Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini on the Beanpot Monday night: ‘It’s pretty special — it was exactly what I thought it would be like’
The TD Garden was rocking on Monday night for the 71st Dunkin’ Men’s Beanpot semifinals. Third-ranked Boston University men’s ice hockey team took down their arch-rivals, the top-ranked Boston College College Eagles, 4-3.
BU’s freshman Macklin Celebrini was the star on the ice, scoring the team’s first two goals, while the Terriers also got goals from senior Luke Tuch and sophomore Ryan Greene.
The North Vancouver, British Columbia native learned how special it was to play in front of the rabid New England hockey fans that filled the Garden on Monday night.
“It’s pretty special stepping out there for the first time,” Celebrini said of his first foray into the Beanpot tournament. “You see the students section and all the people there and you definitely know what it means for our school and our program. It’s pretty special — it was exactly what I thought it would be like.”
Four minutes into the game, Celebrini scored his 20th goal of the season. The freshman carried the puck across the blue line and fired a wrist shot past BC goalie Jacob Fowler, who made 26 saves.
He added his second goal while on the power play at 6:10, taking a feed from Lane Hutson to take the 2-0 lead.
“You’re not going to score on every shot,” said Celebrini. “You’ve got to keep trying and change up things, practice different things. We’ve been working in practice, just seeing different looks and just talking it over and when it goes in, it’s really nice.”
The 17-year-old was proud that BU fans came out to support him and the Terriers.
“We knew what we needed to do tonight,” Celebrini said immediately after the game. “We have a lot of confidence, taking it game by game. It’s a great step in our journey.
“We have a special fan base and we are lucky to have them,” he added.
The potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft led his team past Boston College and they will play Northeastern in the championship.
BU (18-7-1) and Northeastern (12-12-2) will play for the Beanpot on Monday, Feb. 12, at TD Garden. Puck drop for the championship game is set for 7:30 p.m.
Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisHenrique
For additional Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, MLB and NFL content follow Beyond the Monster on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr.
