By Joe Concannon, Globe Staff, 02/12/1986

As they led their teammates around the Boston Garden ice and the clock started to approach midnight, it struck Boston University cocaptains Peter Marshall and Chris Matchett that they at last had realized their elusive
dream.

"It's the best feeling I've ever had," said Marshall.

"We've been in it three years," said Matchett, "and we finally won it."

Indeed. In a glittering performance set off by the goaltending heroics of tournament MVP Terry Taillefer, the Terriers upstaged Boston College, 4-1, to win the 34th Beanpot Hockey Tournament Monday night before a sellout crowd of 14,451 who saw a clinical demonstration of the college game.

The Beanpot has a magical hold on the seniors playing in it, and, if it was a hollow experience for the 10 seniors at BC, it was the moment that Marshall, Matchett, Paul Gerlitz, Brad MacGregor and Tony Majkozak will savor. ''I want to go out in a blaze of glory," said Matchett, "and this is the first step."

That, as well, is the haunting Beanpot legacy. BC won it in 1983, Northeastern the past two years. Between them, they won two games in the Beanpot aftermath of those seasons. The impression out of this Beanpot, however, is that BU is a team on a roll.

This was BU's 13th Beanpot championship, its first since 1982, and the Terriers (18-11-2) and Eagles are now 5-5 in Beanpot championship games. The Eagles won this tournament when those 10 seniors were freshmen, but they became beaten finalists for the fifth time in the past eight years.

"We took away the initial rush," said BU coach Jack Parker. "We did a great job backchecking. We've been forechecking. Our problem with BC is not how long we stay in their end. We can do that. The key to the game is not to let BC stay in your end too long. We weren't giving them the second shot."

The tempo of the game was set by BU on its initial shift as the senior line of Marshall, Matchett and Gerlitz was put on the ice against the explosive BC first line of Scott Harlow, Ken Hodge and Doug Brown. A checking line? Far
from it. Marshall sent Gerlitz in on a break and Scott Gordon made the game's first save 20 seconds into the period.

Taillefer and left wing Clark Donatelli were BU's major catalysts. Taillefer made 43 saves in a superlative show in his first Beanpot; Donatelli scored the first two goals of the game as the pumped-up Terriers seized a 3-1 lead.

BU took a 1-0 lead during a four-on-three advantage situation 4:30 into the game. Jay Octeau put the initial shot on Gordon. John Cullen ended up with the puck, moved through the BC defense with a nifty bit of stickhandling, and slid it over to the open Donatelli.

Referee Frank Cole called a penalty on BC's John McLean and the Terriers ended up with a second four-on-three.

Octeau drew a penalty for hooking, however, and Harlow scored his 32d goal of a marvelous season when he was there at the doorstep to tip in a loose puck that had fallen from Taillefer's glove. This tied it at 7:29, but Taillefer wouldn't see another puck go by him all night.

Donatelli put the Terriers in front, 2-1, when he lifted the puck over Gordon's shoulder after BU defenseman Scott Shaunessy created a little havoc to set up the goal by getting the puck through the BC defense. Majkozak, who had been inserted as fourth-line left wing, scored his third goal of the season at 11:20 for a 3-1 lead.

Even though Gordon was credited with only 24 saves, he couldn't be faulted in any way. It just seems to be his ill fortune to be at his best in big games when somebody else is having a career game. He was on the receiving end two years ago in a Beanpot opener when BU's Cleon Daskalakis stole the show, and he was superb last year as Providence's Chris Terreri beat BC in double overtime in the Hockey East final and in three overtimes in the NCAAs.

This was Taillefer's night. He'd been wondering about his future in the game just a little over a year ago when an ailing hip had failed to respond to treatments. He went home to Edmonton, Alberta, and some questioned if he'd return. He's been there all season, and he saved his very best for his biggest game so far.

He made a key save, it seemed, on nearly every one of the BC guns. He was in position, a picture of concentration. The Eagles kept coming, but an open- net goal by Marshall with 1:04 remaining put the stamp of the Terriers on the 34th Beanpot.