Gaudette center of attention at NU
Northeastern center Adam Gaudette attended Beanpot tournament games as a youth rooting for the wrong dog.
The sophomore from Braintree will manage NU’s second line when the Huskies take on Harvard in the opener of the 65th Beanpot tomorrow at the Garden. Boston University takes on defending champion Boston College in the nightcap.
“I went to the Beanpot plenty of times when I was a kid,” said Gaudette, a fifth round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 2015. “I played for the Boston Junior Terriers so for a while I was a Terriers fan back then. As I grew older I started leaning toward NU and then I committed to NU, so it’s all in for the Huskies.”
Northeastern and Harvard are the two championship deprived programs in the tournament. The last time the Huskies hoisted the trophy was in 1988, following a 6-3 win over BU. Harvard’s last Beanpot title followed a 4-2 win over BU in 1993.
The Huskies advanced to the Beanpot final for four straight years (20122015) without winning, but the frustration goes back a generation. The Huskies have been playing well lately and have the firepower to end their 29-year ordeal.
“Obviously the Beanpot is important to us and it’s been far too long since a Northeastern team has won it,” said Gaudette. “Just like when we won Hockey East last year for the first time in a long time (1988), we are going to get after the Beanpot and set ourselves up to win this one.”
The Beanpot is the official start of “trophy season” among the four participants. Northeastern’s last Beanpot win was a precursor to their first Hockey East title in 1988. Huskies coach Jim Madigan played his collegiate hockey on Huntington Avenue and was an assistant when NU prevailed in 1988.
“The drought has been with Harvard and Northeastern. It’s been a long time for both our schools while BU and BC have taken turns sharing the tournament,” said Madigan. “Harvard and (coach) Teddy (Donato) and Northeastern and myself need to reinvigorate the Beanpot by having someone else win it. It is a momentum boost and it can have a positive effect, but the best effect would be to win the Beanpot and continue on.”
Gaudette was instrumental during the Huskies phenomenal run to last year’s Hockey East crown. NU began 2016 with a 3-12-4 overall record, but regrouped and went 192-2 in the rest of the way that included a nation best 13-game win streak, the Hockey East title and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. Gaudette scored two goals with an assist in NU’s 5-1 victory over Harvard in the Beanpot consolation game.
“It is still a game we wanted to win and it is still Harvard and it was still a battle of Boston teams,” said Gaudette. “We were still playing in a Garden and you want to win all your games.”
Gaudette has managed to avoid the sophomore slump on a line with Dylan Sikura and John Stevens. Gaudette has the motor and plays a 200-foot game, so he has been an indispensable asset for Madigan on the power play and penalty kill.