February 2, 2010
Beanpot Semis Notebook
by Joe Meloni/CHN Reporter
BOSTON — Next Monday night, Boston College and Boston University will meet for the 20th time in the Beanpot Championship game.
The Eagles defeated Harvard, 6-0, in the early game Monday night at the TD Garden. BU outlasted Northeastern for a 2-1 thanks to a late goal from freshman Alex Chiasson and 25 saves from sophomore goaltender Kieran Millan.
Harvard and Northeastern will play in the Beanpot Consolation game at 5 p.m. before the Eagles and Terriers meet for coveted trophy at 8 p.m.
The latest installment in the Battle of Commonwealth Avenue will be the fourth meeting in the fourth different venue between the two schools this season. Thus far, BU has holds the edge – the Terriers defeated the Eagles, 3-2, at Fenway Park on Jan. 8 and 5-4 in overtime at Kelley Rink on Jan. 22.
“I don’t think there’s anything that compares to a Beanpot,” BU coach Jack Parker said following Monday’s semifinal win. “The emotion that will be in this building one week from [Monday] will be unbelievable. In fact, we’ve already had three great games with [BC].”
The Eagles, who are seeking their first Beanpot Championship since 2008, have put their tough defeat to Northeastern in the semifinal last season behind them. NU defeated BC, 6-1, to advance to the championship last season.
Just shoot it
Following Northeastern’s loss to BU, NU coach Greg Cronin was understandably disappointed. The Huskies, led by freshman goaltender Chris Rawlings (33 saves), fought hard throughout the matchup.
Senior forward Kyle Kraemer, NU’s leading scorer, scored at 9 minutes, 34 seconds of the third period to tie the game, 1-1. Kraemer’s goal came on a shot from the midpoint that found its way through a screen set by Wade MacLeod and BU goaltender Kieran Millan.
However, Cronin was unhappy with his team’s unwillingness to shoot the puck when it’s forecheck and strong defense created quality scoring chances.
“My biggest problem was, anytime we had an odd-man rush or an even-man rush, we wouldn’t shoot the damn puck,” he said. “Right before Wade MacLeod had a penalty called on him, he was standing in the slot, but he wouldn’t shoot it. [NU assistant coach] Albie O’Connell was up above, and he kept radioing down ‘why won’t they shoot the puck.’ If you reflect back on the game, I would say, conservatively, we had six chances with the puck on our stick in front of BU’s net and we refused to shoot the puck.”
With 1:28 remaining in regulation, BU redshirt freshman Ross Gaudet was sent off for hooking. Cronin pulled Rawlings in favor of the extra attacker. NU possessed the puck in the BU zone for a majority of the final 90 seconds, managing a single shot on goal.
“Part of it was [BU] was doing a good job of getting their bodies in the shots lanes,” Cronin said. “But part of it was us trying to pick a better apple. In a game like this, it was a playoff type game, when you get a scoring chance in the slot, you have to shoot the puck.”
Keeping it going
It’s been six games since BC coach Jerry York placed junior center Brian Gibbons between wingers Joe Whitney and Cam Atkinson. In those six games, BC is 4-2-0, including Monday night’s 6-0 win over Harvard in the first Beanpot Semifinal.
Entering the game, the trio had combined for 23 points on 10 goals and 13 assists in those five games. After their sixth game together, the totals not stand at 26 points. Gibbons, BC’s leading scorer, scored his 10th goal of the season at 13:05 of the third period to make it 5-0; Atkinson assisted on Gibbons’ goal.
The three players posses such unique, yet complimentary talents, that defenses struggle to matchup with them.
“They’re a great line,” BC captain Matt Price, who scored the Eagles' second goal against Harvard, said. “The skill level out there is unbelievable. They are the type of players that always have their heads up; they see things the average player doesn’t see. They seem to have a sense where guys will be before the puck even leaves their stick.”
Gibbons, the shifty playmaking pivot, is capable of distributing the puck as well as finishing. His ability to move the puck in tight spaces and create for himself and his linemates provides an offensive dimension that most defensemen cannot handle. Meanwhile Whitney’s patience and vision allow him to manipulate defensemen to find room both Gibbons and Atkinson.
Atkinson, the sophomore who the leads the Eagles with 16 goals, just has that intangible ability to score goals.
Gibbons' two points give him seven all-time in six Beanpot games (four goals and three assists. In 2008, Gibbons was named tournament MVP as the Eagles won their 14th Beanpot Championship.
“He’s just a really good player,” York said. “He was the MVP in 2008, but he continues to progress as a player. I think in any type of game that we play, he’s going to be a factor. If he’s healthy, he’s going to be a real factor like he was tonight. I thought he was terrific. His quickness and his ability to distribute the puck, that’s something you can’t teach.”
Not the same Harvard
Harvard coach Ted Donato helped the 1988-89 Crimson win the Beanpot. The Crimson went on to win the national championship with a 4-3 win over Minnesota in overtime.
Since, the Crimson managed just one Beanpot Championship. Harvard won the 1993 tournament, and have advanced to the championship game only three times.
There wasn’t much buzz on the Harvard campus surrounding the tournament. Donato cited the program’s recent struggles as the primary reason following the loss to Boston College.
“I think the atmosphere on campus is reflective of how the team is doing most of the time,” he said. “We haven’t had a great season record-wise. We’ve certainly built some positive momentum over the last month. This is a tough pill to swallow, but we’re trying to get back to the point where we come into the Beanpot with a real strong record and have a chance to win.”
With the loss, Harvard fell to 5-12-3 for the season, and the Crimson have finished under .500 in two of the last three seasons.
Parker wants parity
BU coach Jack Parker doesn’t mind winning Beanpot Championships. However, the coach who won three Beanpot titles while playing for the Terriers and 21 since taking the program over in 1973 believes that Northeastern and Harvard must contend for the title for the tournament’s long-term success.
Harvard’s championship drought reached 17 years following its loss to Boston College. Northeastern, however, currently has the longest winless drought; NU last won the Beanpot in 1988.
“The Beanpot is losing its luster a little bit if it’s constantly going to be BU and BC,” Parker said. “We dodged a bullet tonight. These teams are real good hockey programs – Harvard and Northeastern – and people are going to get tired of [BU and BC].”
To wit: BU has played in 42 of the last 47 Beanpot Championship games.
Notes: BC goaltender Chris Venti made his second consecutive appearance in relief of goaltender John Muse in a Beanpot Semifinal. The Needham, Mass., native entered the game with 2:34 remaining in regulation. The two Beanpot appearances are the only games the sophomore has ever appeared in … Between the two games, Boston College forward Bob Sweeney, Northeastern goaltender Tim Marshall and Harvard administrator Fran Toland were inducted into the Beanpot Hall of Fame.
BobFeb 2 2010, 11:00 am
Glad to see Jack Parker's thought's on the Beanpot losing its luster . Not only is there a lack of parity there is also overexposure as these teams wind up playing against each other too many times over the season making the Beanpot meaningless in reality
MAAAHTYFeb 5 2010, 9:04 pm
I could not disagree more vehemently about the Beanpot. IT IS MORE RELEVANT THAN EVER as the last two seasons it has been the earilest indicator of who would win the Frozen Four... Boston College as a team has almost as much team speed as did the spectacular USA World Juniors Champions, and Chris Kreieder entered that tourney as a duckling still in need of coddling and care and emerged on the other side as a sniper the likes of which BC has not had with all of its smurfs despite their success in recent years. Yes, Boyle had a rocket, but it came at the expense of his speed. Meanwhile, Gibbons, Smith, Alameda, Kreider, and others LOOK just as fast as D'Amigo, Kristo, Johnson, Stepan, Schroeder and the other forwards on Team USA. And Ryan Bourque, allegedly the less talented of the two brothers, made what could have been the play of the tournament when he blocked a shot without going down so he could skate away with puck in stride, and as there were about to be maybe four guys all...
MAAAHTYFeb 5 2010, 9:16 pm
Ready to convene on the puck all approaching from equal distances, it was Bourque - a 91 birthday - who dove to poke the puck ahead to himself, almost Gretzky-esque, and he was back on his blades going hard towards the goal with Rocker slapper Carlson ... Bourque patiently awaited for the defenseman to commit to him, made a tape to tape pass to Carlson, who had it timed so well he generated 100 plus MPH on his game winner that never was more than 3 inches off of the ice yet it also curved away from the goalie, & Carlson got the well-deserved accolades BUT Bourque & his energy line made it possible. What does this have to do with the Beanpot. Because it could easily be argued that Kreider was the MVP of Team USA, or at the very least was 1st team in terms of scoring, and his Comm Ave rival from three miles away who was the most consistent defenseman in the tourney for the USA was THE steadying force. & why, with a team full of WCHA & WHL jrs, were Warso & Kreider VITAL COGS, cuz of
MAAAHTYFeb 5 2010, 9:26 pm
,,,the pressure cooker experience that a teenager CAN ONLY GET, unless he is so gifted a la Jonathan Toews that he will play important minutes in a run for the Stanley Cup, I am hear to profer that, while winning AHL and Junior Championships are nice, with all but less than a handful of GRETZKY-esque talented teens can get while teenagers, I am here to tell you that the three biggest things that an elite North American 18 or 19 year old can play for with the NHL now a part of the Olympics are, in order of importance, a) THE WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPHIONSHIPS (far more thrilling than the Olympics as it is truly the future stars of the NHL playing for the love of country alone) and if any of you have the time or the opportunity to go to the IIHF U20 World Juniors in Buffalo in December of 2010, b) The NCAA sixteen team tournament with only seven teams with automatic bids, thus leaving only nnie for AT LARGE bids, and the winner of each regional moves on to the Frozen Four (if you wanna see how
MAAAHTYFeb 5 2010, 9:30 pm
success in the Frozen Four pays off, just look at the rookie seasons that some of the role players from BU from last season like Brandon Yip are having in the NHL), and c) The Beanpot tournament ... I don't care that some insist it is a regional tourney, it is known throughout North America, and winning the Beanpot is a way to get the underclassmen to start to realize they can no longer play like underclassmen if the team: whether BC or BU (or even Northeastern of late), and though Harvard is down it is no coincidence that 3 of the 4 Beanpot participants are coached by ex-players from the schools.
MAAAHTYFeb 5 2010, 9:33 pm
success in the Frozen Four pays off, just look at the rookie seasons that some of the role players from BU from last season like Brandon Yip are having in the NHL), and c) The Beanpot tournament ... I don't care that some insist it is a regional tourney, it is known throughout North America, and winning the Beanpot is a way to get the underclassmen to start to realize they can no longer play like underclassmen if the team: whether BC or BU (or even Northeastern of late), and though Harvard is down it is no coincidence that 3 of the 4 Beanpot participants are coached by ex-players from the schools. I have spoken with many players including Chris Drury and some BC soon to be Hall of Famers in the NHL, and most still tell me that the Beanpot is the most memorable experience of their amateur hockey years. The pageantry, the rivalry, the respect, the level of play, the number of guys in the Beanpot Hall of Fame who have had storied NHL careers. THERE IS SIMPLY NOTHING LIKE IT!!
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