23 collegiate games. On top of that, he is highly regarded for his work ethic and competitiveness. Keep an eye on him on Monday.
• Left wing Jack Hughes transferred to BU after playing two seasons for rival Northeastern. After a quiet start to the year with just a couple of points in the first seven games, Hughes has been looking great and playing with high energy for the last week or two. He was put on the top line on Friday at New Hampshire and responded with two goals and an assist to help the Terriers win, 6-3, for a nice confident boost coming into Monday.
• Right wing Jack Harvey struggled to get into the lineup for much of the fall semester - not unusual for a first-year Terrier surrounded by a ton of talent. He has made the most of more opportunities this semester and, like Hughes, was rewarded with a promotion to the top line with Celebrini on Friday. Harvey, a former linemate of Celebrini last season with the USHL's Chicago Steel, picked up two assists after only scoring one point in his first five games. In spite of his relative inexperience, he has struck me as a poised and smart player who is only going to get better with more ice time.

SECOND FORWARD LINE

• Ryan Greene has generally been the second-line center this year. The Chicago Blackhawks draft pick is not as flashy as Celebrini, but he's an outstanding two-way forward who is likely to have a lengthy career in the NHL due to the fact that he does everything pretty well. As a sophomore, he has eight goals and 17 assists in the first 25 games - well ahead of his scoring pace from last year. 
• At left wing, senior Luke Tuch is fully healthy this year and not coincidentally having his best season to date as a Terrier. At times last semester, Pandolfo felt he was the team's best player. He's a more physical player than some of his fellow forwards and uses his size well. He's scoring more consistently than ever.
• Right wing Quinn Hutson gets less attention than his impressive younger brother, Lane, who I will discuss when I get to the defenseman. But make no mistake: Quinn is an excellent forward, albeit a very different style of his player than Lane. While Lane is an astonishing skater and a creative force with the puck, Quinn is a pure sniper who prefers to shoot over making a fake to go around a goaltender. His ten goals are tied for second on the team, and he has shown his playmaking ability with 11 assists.

THIRD FORWARD LINE

• Third-line center Nick Zabaneh has to be one of the fastest skaters in college hockey. This makes him a constant threat for a breakaway as well as a key penalty killer. After scoring one goal all season despite many chances, Zabaneh buried two shots against UNH in Friday's win, artfully hitting a small target each time. The BU faithful can hope that this will unleash the floodgates at last.
• Left wing Jeremy Wilmer is a smaller player who relies on his skating and passing more than on physical play. He can and has played on any of the top three lines and has been successful with whoever he plays with, totaling three goals and 21 assists for 24 points.
• Right wing Dylan Peterson has improved his point production in each of his four seasons as a Terrier. At 6-foot-4, he brings size and energy to his play. Peterson also was the 2022 Beanpot MVP, scoring the lone goal late in the third period the last time BU won it all. 

FOURTH FORWARD LINE

• BU's fourth line has been fantastic all season, which is probably why Pandolfo has been reluctant to tinker with the trio. While many fourth lines don't play as much and barely factor into the scoring, that's not the case here. Center Sam Stevens is a fantastic role player has thrived as the fourth-line center for the last two years.  He is an energetic skater and forechecker, and you almost always will see him as the first forward on the ice when the team needs to kill a penalty. Seven goals and seven assists is an impressive total for someone in this role.
• Left wing Shane Lachance is the grandson of Terrier coaching legend Jack Parker and the son of BU star and NHL veteran Scott Lachance. More importantly, he has been a fantastic addition as a first-year forward. Beyond his role on the fourth line, Lachance frequently plays on the power play and causes opponents trouble with his big body in front of the net. His nine goals this year is better than anyone could have expected, and he also has the best face-off percentage on the team.
• Right wing Doug Grimes is another first-year forward who has carved out a regular role on a talented team despite coming into the season under the radar for the average fan. He's a big, gritty player who plays hard and contributes to this energy line. He found the back of the net at Madison Square Garden during Red Hot Hockey, the last time BU played at an NHL rink.
• Tristan Amonte - son of former Terrier and NHLer Tony, and whose brother Ty scored a double-overtime winner in the 2018 Beanpot semifinals -  has also slotted in on the right wing and given BU valuable minutes when he's on the ice. A strong, physical skater, Amonte will also be deployed as a penalty killer when he is in the lineup.

Note that Devin Kaplan — a big, bruising player who also has a high level of skill — has missed the last two games due to injury. The talented right winger has tallied four goals and 11 assists for 15 points this season.
 
DEFENSEMEN
The defensive pairings can vary from one game to the next, so I will just list all of them individually here:

• Along with Macklin Celebrini, sophomore Lane Hutson is another Hobey Baker hopeful. BU fans like to talk about "Lane Hutson doing Lane Hutson things." He has an uncanny ability to deceive and frustrate skaters with his lateral skating skills and unpredictable tendencies when it comes to keeping or passing the puck. Even when there is a crowd between the point and the goal, he often finds a way to get a shot on net. He leads all Hockey East defenders with 10 goals and has an impressive 32 points in 23 games to lead all NCAA blue liners with 1.39 points per game.
• Case McCarthy is the BU captain and another reliable two-way defenseman who gets tons of ice time as a result. He's a good passer with a strong slap shot, which can set up teammates for rebounds. McCarthy deserves a good deal of credit as the team leader in a banner season thus far.
• At 6-foot-7, Cade Webber is apparently the tallest player in college hockey. He is an excellent defensive defenseman and an almost constant presence on the penalty kill. Over the last couple of years, he even takes the puck to the net occasionally. He is the bedrock of the BU defense and leads the country with 3.35 blocked shots per game.
• All seven of BU's regular defenseman are NHL draft picks, including Swedish freshman Tom Willander, the 11th overall pick by the Vancouver Canucks last June. Willander is adjusting nicely to the college game with three goals and nine assists for 12 points - second-most among Terrier defensemen. Already a very strong two-way player, he is a good candidate to boost his production as the season goes on.
• BU has three pairs of brothers on the team. In addition to the Hutsons, the Terriers have the Celebrinis and the McCarthys. Aiden Celebrini is a freshman like his brother but a couple of years older. He has been a consistent player who could emerge as more of a scoring threat over time.
• Gavin McCarthy is the younger brother of Case and could follow a similar trajectory, gaining more minutes and more of a leadership role during his time at BU. Both Aiden and Gavin have been steady this year as first-year defensemen. Ty Gallagher has been listed as the seventh defenseman of late, but he still seems to get plenty of ice time rotating in with various other defensive pairs. Gallagher is yet another reliable defenseman and NHL draft pick. He can contribute offensively and has an unusually accurate shot. 

GOALTENDER

• After Drew Commesso signed with the Chicago Blackhawks following last season, junior Mathieu Caron transferred from Brown and has been the stalwart between the pipes this year. "Chewy" has played every single minute of every non-exhibition game for BU this season. Caron has settled in nicely and given the team outstanding play. He is at his best when not overly relying on his athleticism. His contributions are sometimes at risk of being overlooked in games where the Terriers win big, but there have been many games when Caron kept the team in it until the offense got on track.

So that's the rundown on roster.  Now get ready to watch one of the best and most historic college hockey events. With BU and BC playing on the opening Monday this year, the big question is what will happen coming off of the recent BC sweep of BU. On the one hand, the Eagles know that they can beat the Terriers and have proven it not long ago. On the other, BC head coach Greg Brown also must realize how difficult it is to beat a really talented team three times in a row in the span of about 10 days.

It's going to get loud at the Garden on Monday. We will have to see if BU can pump up the volume with a big win in this epic rivalry.