Ah, how sweet it is. BU hockey is now back where it belongs ‘-‘- the Terriers are again the Beanpot champions, after a one-year hiatus. Northeastern winning the most sacred hockey tourney in The Hub? Good one. What are you going to tell me next, Michael Phelps stays home and has milk and cookies with his mom on Saturday nights? The world has returned to its natural state of things, with the Terriers walking away with the hardware, and Northeastern, BC and Harvard all heading back to campus without their dignity intact.
The game itself was really anything more than I could have ever expected ‘-‘- as a freshman from Kentucky, this was my first Beanpot experience. I had always been told how great the Beanpot was, and how, with the possible exception of the Frozen Four, no college hockey event could come remotely close to the intensity of the Beanpot.’
Even after going to the first round game against Harvard, I was still a little skeptical about the claim, but Monday’s game removed any of my cynicism about the wonder of Beanpot hockey.
As happy as I am that BU won in a convincing manner, the 5-2 final score is really a pretty misleading one. The game wasn’t that lopsided, or at least the greater majority of it wasn’t. When Joe Pereira was sent to the penalty box with about seven and a half minutes left in the game and BU only up a goal, I really thought we were destined to witness another overtime Beanpot final. The contest was such a back and forth affair up to that point that I saw no other option than Northeastern evening it up.
After all, it seemed like whenever BU would score a goal to pull ahead, the Huntington Avenue All-Stars would tack one on in response. Colby Cohen’s goal toward the end of the first period was matched by Mike McLaughlin’s only a couple of minutes later. Same thing happened in the second period, only this time it was BU’s Nick Bonino and NU’s Tyler McNeely. It was a close and hard-fought match, just as it should be when the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the nation are facing off.
When two teams are so evenly matched, usually it is only one statistic, one facet of the game, that distinguishes one team as being superior. And on Monday, the game was decided by power plays.
Usually when power plays are the difference between a win and a loss, it’s because one squad took advantage of the opportunity and scored when their opponent was short-handed. This time, however, the tables were turned. Three of BU’s goals (funny enough, the final difference in the game) came when it was down a man.
Reversing the tables like that, scoring when you are the one who is supposed to be getting scored on, is a true testament to the guys out on the ice and their ability to succeed against the odds. I don’t care what level of hockey is being played, if you put in three shorthanded goals, you’re going to win the game.
So where do the Terriers go from here? Some people may dismiss the Beanpot as some sort of ‘meaningless aside’ to the season, but not only does it give the winning team coveted bragging rights for a year, it can also provide a team a much-needed boost to achieve greater things. Although it doesn’t make people here on campus too happy to remember, BC parlayed their Beanpot success into a national championship last year.
Looking at this year’s BU team and all that it has accomplished this season, it is absolutely not out of the question to expect to see the Terriers leaving Washington, D.C. with a fifth national championship come April.
So much has already been accomplished this season, with the Beanpot title being the most recent ‘-‘- and probably most important ‘-‘- triumph in a series of many. After a mediocre 2007-08 campaign, BU has reached the 20-win plateau faster than any other team in school history, which, at a place with the rich history of Terrier hockey, is quite an achievement.
The Terriers spent a few weeks this season as the top-ranked team in the country and haven’t been outside of the top five for virtually the entire year. Jack Parker reached a career milestone when he picked up his 800th win. And for the cherry on top, the team has been officially crowned as the top team in a city that features three top-15 teams and gave its loyal supporters a glorious ride home on the Green Line.
Sucks to BU? Between winning a 29th Beanpot trophy and being able to graduate college in four years (imagine that, Northeastern), I think I’ll live just fine being a Terrier.
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