NU’s Shea aims for Beanpot three-peat
Milton product vying to defend title
Northeastern senior defenseman Ryan Shea is steeped in Beanpot hockey folklore and is favorably positioned to register an historic first for the Huskies’ program.
The 6-1, 195-pound, team captain from Milton will lead the No. 13 Huskies (137-2) against the No. 16 Harvard Crimson (9-6-4) in the opening round of the 68th annual Beanpot Hockey Tournament next Monday night (5) at the TD Garden.
No. 5 Boston College will engage crosstown rival Boston University in the nightcap.
The defending champion
Huskies have won consecutive Beanpot titles for the second time in program history and can secure an unprecedented three-peat.
“It doesn’t get old and winning any type of championship is great,” said Shea, during the annual Beanpot luncheon on Monday afternoon at the TD Garden,
“Being from around here, winning the Beanpot was definitely a dream of mine. Then it became a dream come true playing with these guys because they are all great.
“Now we are looking forward to playing Harvard and hopefully go on and get a three-peat.”
Northeastern won its first Beanpot in 1980 and went on to become the team of the decade. Huskies coach Jim Madigan has made an imprint on five of NU’s six titles as a player, assistant coach and head coach.
Madigan was in uniform when the Huskies won back-toback titles in 1984 and 1985 and served as assistant coach in 1988.
“Back then Northeastern was a Beanpot afterthought, it was bad but I was part of the team that won back to back my junior and senior years,” said Madigan.
Madigan was behind the bench when Huskies ended a 30-year drought with a 4-2 victory over Boston University in 2018. They repeated with a 4-2 win over Boston College.
“We have been fortunate to have had good players and good coaches on the staff that have allowed us to have this much success,” said Madigan.
“We were having a 30-year drought when we won back to back and that has given our players a different mindset. We have 14 Massachusetts kids and three from neighboring New England states on our roster so this means an awful lot to our kids.
“We have kids that have won it and incoming kids that want to win it. The mindset has shifted and I think that has to do with having so many local kids.”
Shea’s father Daniel played in 155 games for Boston College
from 1984-88 and finished with 69 goals and 121 assists, a run that established the Beanpot lineage.
Shea played three seasons at Catholic Conference powerhouse BC High and was taken in the fourth round (121st overall) by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Shea fine-tuned his game with the with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL in 2015-16 before enrolling at Huntington Ave.
Center Nolan Stevens was the Huskies captain in 2018 while defenseman Eric Williams wore the coveted C last season. Shea is 22 games into his captaincy and has recorded three goals and 19 assists with a plus 7. Shea is the lone senior on a blue line group that includes four freshmen.
“He’s done a tremendous job leading our program,” said Madigan. “We are a younger team and he has done a tremendous job keeping us focused and our mindset on the task at hand.”