All Ty-ed up for final
Amonte follows father’s path
There were 15 minutes left before midnight and Boston University freshman Ty Amonte made sure no curfew would interfere with his Beanpot plans as he burst down the right side and flicked home a wrist shot into the nearside and past Harvard goaltender Merrick Madsen last Monday.
The double-overtime tally handed his club a hard-fought 3-2 victory and represented Amonte’s second game-winner among four goals this season. BU captain Brandon Hickey retrieved the puck and handed it to him as a souvenir of the magical moment.
The lamp-lighter went a long way toward establishing his own bona fides in Beanpot folklore while stirring memories of the famous tournament exploits of his dad, ex-Terriers great, Tony Amonte.
“He was happy for me,” Ty said of his father. “Happy for the team to be moving on. It’s been a really big game for him all through the years. The Beanpot means a lot to my dad. So, he was really happy to see me and the team do well.”
Tony found more enjoyment in his son’s accomplishments than his own.
“Ty’s been coming along this year,” Tony said. “They put him back at center, which he likes. It was a great effort, a smart play coming along the wall. It was nice to see the goal go in. I know he was thrilled.”
Ty, who wears No. 3 just like his dad once did, couldn’t stifle a laugh when asked if he had heard stories about his dad’s heroics.
“I’ve heard it a few times, definitely. He always used to mention when me and my brother, Tristan, would try to do something better than him, and he would say, ‘Let me know when you get knocked out and score a hat trick in the Beanpot,’ ” Ty said with a grin.
Tony had an easy time recalling his Beanpot moment despite literally being knocked cold when sandwiched in the first period of the 1991 title game by three BC skaters, including the late defenseman Joe Cleary of Hopkinton, fellow blueliner Ron Pascuccci of Andover, and forward Sean Farley of Charlestown. Amonte was helped off the ice and landed in the locker room. Every spectator in the packed Boston Garden crowd of 14,448 felt the night was over for Amonte.
“My old friend Joe Cleary caught me with my head down,” Tony said. “I was hurting in the locker room. I honestly didn’t think I was going to come out. Later, I felt well enough to give it a try.”
The BU star responded in the second period, connecting for three goals in a span of 5:24, the fastest hat trick in Beanpot history, and sparked BU to an 8-4 triumph over its archrival.
Coincidentally, Keith Tkachuk and Mark Krys, the fathers of current BU skaters Brady Tkachuk and Chad Krys, also scored for BU in the long-ago championship win.
“I can’t remember how I scored the goals. I know we were getting some opportunities and I able to put them home,’’ said Tony, now the hockey coach at Thayer Academy in Braintree.
Dorchester native Mark Dennehy, the current Merrimack coach, was a BC defenseman back then and has his own version of the on-ice drama.
“Joe Cleary got ’em. Back in the day, we’d say he ‘got his bell rung.’ Today, they’d put you in concussion protocol,” Dennehy said. “I remember two BU guys, I think it was his linemates Shawn McEachern and Keith Tkachuk, were helping him get up. He was woozy and slumped over. Then he comes back in the second period and scores three on us, the bugger. I don’t know what Tony’s recollection is but he sure had a lot of memorable moments. By the way, should we contest that Beanpot game because he shouldn’t have been playing? All I know is that we beat BU three times that year and the only time we lost to them was in the Beanpot.’’
That was then and this is now and the younger Amonte is taking the process one game at a time while enjoying every minute. In 24 games, he has potted four goals with three assists on only 20 shots on net.
“Yeah, coming in I knew that I was going to have to earn a spot, knowing how incredible our roster is, how great every player is,” said Ty, a 20-year-old center from Norwell. “I knew I was going to have to really play my best to stay in every game. Obviously, there
are other guys who needed opportunities, too. I’m trying to make the most of every time I get out there, just make a smart play to help our team and keep us winning. (Tony) tells me to just play positive, just to know that I’m good enough to be out there with all these huge names and know that I belong, be confident when you have the puck, and don’t be afraid to make plays.”