After Greg Brown Benches Dean Letourneau, Forward Responds With BC OT Winner Against Northeastern

Penalty leads to a benching

BC held a one-goal advantage despite controlling much of Friday’s game when Letourneau was called for roughing at 10:18 of the second period. The veteran first-line forward had entered the season as the Eagles’ top returning scorer.

Northeastern’s Amine Hajibi tied the game less than a minute later, beating goalie Louka Cloutier with a quick shot. Brown then kept Letourneau out for the remainder of the period.

Brown said he wanted the forward to consider the penalty and be prepared to respond in the third. He also stressed the need to avoid mistakes that put the team in difficulty.

BC holds firm in third

Letourneau’s size and puck control made his absence a risk, especially with the score tied. But neither team scored in the third period as BC continued to pressure Northeastern goalie Lawton Zacher.

Zacher stopped 45 of BC’s 48 shots, while the Huskies recorded 18 shots on goal. The Eagles had opened the scoring with goals from Matias Vanhanen and Ryan Conmy in the first three minutes. Miguel Marques pulled Northeastern within one early in the second, before Hajibi’s equalizer.

Letourneau scores in overtime

Brown chose Letourneau, Teddy Stiga and Luka Radivojevic to start the three-on-three overtime. In less than a minute, the group produced the winning goal for a 3-2 BC victory.

Radivojevic passed across the crease to Letourneau, who sent a wrist shot past Zacher. Radivojevic said Stiga’s movement helped create the opening before he found Letourneau. The win gave the Eagles, now 2-3-1 overall and 1-0-0 in Hockey East, an extra point in the conference standings. Brown said converting a strong performance into a victory mattered for the team’s confidence.