Fans don't seem to love Beanpot being decided by a shootout
BOSTON -- As far as things go in the "only in Boston" realm, the Beanpot is somewhat of a sacred event around town. So when major changes are made to the tournament's format, it's only natural for it to be met with some resistance.
The change, in this instance, was the implementation of a shootout to determine a winner at the conclusion of a five-minute period of 3-on-3 hockey. For a traditional tournament, such a non-traditional format is certainly a bit jarring. Yet with the first overtime changes being put into play by the NCAA in 2020, the move to this new era of deciding a Beanpot champion was gradual and, in many ways, unavoidable.
As it went, Northeastern fended off Harvard in the first final featuring both schools, thanks in large part to the stellar goaltending of Devon Levi, who was named tournament MVP in addition to earning the Eberly Trophy. Levi made a kick save in the final seconds of regulation to send the game to overtime, and he stopped all three Harvard bids in the shootout.
Northeastern's Aidan McDonough scored in the second round of the shootout, and Levi's save on Alex Laferriere in the third round gave the Huskies their eighth Beanpot championship.
Because of the NCAA's rules governing midseason tournaments, this one officially goes down as a tie. But in Beanpot lore, the Huskies earned the title.
By regular hockey standards, it was an exciting event. But to Beanpot traditionalists and hockey purists -- that is to say, to most Beanpot fans -- it just wasn't right. Fans, former players and media alike couldn't help but share their disdain for the format via Twitter.
Even on the game broadcast on NESN, the broadcast crew of Tom Caron and Billy Jaffe expressed some disappointment that the end-to-end action of the 3-on-3 overtime had to come to a screeching halt for the start of the shootout.
Alas, there's not much that can be done ... unless Charlie Baker steps in to alter the rules imposed on midseason tournaments by the NCAA. Baker will take over as the new NCAA president in March, and while solving the Beanpot shootout issue may be low on his initial to-do list, there would clearly be plenty of his former constituents who would be delighted by a swift change.
Northeastern became the first-ever Beanpot champion decided by shootout, and it seems as though the fans would prefer for there to never be a second Beanpot champion to ever earn the title via shootout.
