By Joe Concannon, Globe Staff, 02/12/1985

They used to be the Beanpot's beloved underdogs, the city's rank outsiders on these two Monday nights in February. They had been the perennial also-rans through 27 years of the Beanpot until Wayne Turner ended the era of embarrassment with a wondrous overtime goal five years ago.

What that did for hockey at Northeastern was immeasurable, but what it did for the Huskies in terms of the Beanpot was even more compelling. Those underdogs from Huntington avenue have become the unquestioned class of the Beanpot, the team to beat in the Eighties.

In the latest of these Beanpot curtain calls in front of the tournament's 15th straight sellout crowd - which numbered 14,451 last night in steamy Boston Garden - Northeastern rode the goaltending acrobatics of freshman Bruce Racine and two third-period goals by Mark Lori to a rousing 4-2 victory.

The Huskies became the first team to successfully defend a Beanpot title since BU did it in 1979. And after going 27 years without a Beanpot, NU has won three out of the last six.

"I really didn't know if we could do it this year," said NU captain Jim Averill. "But . . . two in a row . . . the record books."

The game was the Beanpot at its very best, two teams that practice and play at opposite sides of the Fens going at it for the championship of the city. The rejection of NU's bid to join the Yankee Conference in football, apparently engineered by a BU-led coalition, has fueled the rivalry. As Averill said, however, "Hockey's hockey, football's football."

A shot that didn't go in was the tipoff that the Huntington Hounds were knocking on the door and about to kick it down. Lori, from Windsor, Ontario, the latest member of NU's underground-railroad-in-revers e that has included Ken Manchurek and linemate Rod Isbister, had put a point-blank shot on BU goaltender Bob Deraney in a 2-2 game early in the third period. "I was getting frustrated," Lori said, "but my time would come."

Indeed. Isbister created the go-ahead goal when he forechecked BU's Jay Octeau and Octeau's pass was intercepted by Lori. He cut in front and put a backhander past Deraney at 10 minutes, 28 seconds of the period. "Izzie forced him to make a bad pass," said Lori. "He picked a defenseman. I was one-on-one with the goalie. I shot it low and got it through."

Just over 5 minutes later, the persistent Isbister sent his big right wing in again. "He (Isbister) did all the work," said Lori. "He's so shifty. He made a couple of moves . . ."

Lori took it from there, went in on Deraney and shot the puck in with 4:24 to go to send the faithful in the direction of the postgame celebration at Punter's Pub.

Greg Neary had started 13-19 NU on its way when a pass by Claude Lodin sprung him between two BU defensemen and sent him on his way to a 1-0 lead at 7:43 of the first period. The Huskies were establishing a relentless forechecking pattern in this period, and it would eventually define their victory.

All of BU's scoring came in a 112-second blitz in the second period. Ed Lowney tied it when he took John Cullen's faceoff-winning pass and beat Racine with a rocket at 4:44 of the period. Tom Ryan sent Chuck Sullivan in for the 2-1 lead at 6:36 and the Terriers were threatening to seize control.

The goal that swung the momentum back to NU was Kevin Heffernan's tying goal at 10:21 of the period. "It was a three-on-two," said Heffernan, who credited Scott Marshall with a shot on Deraney. Actually, a BU defenseman helped it along and Heffernan swooped in to pick up the rebound that Deraney had kicked out. He found plenty of room for the goal.

The Huskies entered this tournament with the weakest record of the four teams, but disposed of Hockey East leader Boston College last Monday night and Hockey East's No. 2 BU last night. BU coach Jack Parker wasn't as disappointed as he was angry, and he talked of the contrast between BU's two Beanpot losses to NU in the title game.

"It's tough to take because we didn't play well," said Parker. "Last year we did, and things just didn't go our way. Northeastern played terrific. They played real smart defense. It's always a problem, no question, coming back after losing in the Beanpot final. We'll have to dig down deep character- wise."

The Terriers (17-12-3) had been on a 7-0-1 run since the unheralded Deraney entered the picture out of the ashes of a 10-1 loss to BC on Jan. 8. This was the night of the Husky, however. Yes, hockey's hockey, as Averill said, and a victory in any sport smells just as sweet. Yankee (Conference), go home.