“We had power plays and just didn’t capitalize,” Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said following loss
A crowd of more than 18,000 was on hand to cheer for the Terriers or the Eagles during the 76th Men’s Beanpot championship at TD Garden February 9. Photo by Sheily Melgar
Varsity Sports
“We had power plays and just didn’t capitalize,” Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said following loss
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The Battle of Comm Ave took on a heightened urgency Monday night as Boston University faced off against rival Boston College in the 2026 Dunkin’ Men’s Beanpot Championship. The night saw the two teams squaring off for the 300th time—for bragging rights to one of college hockey’s most storied events.
Those in TD Garden’s upper bowl wearing scarlet and white headed for the exits early, as BU fell short of claiming its 33rd Beanpot championship, falling 6-2 to BC.
“Our team was having a tough time sustaining the same type of play for the whole game,” Head Coach Jay Pandolfo (CAS’96) said postgame. “It just started getting away from us.”
It was crucial that BU score early Monday night after losing to BC at Agganis Arena on January 30, and Brandon Svoboda (SHA’28) did just that at 2:15 of the first period.
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Brandon Svoboda (SHA’28) celebrates his goal during the Dunkin’ Men’s Beanpot final Monday night at TD Garden. Photo by Eliza Nuestro
Gavin McCarthy (SHA’27) sent a shot on goal that Eagles freshman Louka Cloutier couldn’t corral, and Svoboda tucked it home to give the Terriers a 1-0 lead.
BU had several chances to extend the lead in the opening frame, but wasn’t able to manage it, despite being awarded two power plays. Cole Eiserman (CAS’28) had the Terriers’ best look—a wide-open wrist shot from the slot—but couldn’t beat Cloutier, who made 27 saves in the contest.
“We had power plays and didn’t capitalize,” Pandolfo said. “You can just tell a little bit that deflates the bench, and then they get the one power play score right away.”
BC senior Andre Gasseau scored on the man advantage at 15:02 of the first period for the Eagles. Junior Ryan Conmy raced down the right side of the ice and found a wide-open Gasseau, who easily slipped the puck past Mikhail Yegorov (CAS’28).
Although the Terriers outplayed the Eagles in the first period, BC settled in to start the second, stretching the BU defense. The Eagles’ best chance came at 10:42, when senior Brady Berard broke in alone on goal. He attempted a forehand-to-backhand deke, but was robbed by Yegorov, who stopped 32 pucks in the loss.
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“We really started turning pucks over, and couldn’t get anything going on the forecheck, and they just kept coming back at us, wore us down,” Pandolfo said.
The Eagles took a 2-1 lead at 14:54. From the point, senior Lukas Gustafsson sent a tame shot towards the goal that was redirected in by junior Will Vote.
At 16:39 of the second period, Ryder Ritchie (CAS’29) was called for tripping, giving BC’s lethal power play another opportunity, which the Eagles cashed in on just 13 seconds into the man advantage.
Gustafsson ripped a shot from the point past Yegorov to give the Eagles a 3-1 lead at 16:52. Sophomore James Hagens, named Beanpot Most Valuable Player, recorded an assist on the goal.
In need of a push and down two goals with one period left to play, the Terriers once again hurt themselves when Ritchie whistled for cross-checking at 5:32. This time, it took the Eagles only four seconds to score on the power play, pushing their lead to 4-1.
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Gasseau cleaned up a rebound off a Conmy one-timer for his second goal of the game. BC scored three power-play goals in the contest. Sophomore Dean Letourneau scored the Eagles’ fifth goal at 16:03. Vote tacked on his second tally at 18:49 with the Terriers’ net empty to make it 6-2 BC.
Eiserman got one back for BU at 14:51 on the power play. He blasted a one-timer home from the right circle, but the push was too little, too late for the Terriers.
Monday’s performance adds to the long list of frustrations for BU this season, something Pandolfo noted during the postgame presser. “We’ve still got some hockey left to play. Obviously we’re in a very difficult spot. But we’ve got to try to find a way to end the year off right,” he said.
An inbound stretch of Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road will be closed each night through August for tunnel repairs, officials announced.
Starting Monday, the closures will begin at 8 p.m. and last until 5 a.m., state officials said.
Road closures begin at North Harvard Street in Allston and stretch along the Charles River Esplanade to Mugar Way in Boston, near the Hatch Memorial Shell, officials said.
Traffic will be detoured into Cambridge over the Anderson Bridge, along Memorial Drive, and then be routed into Boston over the Longfellow Bridge.
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The closures will allow ongoing repairs to the Storrow Drive Tunnel in the Back Bay.The work is the first phase of a two-stage project to extend the lifespan of the tunnel, which carries roughly 50,000 drivers to and from downtown Boston daily.
The outbound portion of the tunnel and accompanying roadways will not be affected.
State transportation officials said changes to the work schedule will be made when necessary to minimize impacts during major local events at TD Garden, Fenway Park, or during the FIFA World Cup and 250th anniversary celebrations scheduled for this summer.
Additional changes may be made without notice due to weather.
Transportation officials have not specified when the closures will end.
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Bryan Hecht can be reached at bryan.hecht@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @bhechtjournalism.
OXFORD — Ole Miss softball is back in the NCAA Tournament after making the Women’s College World Series a season ago.
The Rebels (34-24) will play Boston (46-13) on May 15 (1 p.m. CT, ESPNU) in the Lubbock Regional. Ole Miss is the No. 2 seed in the regional, and Boston is the No. 3.
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Texas Tech (52-6), the No. 11 overall seed and regional host, will face No. 4 Marist (37-19).
The Rebels went 6-18 in SEC play this season, and have a largely new-look roster from the team that made the WCWS last season.
Ole Miss beat South Carolina and Tennessee in the SEC Tournament to improve its seed.
Freshman Madi George has burst onto the scene in the SEC. The first-year infielder leads Ole Miss with a .385 batting average. She has a team-high 21 home runs and 58 RBIs.
Seniors Emilee Boyer (3.86 ERA), Kyra Aycock (3.97 ERA) and junior Lily Whitten (3.04 ERA) are the primary options in the circle for coach Jamie Trachsel.
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Trachsel is in her sixth season leading the Ole Miss program. She led the Rebels to their first WCWS appearance in program history in 2025.
What to know about Boston, Texas Tech and Marist in Lubbock Regional
Boston entered the Patriot League Tournament as the top seed and the Terriers delivered. Boston beat No. 2 Colgate 12-1, becoming the second team in Patriot League history to four-peat as conference champions. Boston is on a 12-game winning streak. Kylie Doherty leads the team with a .396 batting average and 26 home runs.
Texas Tech made the 2025 WCWS championship series, losing to Texas in three games.
Texas Tech lost just three Big 12 games this season but lost in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. The Red Raiders are a strong threat to get to the WCWS again. There are four Texas Tech batters hitting over .400. Star pitcher NiJaree Canady leads the Red Raiders with a 1.24 ERA. She has 209 strikeouts.
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Marist plays in the MAAC and won the conference tournament. Marist split a two-game series against South Carolina early in the season. Ava Metzger (12-3, 2.51 ERA) and Peyton Pusey (.404 batting average) lead the team.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
Attendees held umbrellas as The Bends performed at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe
Mojo, a music brand and concert organizer, was founded in 2021 by Charley Blacker, Alex Parker, and Emily Donovan while they were students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The trio of friends decided to create Mojo out of their shared love for music and house shows.
“We saw there were so many local musicians that were so talented, but they didn’t have the platform we thought they really deserved,” Blacker told the Globe during Saturday’s festivities. “So we thought if we could do the behind-the-scenes work of organizing photographers and [provide] a social media platform, we could give these musicians the platform they deserve.”
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Attendees danced as The Bends performed at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe
Five years later, the team behind Mojo is sticking to their mission, tackling their biggest venue yet with this weekend’s event at City Hall Plaza, which previously served as the original location for Boston Calling before it moved to the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston. Boston Calling announced last year that it is taking a one-year hiatus in 2026, with plans to return in 2027.
In addition to getting the chance to work on such a big event with his best friends, Blacker hopes Mojo Boston can help “lead to a lot more opportunities for local music.”
People browsed food vendors at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe
There was a wide range of genres represented at Saturday’s event, from the pop-rock stylings of The Bends to house and garage music from DJ AC Slater. Prior to the Boston debut, Mojo brought a festival to Pennsylvania’s Happy Valley in April and returned to Amherst later that month to host another event.
Mojo Boston attendees and former UMass Amherst students Emily Bowler and Max Debeau have been familiar with Mojo since its inception, watching the organization go from hosting basement shows to full scale music festivals. Debeau noted how many of the acts at Saturday’s event have worked with Mojo in the past, performing at UMass and other shows around the Bay State.
“To see it all come together has been great,” Debeau said. “This is the stage that they all deserve.”
“It’s crazy how quickly they were able to erect something so amazing,” Bowler added.
Amanda Giroux danced away from the stage while The Bends performed at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe
Formed in New Bedford, the band Autumn Drive was one of 18 acts that performed at Mojo Boston, and they are no strangers to a Mojo show.
“We’ve done, I think, every single Mojo that there is, so we’re very tight with them,” said guitarist and singer Charlie Gamache. “When we found out they were doing a big festival [in Boston], I was like, ‘We want in no matter what.’”
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The band emphasized how much their relationship with Mojo has meant to them over the years, with Autumn Drive drummer Joe Gauvin praising the organization for “always putting us in front of a crowd that’s there to see music and hear us.”
Michael Asulin, of Stoughton, and Jackie Ludicke, of Miami, Fla., talked while wearing ponchos at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe
From a makeshift stage out of wooden pallets in his basement to Boston’s City Hall Plaza, Blacker is is proud of Mojo’s success and is already looking ahead at what’s to come.
“This is really just the start of it all,” said Blacker. “We have very lofty ambitions and goals, and we have nothing but confidence in our ability to accomplish everything we set out to do.”
Gitana Savage can be reached at gitana.savage@globe.com. Follow her on X @gitana_savage.
