Northeastern kept it close in the first period, going into the first intermission down by a goal at 2-1.
BC coach Jerry York said his team was fortunate to be ahead after the first. He said his team was able to take advantage of poor ice conditions caused by the back-to-back games.
“There were bouncy pucks,’’ York said. “They were on the power play and we got two shorthanded goals. Sometimes the ice gets rough here and we took it to our advantage. That got us really going. I thought our team came out and played very well in the second and third period.’’
BC took the lead at 5:14, taking advantage of a Huskies turnover, of which there were many.
Gaudreau had an assist on the play. He forced freshman defenseman Josh Manson to cough up the puck and then dropped a pass back for senior right wing Paul Carey, who rifled it past junior goalie Chris Rawlings on a one-timer from the slot that went to the glove side.
At 9:43, Gaudreau potted his first of the evening. It was yet another turnover that cost the Huskies. This time it was sophomore defenseman Luke Eibler who attempted to force a cross-ice pass. Gaudreau collected the puck and sent a low-velocity backhander between Rawlings’s pads for his 10th of the season.
NU got on the board, cashing in on a five-on-three advantage. Nifty freshman left wing Ludwig Karlsson, who is having an impressive season, slid a pass into the right circle for strapping defenseman Anthony Bitetto. The sophomore one-timed a shot from the right circle, beating BC junior goalie Parker Milner to the glove side.
It all went south for the Huskies in the second as the Eagles erupted for three goals, two of which were back-breaking shorthanders.
NU has struggled on the power play all season and surrendering two goals while on the man advantage only rubs salt in that wound.
For coach Jim Madigan, who became the eighth straight first-year coach at Northeastern to lose his opening Beanpot game, the experience was more than a little disappointing.
