First, it was a game played on the city’s biggest stage. Second, it was a game played between college hockey’s two fiercest rivals. Third and most importantly, it was a Beanpot game.
And it didn’t disappoint.
In a game that had to go to extra frames after three periods’ action that was so back and forth it was reminiscent of the Green Line that connects the two college campuses, No. 1 Boston College nipped No. 14 Boston University in overtime on a power-play goal by defenseman Tommy Cross.
The Eagles (20-6-0) will now move on to face Northeastern University – the 4-0 winner over Harvard University in Monday’s earlier contest – in the Beanpot championship next Monday at 7:30 p.m. It will be just the third time the two schools have faced off for the trophy in the 59-year history of the tournament.
The Terriers (13-8-7) will face the Crimson in the consolation game at 4:30 p.m.
“In general, it was a very, very exciting game,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “We played with a lot of poise. That’s the best team in the nation, and we played head to head with them.”
“You cannot win the Beanpot losing a game,” said BC assistant coach Tom Cavanaugh, who sat in on the post-game press conference for head coach Jerry York, who couldn’t speak with laryngitis.
“You don’t get a second chance. It just adds to the excitement and the intensity of the game. As I stated earlier, it was a terrific college hockey game.”
Cross’s game-winner came after a cross-checking call on sophomore defenseman Ryan Ruikka in overtime.
The junior defenseman, who got the start despite being on BC’s third defensive pairing on the lines sheet, lined up high atop the slot and fired into traffic. The puck bounced off freshman defenseman Adam Clendening and past BU junior goalie Kieran Millan (37 saves) to end not only the game but also BU’s Beanpot dreams.
BU had a pair of power plays of its own in the third period, each lasting nearly the full two minutes, with five minutes to go but the power-play unit, which has been anemic all year, could not strike when the iron was hot and when it needed to most.
The first period saw both teams acting a little jumpy in their first game at the TD Garden of the 2010-11 season. The Eagles and Terriers exchanged blows – both figuratively and at times literally – until the top-ranked team from Chestnut Hill got on the board 14:37 into the frame.
Defender Philip Samuelsson ripped off a shot from the left point near the half-wall. With both BC’s Patrick Brown and BU’s David Warsofsky in front of Terrier junior netminder Kieran Millan, the shot was tipped past the temporarily blinded goalie.
Unlike the last game between the two teams, in which BC jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, it didn’t take long for the Terriers to retort. In fact, just 38 seconds after the Samuelsson tally, BU freshman blue-liner Garrett Noonan spun around in the BC slot, beautifully backhanding a pass to sophomore winger Wade Megan to his right in the process. Megan took the pass and fired past the blocker of BC goalie John Muse (34 saves) to knot the game at one apiece.
BU seemed to gain some confidence from that goal, as they were the first to strike in the second. Junior center Corey Trivino gathered a blocked shot by sophomore linemate Ross Gaudet and threw the puck right past an off-guard Muse. That was the Terriers’ first lead against the Eagles in seven periods, dating back to a 1-0 lead in the Dec. 4 game at Conte Forum.
That score ended up being the only tally of the second period, a frame that was brought to you by the word “No.” Each team had its own share of turned-aside breakouts, but it was sophomore forward Alex Chiasson’s breakaway that produced the best chance either side had to score. Chiasson took a pass from freshman linemate Matt Nieto and bolted toward Muse. The team leader in points fired but was turned aside by Muse, who continued to take matters into his own hands by shoving a crashing Sean Escobedo in the face. The aggression was met with a no-call by both officials.
“I probably think the turning point in the game was John Muse’s breakaway save on Chiasson,” Cavanaugh said. “They had some momentum going if they go up 3-1. It’s going to put us back on our heels a little bit.”
In the other big no-call from the second, a shot by BC center Pat Mullane led to several rebounds in front of Millan. Sticks from both sides swabbed at the puck as it moved around the crease before a whistle brought an end to the action. BC players began to celebrate as if the puck had indeed crossed the line. Reviews proved inconclusive, and the original call of no goal stood up.
The Eagles finally got their chance to retaliate though in the third. Almost five minutes into the period, a Max Nicastro turnover in BU’s end allowed BC right-winger Jimmy Hayes to gather the puck up front. The Dorchester native made the most of his advantage and placed the game’s equalizer right over Millan’s glove and into the net’s top right corner.
The rest of the third could not have been scripted any better.
Out of the second power play of the waning minutes of the third, Samuelsson burst out of the box, collected the puck at the blue line ahead of him and, like Chiasson before him, charged toward his opposing goalie. The sophomore defenseman flipped to his backhand five feet outside the crease, but Millan matched his every move and made the sliding save to his left.
BC had its next best chance literally as time expired. A shot from Millan’s left kicked off the netminder right to BC defenseman Brian Dumoulin, who tried to slam home the rebound from the left hash mark. Millan again slid to make the game-saving deflection just as the Garden horn sounded to signal the end of regulation.
As much as Millan saw the last shot of regulation, he never caught a full eye on the last shot of overtime.
After the game, Parker acknowledged that as much as the loss stings, it was helpful and not just for his own team.
“I think it’s important for college hockey to put on a show like this,” Parker said. “We thank the Garden for doing the good job they do for us. We think we did a good job for them, too.”