Point/Counterpoint: Will Boston College Win The Beanpot Again?

On the heels of the Super Bowl, Boston sports fans will attempt to shake off their football-induced hangovers and take in the premier event of the city's winter sports schedule, the Beanpot. In last year's edition of the tournament, the Boston College men's hockey team won a pair of thrillers against rivals Boston University and Northeastern to bring home the trophy. This year, the reigning Beanpot Champions will find that defending their title against a hungry field will be a tall task, starting tonight.

After beginning the season on a roll, Jerry York's squad has been relatively inconsistent for the last month or so. What started out looking like a routine march to another Hockey East title for the Eagles has turned into a heated race for the top spot. Since December, this hockey team has played .500 puck and relinquished their once-solid lead in the league standings.

What is somewhat troubling is the penchant for BC to play to their level of competition. Look no further than their last four games for evidence of this dangerous tendency. The Eagles dropped both games at Maine, losing the first in overtime and giving up seven goals in a sloppy second game effort. Returning to Kelley Rink, they narrowly avoided a third straight loss, needing a late third period comeback against a weak New Hampshire team. The next night, they traveled to New Hampshire and needed overtime to pull that one out. It may just be a case of a young team demonstrating its immaturity as the season drags on, or it could be a typical cold streak that happens as a team weathers the doldrums of a long season. Whatever the case may be, the Eagles are not playing their best hockey heading into the biggest two-week period of the year.

Awaiting BC in the semi-final are the Northeastern Huskies, the team the Eagles defeated in last year's Beanpot final. So far this season, NU has had some difficulty picking up wins and currently sits in seventh place. However, this is not a team that should be taken lightly, especially not by the Eagles. It seems that every game between BC and Northeastern is a nail-biter that is decided late in the third period or overtime. In three games this season, the Eagles have come away victorious each time, but only by one goal in each game, even needing an overtime period in the first meeting of the year. Something about this matchup brings out the best in the Huskies, as they fight tooth and nail with the Eagles and match their physicality and hustle every step of the way.

If the Eagles do get by Northeastern, we all know who will be waiting for them in the championship game. Sure, there is no guarantee that the first-place Terriers will take care of business against Harvard, but it is hard to imagine BU not putting forward its best effort in the Beanpot, especially following last year's first round defeat at the hands of the Eagles. You can be sure they will have revenge on their minds, and they couldn't have asked for a better matchup for themselves or for their Comm. Ave. rivals. If the Terriers are to face the Eagles in the final, they can be sure their opponent will have invested a good deal of emotional and physical energy to overcome a tough Northeastern club, leaving BC vulnerable as the Terriers attempt to enact their revenge.

In the season series, the Terriers hold a two-games-to-one advantage, both wins coming at Kelley Rink. In both wins, BU took advantage of its strong special teams play, converting on four of their nine power play opportunities while holding BC to only two successful power plays in 19 chances. In fact, in all three games this season between the two clubs, the Eagles are an anemic two for 25 on the power play.

While this is a battle-tested group with strong leaders in the coaching staff, as well as at captain, BC should not go into this thing expecting a first place finish without a real dogfight. The Eagles will have to shake their recent woes and match the intensity of their hyped-up opponents. Should BC get by the always-tough Huskies in the semi-final, BU will likely be waiting for them in the final, looking for a little revenge for last year's heart-wrenching defeat. The Eagles always have a shot, but this year things are just not falling their way.