MVP puts a fresh spin on tourney's drama

By Marvin Pave, Globe Staff, 2/12/2002

50TH ANNUAL BEANPOT Full coverage  FROM THE GLOBE Feb. 13, 2002 Inspired Pandolfo gave BU a lift Women: Harvard claims the title Feb. 12, 2002 Lately, it's BU MVP puts fresh spin on tourney NU loses game, wins admiration Notebook: Early birds get the win  BEANPOT TITLES BU | 24 BC | 12 HARVARD | 10 NU | 4 Year-by-year results and MVP's  BEANPOT MEMORIES 1952 The inaugural "New England Invitational" tournament was played at the Boston Arena (now Matthews Arena) in December as Harvard beat Boston University, 7-4, in the final. Then-Boston-Garden president Walter Brown will later commandeer Tony Nota with the task of sending an appropriate trophy. Nota, a mailroom employee, settles on a silver-plated pot. 1954 The tournament moves to the Boston Garden, which will host the next 42 before its demolition in 1995. Opening-night attendance in 1954: 711. Attendance in 1995: 14,448. 1955 Bill Cleary leads Harvard to its second title and wins the tournament MVP award after tallying four goals in one period – a tournament record that still stands. Cleary eventually will be known as "Mr. Beanpot" – the only man to play, referee, and coach in it. Cleary even had a son who played in the Beanpot. 1978 The blizzard of the century is no match for diehard Beanpot fans as 11,666 of them trek to the Garden for the opening round.Many of the fans were stranded there for four days. 1980 Wayne Turner's overtime goal for Northeastern in the final triggers a frenzied celebration as the Huskies end 27 years of Beanpot frustration and earn their first championship with a 5-4 win over Boston College. 1988 After dispatching BU for the title in 1985 with a spectacular 32-save performance as a freshman, goaltender Bruce Racine caps off his senior season by leading NU to its fourth Beanpot of the ’80s. 1989 After not making it past the first round in seven years, Harvard ran up the offense with a 9-6 victory over BU for its first title since 1981. It was the highest scoring championship game in tournament history. The Crimson's crowning moment also gave coach Cleary his 300th career victory. 2000 BU etched its name on the trophy often in tournament history, winning eight of 10 titles from 1966 to 1973. The Terriers added eight more in the '90s,and made it clear in the first tournament of the new century that their dominance would continue. A 4-1 win over Boston College at the FleetCenter gives BU a record sixth straight championship and brings BU coach Jack Parker his 15th title. 2001 The last six years may have belonged to BU, but this was undeniably BC's year. The Eagles knocked out the Terriers, 5-3, and then continued their tear through the season, adding a Hockey East championship and a national title to their spoils.

ack Parker never saw the goal.

''I was looking down the bench, trying to decide on our next shift,'' said the Boston University coach of what transpired just before winger Justin Maiser went top shelf to win the Terriers' 24th Beanpot title last night at the FleetCenter.

Thanks to tournament MVP Maiser's finish of a great hustle job by linemates Kenny Magowan and David Klema, Parker didn't have to ponder any line changes until the puck was dropped at center ice with 1:12 to play - moments after Klema had retrieved a rubber souvenir for Maiser, the freshman from Edina, Minn.

''The Beanpot was definitely a factor in my coming to BU,'' said Maiser, whose first-period angled drive got BU off and skating to what appeared to be a complete domination of Northeastern over the game's first 32 minutes.

But after Northeastern countered with three straight tallies, it was BU's turn to come back, and Mike Pandolfo's goal early in the final period that tied the score at 3-3, said Parker, turned this 50th championship into ''a cat and mouse game.''

The cat won out as Maiser pounced on Klema's pass and beat gallant NU goalie Keni Gibson on a shot that was almost identical to one Gibson stopped in the opening period when Maiser tried to flip one under the crossbar.

''They've given us great games all year,'' said Maiser. ''Even in the second period when we were up, 2-0, we knew it wasn't going to last that way. They have a great team. They never quit working. But we knew what we had to do and we went out and got it done.''

Maiser watched a tape of last year's Beanpot, courtesy of classmate Brian McConnell. But this year's tape is the one that Maiser will forever keep close to his VCR, as he scored on two of the three shots he leveled at Gibson.

Parker credited his freshmen with playing huge games, especially after the Huskies' three-goal second period had deflated the Terriers.

''This was a fabulous Beanpot game,'' said Parker. ''And you have to give credit to our freshmen. All of them showed a lot of poise.''

None more than Maiser, who threaded the needle for the biggest goal of his college career.

''In the first period,'' he said, ''I took the same shot and it might have hit [Gibson's] stick or the crossbar.''

A second great pass from Klema, another freshman, gave him a carbon copy opportunity.

''[Gibson] went down,'' said Maiser. ''I knew he would go down and I put the same shot in - by a few inches.''

Parker called the contest ''a tale of two games,'' and Maiser wrote the final chapter in dramatic fashion.

''Growing up in Minnesota, I had always heard about [the Beanpot] and I wondered what it was,'' he said. ''It's been an amazing experience. And then to win it - there's nothing better.

Maiser said the BU coaching staff did a good job of calming the team down in the early stages of the game, but there was nothing laidback about the celebration after Maiser's goal.

''You can bet that I'll be watching that goal pretty soon,'' said Parker.

He never had to make that line change because Northeastern couldn't get out of its zone as the game went into its final minute and a half.

And, thanks to Maiser, it was one of the best changes he never had to make.

This story ran on page D6 of the Boston Globe on 2/12/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.