It took the Boston College women’s ice hockey team 114 minutes and 13 seconds last Tuesday night to reach the 2007 Beanpot Championship game. As the Eagles defeated Harvard University in a triple-overtime thriller, all the Boston University women’s ice hockey team could do was watch and wait – not a particularly challenging task for the Terriers.

After defeating Northeastern University, 4-2, in the Terriers’ third opening-round victory in tournament history, suddenly waiting didn’t seem too bad.

After all, they had been waiting 25 years to reach the Beanpot final.

Tonight, all the waiting comes to an end as the Terriers lace up for their first-ever Beanpot final as an NCAA Division I team and their first since the 1982 club team lost in the championship game.

But it isn’t the 1982 team the current Terriers will be looking to for inspiration. Rather, they should glance one year back in the history books to see the upstart women of the 1981 team – the only Lady Icedogs’s squad that tasted Beanpot glory.

Similar to the 2007 Terriers, the 1981 team was the heavy underdog after playing a schedule filled with Division I opponents. And like that ’81 squad, this year’s Terriers also defeated Northeastern en route to a meeting with BC in the finals.

This year, with the varsity program still in its infancy, the Terriers look to stage an upset over the Eagles yet again.

The Terriers hope to bring good energy into the game, coming off last week’s opening-round win, as well as an important Hockey East victory over Providence College last Saturday.

“It’s more chances for us to gain momentum and feel like we’re going to be there come Tuesday night,” said BU coach Brian Durocher.

As the Terriers continue their regular season struggle to reach the playoffs, the Beanpot provides a unique opportunity for them to garner some national recognition – the first step to becoming an elite collegiate hockey program.

“Boston College is a heck of a good team, but we’ve got to bring our ‘A’ game and see if we can’t beat them and get some instant gratification,” Durocher said.

The Eagles are still in the early stages of becoming a Beanpot powerhouse. That title is still shared between Northeastern and Harvard, owners of 14 and 11 Beanpot titles, respectively. The Eagles, like the Terriers, have only skated with the ‘Pot once, winning last year’s tournament.

In defense of their first trophy, the Eagles will come out firing, just as they have in all three games between the Green Line rivals this season.

BC leads the season series, 2-1, but the Terriers notched their first-ever victory over BC earlier this season, 3-1, at Walter Brown Arena. In the other contests though, the Eagles also handed the Terriers losses by scores of 5-2 and 6-0.

“We’ll need to keep the game simple, but at the same time, be aggressive in certain parts of the game,” Durocher said. “[We’ll need to be] aggressive defensively . . . aggressive on faceoffs and aggressive on things we might be able to control.

“That’s a fast team. We’re not going to go end to end with them,” he added.

Whether sophomore Allyse Wilcox or freshman Melissa Haber will get the start in goal for the Terriers is still a game-time decision, but the Eagles know they will have a stone wall in Molly Schaus between the pipes. Last Tuesday, Schaus stopped an incredible 73 shots (49 in regulation) in the triple-overtime game against No. 6 Harvard.

To win this game, what the Terriers can do is build off their underdog mentality that has brought them to this point. It will be important for BU to translate the excitement of a championship game into competitive play on the ice.

And there is no question the Terriers will be excited for this game. Since their induction into Div. I last year, winning the Beanpot has been one of the team’s major goals. With the program’s stronger sophomore campaign, that goal seems more realistic.

“We’re excited, everyone’s pumped,” said assistant captain Gina Kearns. “It’s our first Beanpot final – we want to come out on top.”

“Without a doubt, it will generate some emotions and enthusiasm that they have a chance to play for some instant recognition in a big Boston tournament that has been a part of all four schools,” Durocher said.