Is BC the team to beat in the Beanpot?

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's an interesting year for the Beanpot this year.

The two powerhouse teams in last year's edition of one of hockey's greatest traditions are mere shadows of their former selves at this point in the season, while a disappointment from last year is surging. And oh, yeah. Harvard's in it, too.

Around this time last year, Boston College was suffering from the good old championship hangover and was plummeting its way down the rankings on its way to its first sub-20 win season since the 2001-02 campaign while Boston University and Northeastern were sitting pretty at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. And Harvard? Well, Harvard was struggling. As expected, BU and Northeastern ended up in the championship game, which the Terriers dominated on their way to yet another Beanpot title.

This season, it's the Eagles that are flying high, while the Terriers and Hustkies have been sniffing in the dirt. And Harvard? Well, Harvard's struggling.

BC is currently the only ranked team in this tournament at 14th. For the record, despite playing incredibly better than the 08-09 Eagles did at any point last season, this year's team is three spots lower in the polls than the year before at this point in the season. They are 13-8-2 overall and their 22 points (10-6-2) are second in Hockey East. They were playing some of the conference's best hockey and sported a seven-game unbeaten streak heading into the holiday break.

BU has suffered the same illness this season that BC did the season before, toiling through a year that has seen them go from the top-ranked team in the nation to a team struggling to get above .500. Northeastern lost Brad Theissen to the NHL and they became an afterthought in the league almost immediately. Harvard has less wins this year than they did last year heading into the tournament.

But does this necessarily mean that the Eagles are destined to win the Beanpot? BC probably wishes the break never happened because since the hiatus, the Eagles have not been the same team, going 3-5-0. Two of those losses? You guessed it. At the hands of BU.

But before you can even look forward to whether or not the Eagles will face the Terriers in the championship game you have to remember Harvard. Granted, people are lauding Harvard for going 3-3-1 since the break and that's not exactly stellar by any means, but you also have to remember that this is most likely the biggest thing the Crimson are going to play for this year and they have a habit of getting up for these games. Two years ago they knocked off Northeastern in the first round and nearly beat both BU and BC last season.

The odds seem stacked in BC's favor. Both the Terriers and the Huntington Hounds relied heavily on their goaltending last year and had success. This year, neither team has that luxury. Theissen is long gone for Northeastern and Keiran Millan might as well be for the Terriers. Bottom line is while the Beanpot is always up for grabs, Boston College has the most complete team on the ice. The Eagles have one of the top scoring offenses in Hockey East, along with a top-notch defense and a steadily improving/healing goaltender between the pipes, which has produced the second-best totals in scoring defense in the league. But for whatever reason, whether it be style of play, a psychological block on the part of the Eagles or something else, the Terriers have had Boston College's number. If they can get out of the semifinals with a win, expect another great chapter in the story of the Battle of Comm. Ave.

Prediction:
Semifinals
Boston College 4, Harvard 1
Boston University 5, Northeastern 2
Finals
Boston College 4, Boston University 3 OT