Six Degrees Of Domination

BOSTON — A brief glance at the box score from Monday night's men's hockey match-up in the Beanpot between No. 14 Boston College and Harvard probably provided little excitement for most Eagle fans. A 6-0 victory over a 5-12-3 team for a squad of BC's caliber is seemingly nothing spectacular, and the Eagles made their way to the Beanpot Finals yet again – for the 29th time to be exact.

But BC didn't just beat some pushover team. Although Harvard's overall record seems abysmal, lately the Crimson has stepped up its play, and entered the tourney on a 3-1-1 tear over its last five games. The Eagles, meanwhile, who had won 10 games before winter break, found themselves in the midst of a 3-5 January skid.

BC was heavily favored, but away from the cozy confines of Kelley Rink and under the national spotlight of the TD Garden, where just one year ago BC was mauled, 6-1, by Northeastern in the opening round, this game was more difficult than many perceived it to be.

"Standings don't really matter when you get to these games," said BC captain Matt Price. "When you get to this Beanpot, everyone plays hard. You know it's going to be a battle for all 60 minutes. All the teams know that."

For this game, looking at such basic statistics as score and record is not enough. The Eagles devoured the Crimson and provided perhaps their most complete performance of the year by utilizing their speed, spectacular goaltending, and good special teams to frustrate Harvard to the point of insanity.

In the late first period, when the game was still a 1-0 contest, Harvard's offensive attack consistently carried the puck into its zone and fired shots toward the net. BC goaltender John Muse made a few sprawling saves though, and was able to effectively clear rebound opportunities out of the crease to hold off Harvard's lone shooting frenzy. He finished the game with the shutout, the first one in the Beanpot for an Eagle since 2002.
"I think Johnny Muse was very good in goal," said BC head coach Jerry York. "He made some good saves around the net area. He battled a lot better tonight in loose puck situations."

Muse didn't have to worry about the lead too much longer, though. Eighteen seconds into the second frame, Price took a pass from Carl Sneep, skated around Harvard defenseman Chris Huxley, and scorched a wrister past Crimson goaltender Kyle Richter.
Then, at 8:43, after Richter slid and fell to his right attempting to save a Steven Whitney drive to the crease, the puck got by a few Harvard blue-liners, and Pat Mullane was there to put it in on what was essentially a wide-open net.

The second period featured 16 shots on Richter registered by the BC attack, and on the two goals by the Eagles, there were hardly any Crimson jerseys near the source of the shooter. This lamentable effort by Harvard, although partially due to poor decisions by the defensemen, was definitely correlated to BC's speed and ability to move the puck around quickly and efficiently. Multiple players assisted on five of the six Eagle scores.
"I think we are quick as a group of players, and we play a very up-tempo game," York said. "But we are only as quick as the puck moves. I thought we moved the puck very well tonight and had quick tempo to our game."

Near the end of the match, Harvard's frustration at BC's dominance showed. The Crimson got dirty and managed to commit nine penalties for a total of 34 minutes in the third period alone, including two 10-minute misconducts. The Eagles received six power-play opportunities as a result, and their special teams converted.

On a five-on-three advantage, Joe Whitney somewhat whiffed a slapshot that trickled its way into the crease, but Cam Atkinson grabbed the puck and threw a neat no-look pass toward the net, where Brian Gibbons connected at 13:05.

Just a minute later, still with a man advantage, Sneep ripped a one-timer from the left side of the ice off a pass from Edwin Shea that sneaked past an unsuspecting Richter.
"When you give a team like that 12 power plays, I don't like anyone's chances," said Harvard coach Ted Donato.

While Harvard hockey this year has not provided much to talk about, if BC continues to play the exceptional way in which it did Monday, it could turn a faulty month into the major turning point of the season.

Then this game will look like more than just a box score.