BC, BU advance to Beanpot title game
February 1, 2010
BOSTON (AP)—Boston College and Boston University will play in the Beanpotfinals for the city’s college hockey bragging rights.
BC advanced with a 6-0 victory over Harvard in the early semifinal on Mondaynight, then defending champion BU held off Northeastern’s two-man skatingadvantage over the final 88 seconds to win 2-1 and reach the final for the 25thtime in 27 years.
Harvard will play Northeastern in the consolation game next Monday, followedby the matchup of Green Line rivals and the last two NCAA champions.
Colby Cohen and Alex Chiasson scored for BU (10-11-3), which took a 2-1 leadwith 5:47 left but gave Northeastern a power play with 1:28 to go. The Huskiespulled their goalie and applied pressure with a 6-on-4 skating advantage, butcouldn’t reach their second straight Beanpot final.
Carl Sneep had a goal and two assists, and John Muse stopped 33 shots for BC(14-8-2).
Harvard (5-12-3) has not won the Beanpot since 1993. Northeastern (11-12-1)has not won since ’88.
BC is back in the tournament final for the sixth time in eight years. One ofthe surprising exceptions was last year, when Northeastern beat the Eagles 6-1in the first round, depriving them of what has come to be an almost annualmatchup with BU in the title game.
Since 1998, it is BC’s only Beanpot loss to someone other than BU. TheTerriers have not lost to anyone other than BC since ’94.
“Last year’s game was last year’s game,” Muse said. “I had plenty ofconfidence coming in.”
The Beanpot pits the area’s four college hockey powers against each other onthe first two Mondays in February. Boston University has won 29—half—of thetitles, including last year when the Terriers followed up their Beanpot win withan NCAA title.
The year before, BC won the Beanpot and the national championship.
“It gives us a chance to play for a trophy in the middle of the season,which a lot of teams don’t have,” said BC’s Brian Gibbons, a native of nearbyBraintree. “I’ve been coming here since I was little. I’m playing here now.It’s a good time. I love it. I’m never going to quit going.”
Gibbons, the MVP of the 2008 tournament, had a goal and an assist for theEagles, and so did Pat Mullane and Ben Smith. Kyle Richter made 33 saves forHarvard before John Riley took over with 5:58 left and made four saves.
BC led just 1-0 after one period, but Matt Price scored 18 seconds into thesecond on a wrister from the right circle that beat Richter on the glove side.Mullane made it 3-0 with 12:17 left in the second.
“I don’t think we gave ourselves a chance to win,” Harvard coach TedDonato said. “We were never able to get into what we were trying to do, and Ithink their speed and skill had a large role in that.”
BU finally broke through against Northeastern with 11:37 left in the second,when Cohen’s shot from the bottom of the left circle got through goalie ChrisRawlings. The Terriers had a chance to add to the lead when Alex Tuckerman drewa 5-minute penalty—along with a game misconduct—for hitting from behind.
The Huskies were 27 seconds away from killing off that power play when BU’sDavid Warsofsky cross-checked Wade McLeod in the neck and gave the Huskies a manadvantage. Just 21 seconds later, Cohen was sent off for hitting from behind,giving Northeastern a 5-on-3.
Seconds after one shot hit the post as the first penalty expired, KyleKraemer beat Kieran Millan on a wrist shot that tied it with 7 seconds left inthe 5-on-4.
That seemed to open the game up, and with 5:47 left Chiasson wrapped up aseries of odd-man rushes by heading for the goal on a 2-on-1 and putting thepuck between Rawlings’ legs; it slowly trickled just over the line to make it2-1.
BU picked up another power play with 4:28 left, but did not score and gavethe advantage back with 1:28 to play. The Huskies pulled their goalie andcontrolled the puck for most of the final minute, but were unable to capitalize.
