BC Men's Hockey Welcomes Back Special Guests After Clinching Beanpot Championship: The Rundown
If there was anything better for the Boston College men’s hockey program than finally securing a trophy that had eluded it for nearly a decade, it was doing so with former players in attendance to witness it.
That was exactly the case for about half of the Eagles’ roster during Monday’s 2026 Beanpot Championship game against Boston University, as recent program legends Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault, and Jacob Fowler sat in a box at TD Garden to cheer BC on as it claimed a 6-2 triumph over its cross-town rival, the Terriers.
Smith (San Jose Sharks), Leonard (Washington Capitals), Perreault (New York Rangers), and Fowler (Montreal Canadiens) all came to BC in the same year, 2023, from the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP).
As true freshmen, they carried the Eagles to a Hockey East title and a National Championship berth.
Both Smith and Leonard were named Hobey Baker Award finalists — Smith was a top-10 selection in 2023-24, while Leonard was tabbed a Hobey Baker ‘Hat Trick’ finalist, which narrows down to the top-three — during their respective BC careers.
Fowler, meanwhile, received Hockey East Goaltender of the Year Awards twice, along with the Mike Richter Award, which is given to the nation’s top goaltender, in 2024-25 as a sophomore.
The smiles on all of their faces in the locker room after the game, Perreault — who led the Eagles in assists in both years he played — included, certainly made an impression on the players, which sophomore forward James Hagens, BC’s 2025-26 points leader currently, attested to.
Will Smith, Gabe Perreault (NYR) e Ryan Leonard (WSH) no vestiário da BC. pic.twitter.com/CzA1Uh6JXA
— acervo sj sharks (@acervosharks) February 11, 2026
“We had a couple guys that played with us that were able to come back and be here tonight,” said Hagens, the Boston Bruins’ 2025 first-round draft pick. “So to be able to have their support is also a huge help.”
Sitting at 16-9-1 and 10-6-0 in Hockey East now, the No. 14-ranked Eagles have a home-and-away series scheduled with Merrimack this upcoming weekend.
While BC probably will not have those four back in Conte Forum to watch from the bleachers, the impact of their gesture on Monday spoke volumes about the camaraderie of the program as a whole — from current players to alumni and beyond.
The Rundown: Wednesday Feb. 11, 2026:
- The Boston College football program hosted the former Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, for a visit of Fish Fieldhouse on Tuesday. Unsurprisingly, BC's Irish punter, Andy Quinn, gave Varadkar the facility tour.
Thank you to the former Prime Minister of Ireland @LeoVaradkar for visiting Boston College. pic.twitter.com/yheUG7Xtwv
— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) February 10, 2026
- BC men's hockey coach Greg Brown made sure to personally shoutout the student body for their attendance at the Beanpot Championship game this year.
A big thank you to our students and fans for the incredible showing at the Beanpot last night. The energy was electric! pic.twitter.com/OZo7x36QvY
— Greg Brown (@CoachBrownBC) February 10, 2026
- Former BC women's hockey forward Hannah Bilka scored twice in the U.S. Women's Olympic Team's 5-0 defeat of Canada on Tuesday. Check out this snipe on her second goal:
That's 2️⃣ for Bilka!!!! pic.twitter.com/ClUihifBQV
— Boston College Women's Hockey (@BC_WHockey) February 10, 2026
Boston College Eagles Tuesday Scores:
- Men's Golf: Placed 11th out of 14 (+13 cumulative team score) at Palmas del Mar Collegiate in Humacao, P.R.
Boston College Eagles Wednesday Schedule:
- Men's basketball: vs. Stanford, 9 p.m. ET at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass. | Watch | Live Stats
Countdown to Boston College baseball's season opener:
2 days.
Boston College Eagles Quote of the Day:
"I love this game, this game has given me so much. It's my first love. But my family, my wife, my kids, those are the No. 1 things in my life.”
- Brian Boyle
We'll Leave You With This:
Link to order the Super Bowl LX Championship "commemorative edition" of Sports Illustrated (look away Patriots fans).
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Graham Dietz is a 2025 graduate of Boston College and subsequently joined Boston College On SI. He previously served as an editor for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, from fall 2021, including as Sports Editor from 2022-23. Graham works for The Boston Globe as a sports correspondent, covering high school football, girls' basketball, and baseball. He was also a beat writer for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2023.
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