There is arguably no bigger college sporting event in Boston than the Beanpot. The Beanpot is the annual two-day hockey tournament that takes place over two Mondays in February. The annual clash involves fellow Boston area schools Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern, and Harvard, always in front of a packed house at the TD Garden. Covering the Beanpot was a unique experience, something completely different than watching on TV. As part of the media, the Garden treated us as kings. Among our many amenities was a free buffet, including popcorn and soda, and any press materials we desired.
BU took on BC in the semifinals. BC came in ranked #1 in the nation while BU came ranked 14th. The Eagles came in as defending champions after scoring a 4-3 defeat over the Terriers in the final of last year’s tourney. The Eagles are on fire with a 19-6-0 record and a star in Cam Arkinson, who had 20 goals in 25 games. BU sported a solid record of 13-7-7 but has had a huge advantage over BC in the Beanpot with a 27-12 advantage.
It was obviously a BC crowd. Every BU player announced heard their name appended with a certain expletive raining down from the balcony, one that starts with “S” and rhymes with “bucks”. BC, on the other hand, enjoyed rousing screams and cheers during their player introductions. This was a much different animal that I personally have ever covered in the sports world; truly a sight to see with thousands of college kids all cheering on their respective teams. It is obvious that the BU and BC fans had an extensive knowledge of the game, however.
The game itself was an intense thriller, with BC jumping out to a quick 1-0 lead before the Terriers came roaring back to take the lead 2-1. The Eagles tied the game in the third period and won in overtime on a goal scored by Tommy Cross. After the game Cross said “It feels really good, just for our team and it is such a huge win. I am so glad. I just put the puck on net. It was a great screen.”
The arena erupted when Cross scored, plunging the Eagles into a finals matchup against the Northeastern Huskies on Valentines day. Although the two teams are not historical rivals like BC and BU, the game was more physical and penalty laden than the match-up the week before. Some vicious hits by both sides led to roughing and boarding penalties. There were 11 penalties called in the first period, a sign of toughness and maybe too much adrenaline. BC led first; but NU, similar to BU the week before, scored two late first period goals. It seemed as though making the finals energized Northeastern’s student section, whose numbers seemingly doubled from their semifinal victory over Harvard. NU brought some creative chants that rivaled BC’s stellar and well-known arsenal. The game had such high levels of energy, coupled with the possibility of a number 1 team being upset, that even the press level was loud and boisterous at points. BC went on to grab a wild, 7-6 win in overtime to win their third Beanpot in four years. NU’s drought of winning a Beanpot will now increase to 23.