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Ninth-seeded Huskies upset No. 1 BC to reach Hockey East semifinal at TD Garden

Sophomore goalie Cameron Whitehead’s 30 saves drove Northeastern to the stunning playoff win at BC — thus avenging the Huskies’ loss at the Beanpot.

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Northeastern hockey players cheering together on the ice.
“We’re the only ones that believed we were going to win,” goalie Cameron Whitehead said after the shocking win at top-ranked BC. Photo by Jim Pierce/Northeastern Athletics

It wasn’t just about their need for Beanpot revenge. The Northeastern Huskies were also driven by a stubborn belief in themselves and a desperate desire to keep their season alive.

Those ambitions triggered their stunning 3-1 win Saturday night at No. 1 Boston College in a Hockey East quarterfinal. 

That upset of the nation’s top team propels the ninth-seeded Huskies into a TD Garden conference semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against second-seeded Maine (22-7-6).

The Huskies (14-19-3) — the lowest seed ever to reach the Hockey East final four — find themselves two wins away from earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. If they can sustain the magic against Maine, the Huskies will advance to the conference final Friday night against Boston University or Connecticut.

Sophomore goalie Cameron Whitehead made 30 saves around a pair of goals late in the second period by junior Cam Lund (his team-leading 17th goal this season) and freshman Joe Connor. 

The Eagles, who outshot their guests, 12-3, in the final period (and 31-20 overall), pulled goalie Jacob Fowler a half-minute before James Hagens scored between Whitehead’s knees to bring BC within 2-1 with 2:34 to go.

Northeastern goalie cheering with his arms raised while skating over to two teammates.
Photo by Jim Pierce/Northeastern Athletics
A Northeastern hockey player holding his stick skating next to the referee.
Photo by Jim Pierce/Northeastern Athletics
Freshman Joe Connor (right) scored the winning goal in the second period before joining Whitehead (left) for the ultimate celebration. Photos by Jim Pierce/Northeastern Athletics

The pressure intensified in the final half-minute as BC attacked 6-on-4 amid a power play. But Northeastern senior Ryan McGuire settled everything with an empty-netter in the closing seconds.

This result bore little resemblance to the 8-2 loss the Huskies suffered the last time they met BC in the opening round of the Beanpot last month. Avenging that loss was on their minds, Whitehead said.

“The game was personal for us,” said Whitehead, who lauded his skaters for blocking 20 BC shots. “All through our preparation coming up to the game … we’ve got a lot of confidence. We’re the only ones that believed we were going to win.”

BC remains a favorite to reach the NCAA final for a second straight year. But the Eagles have now split their four games this year against Northeastern.

The Huskies have endured frustrating stretches while incorporating 15 new players in a season when Hockey East is brimming with nationally ranked opposition. When the upset was assured Saturday, Whitehead celebrated by acknowledging the visiting Northeastern fans at BC’s rink.

“It’s been an up-and-down season for us and they’ve still shown up every night to support us,” Whitehead said. “So that means a lot for us to beat BC at BC — and obviously go to the Garden again.”“Really proud of the way they played and stuck together and played for each other out there,” Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe said. “It was just selling out, eating pucks, committing to playing a checking game. And we had confidence, knowing that if we played a certain way, we’d give ourselves a chance tonight. Cam Whitehead was outstanding for us in the win.”

Keefe credited Whitehead and a tightening defense for the Huskies’ success in killing four penalties against the explosive Eagles.

“We talk about our checking game a lot,” McGuire said. “That means being on top of the puck, just playing an honest game. I think that for the most part we were the more honest team and that’s why we got the result we got.”

The Huskies had lost eight of their final 10 regular-season games entering the tournament. They flipped that momentum with a 3-2 opening-round win at eighth-seeded Merrimack on a double-overtime goal by sophomore Dylan Hryckowian.

Now they’ve earned an opportunity to maintain this run on the familiar ice of TD Garden, where they’ve won five of the last seven Beanpots.

“This group was excited for the playoff season,” Keefe said. “We’ve played, I think, the third toughest schedule in the country. So it’s not like we haven’t played really good teams this year. And we’ve given up 10 empty-net goals.”

Which means the margin between winning and losing has been tight.

“This group has some confidence right now,” Keefe added. “We have to go into the Garden, stick to our plan and win a close game.”

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