BC looking to end BU's reign

Those who follow college hockey know Boston University owns the Beanpot tournament, which opens Monday night at the FleetCenter.

The Terriers have won 25 of the 51 Beanpots, including eight of the last nine. They have reached the championship game 19 of the last 20 years (missing in 1994). This year, however, could be different. That's been said and written before, and BU has risen to the challenge. But this time, the road to the Beanpot title goes through Boston College.

While BU has struggled to a 7-9-6 record this season, 4-8-2 in Hockey East, BC sports an 18-3-3 mark, is atop Hockey East at 11-1-2, and is ranked No. 2 in the country. Even without forward Ben Eaves, BC's leading scorer who is out for at least the Beanpot opener with a fractured kneecap, if the Eagles lose this year, they'll have to take a long, hard look in the mirror. They have already beaten BU three times this season.

"What I like most about this particular team is that every week they are getting better," said BC coach Jerry York, who will guide the Eagles against Harvard Monday after BU takes on Northeastern. "I'm proud of the way they work very hard on being a better team. They work on individual skills, and as a team. They've done a terrific job. They've gone from being a squad in September to a real team now.

"We can't look back at our record and say we had a great season if we lose the Beanpot. BU has had some unbelievable runs in this tourney. I give them all the credit. But we don't want to just win the Beanpot this year, we want to win every year. It's a major goal for us to win this every year."

Harvard (8-9-2, 6-7-1 ECAC) has the unenviable task of trying to stop BC in the first round. The Crimson have been up and down this season, but they gave the Eagles a good game Dec. 10, losing, 3-2, at Conte Forum.

"Harvard has a good club," said York. "I'm not just saying that. They are a team that is capable of a big stretch run in the ECAC, and they are certainly capable of winning a Beanpot game. They will be a formidable opponent."

The situation for Harvard is complicated by the fact that it has not played since Jan. 10. The players have been on exam break, and the last day of exams was yesterday.

"It's unfortunate that we haven't played for three weeks," said Harvard coach Mark Mazzoleni. "All we can do is hold optional practices. But we have a very, very committed group of young men, and they did a great job of showing up. This is something that happens every year with our calendar.

"BC is so spectacular that they are a legitimate No. 2 team [behind North Dakota], and they may even be No. 1. They are a dynamic team. The forwards come at you in waves, the defense is a blend of size, speed, and toughness. And they protect their goalie. They play the game very well."

The Crimson, who had their first full practice last night, will get a Beanpot prep game vs. Brown Saturday.

"We have a lot of games left to play, and that's a positive," said Mazzoleni. "We're not happy with what we've done, but there's a lot left to play for, and that's our focus. The overall importance of the Beanpot on the Boston sport scene, and the local culture, can't be overestimated. It has so much significance. A win can turn anybody's season in a positive direction."

Northeastern, a much improved team, has the first shot at BU, and the Huskies should not be counted out. NU started the season a dismal 0-9-2, but has gone 7-2-2 since to stand at 7-11-4 (2-9-3 Hockey East), and handed BC its only defeat in the conference.

"Our last 11 games were a lot better than our first 11," said NU coach Bruce Crowder. "We're playing better. We've come around to a style where we're kind of going at people. We've created a lot of shots on net recently. We're playing more wide open instead of a defensive style.

"When we played BU, we lost, 4-3, in overtime [Jan. 9]. If we play like we can play, we'll put ourselves in a good position. Obviously, BU will be tough. They're usually the team to beat. They've pretty much dominated this tournament for about the last 10 years. That's a pretty good challenge."

Should NU be fortunate enough to escape BU, the Huskies would have a chance if they faced BC in the final. The Huskies beat BC, 3-0, at home, then gave a good account of themselves while losing, 4-2, in a rematch at The Heights.

"We had the lead, 2-1, going into the third period at BC," said Crowder. "Even though we lost, we played pretty good. To me, BC is the best team in the country. They are ranked No. 2, but early in the season they went into North Dakota and beat them in their own barn. That puts BC up, in my mind. Again, Jerry has a very good team over there."