For college hockey fans in the greater Boston area, the first two Mondays of February belong to the Beanpot. It’s been that way since 1958 (the current schedule was not actually adopted until the sixth year of the tournament), and the tradition shows no signs of stopping.
So, why then, is Boston University men’s hockey coach Jack Parker afraid that the Beanpot is “starting to lose its luster”?
Well, for more than 20 years, the February tournament has belonged to BU and Boston College &- two teams that have posted a combined 43 championship victories in 57 years. You’d have to look back 17 years to find the last time that Harvard claimed a championship. Northeastern University hasn’t hoisted the Beanpot trophy since 1988 (a point Terriers fans were more than happy to point out last Monday, when BU collected a 2-1 victory over the Huskies).
Not only have the Eagles and Terriers laid claim to Boston’s annual bragging rights every year for more than a decade, but the two teams have also made a nasty habit of meeting each other in the tournament’s championship round (six times in the past 10 years).
With this in mind, it might be easy to see why Parker is afraid that fans are getting tired of seeing the same old story unfold every year. But, if the past three Beanpots have been any indication of things to come, it’s clear that Boston’s February tourney is far from scripted.
Don’t believe me? Look at Harvard University’s efforts in the 2008 and 2009 Beanpot tournaments.
In 2008, Harvard (then 9-11-3) defeated Northeastern in the Beanpot opener before forcing overtime in a losing effort to BC in the championship round. Just one year later, the top-ranked Terriers needed a goal from senior forward Jason Lawrence at 18:14 to eke out an opening-round victory over the Crimson.
This year, the 8 p.m. Beanpot opener belonged to Northeastern and BU &- the two teams that vied for a championship title just last February. The 2009-10 season, however, had not been so kind to the Terriers or the Huskies. BU and Northeastern, who fought tooth-and-nail atop the Hockey East standings last season, are ranked fifth and eighth in the conference this year.
Slow starts mean nothing in February.
Heading into the tournament’s opener, both teams had been playing solid hockey. And, shortly after the puck was dropped last Monday night, fans on both sides knew that they were in for a long, evenly matched, hard-fought game. Even when freshman forward Alex Chiasson’s go-ahead strike trickled across the goal line at the 14:13 mark of the third period, the contest was far from decided.
And, while the Eagles’ 6-0 thrashing of the Crimson earlier in the afternoon did not provide much in the way of entertainment (or competition), it’s games like BU-Northeastern that keep college hockey fans coming back for more.
As a Beanpot first-timer, I respectfully disagree with Parker’s assessment that the tournament has somehow begun to lose it’s luster. While I certainly understand that fans of college hockey grow weary of seeing two teams consistently monopolize the Beanpot stage, there is a sense of parity that keeps the tournament interesting for fans of Harvard, BC, BU and Northeastern.
Before last Monday’s game, Parker told the media that there were no clear Beanpot favorites. He was right. (Almost) every year, all four teams enter the tournament with an equal opportunity to reach the Beanpot pay dirt.
Regular season records, national rankings and last year’s results be damned. These teams know each other’s tendencies, and all four schools know that a Beanpot championship could help spur a late-season run. Players, coaches and fans approach each tournament with the expectation that this year will be their year.
Yes, there will be blowouts. Yes, the Terriers and the Eagles have hoisted the trophy a ridiculous number of times. And yes, perhaps BU-BC Beanpot championship contests have become old hat for college hockey fans (that’s certainly not the case for students of either school, however).
But these things haven’t prevented students, fans and families from flooding the TD Garden every February, sporting their team’s colors and screaming their hearts out when the puck is dropped.
Sure, a bit more parity would be nice, but there’s always that feeling of “any given Monday”. Sports are funny like that &- just when you think you know how it’s all going to turn out, something wild happens. That is what keeps the Beanpot so entertaining. That is why, to this columnist, February’s annual championship will never lose its luster.
After all, nothing brings college hockey fans together like a little intra-city rivalry.