By Dan McLoone, News Staff
Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing. This Vince Lombardi line is one of the most frequently quoted phrases in sports, and nowhere does it hold truer than in the Beanpot. Boston’s four-team hockey tournament makes for the ultimate fight for bragging rights. And nothing is more important to these teams than being the best in their city.
Both the men’s and women’s hockey teams from Northeastern go into their respective championship games against Boston College looking to prove a different point. For the men, they want to validate their early success with a win over the defending champs. For the women, they want to defend their title and prove that they are still the superior team in Boston.
The Northeastern men come into this year’s Beanpot looking to win their first title since 1988, when current head coach Jim Madigan was an assistant coach. The team has been knocking on the door for the better part of the last ten years, including losing in the championship game in three out of the last four tournaments, but it just hasn’t been able to take that final step.
After convincingly beating Harvard 6-0 in Monday’s early semifinal, Northeastern advanced to the Beanpot final. Later that night, Boston College joined them with their 3-1 victory over Boston University. This is the third Northeastern vs. Boston College Beanpot final in the last four years, and despite the incredible run that the Eagles from BC have been on, Northeastern should be confident that they can skate away with a victory.
Early in November, the men’s team visited Boston College for the Hockey East opener. The Huskies had surprised many with their early success, going 5-1-0 in nonconference play. The Eagles, meanwhile, had underperformed at 2-2-1. Many expected the Eagles to run away with the game, still not believing that Northeastern’s hot start would translate into conference play. The Huskies held their ground despite being outshot all night, giving up a late empty net goal and losing 4-2. The next day in Matthews Arena, the two teams were tied at one after two periods. The Huskies scored two quick goals to seemingly put the game away, but the Eagles came roaring back, scoring twice in the final 12 minutes and then putting away the game winner only a minute and a half into overtime.
The women’s team is looking to make a statement too, but of a completely different variety. The Huskies have the most Beanpot titles of the four teams with a record 16, including the last two. The team has struggled early, but is hoping to capitalize on a recent winning streak to knock off the women from Boston College. After winning last year’s title match over the Eagles, 4-3, the Huskies have not been successful against the other Boston squads. This year, Northeastern was 1-5-1 combined against Harvard, Boston University, and Boston College before their 4-3 semifinal victory over Harvard on Tuesday. Boston College advanced with a 4-1 win over Boston University.
As a team floating near .500 on the season, the women were not expected to even advance over No. 3 Harvard, but they showed that they will not give up their Boston supremacy so easily. Next Tuesday, the will get their fourth chance to knock off the Eagles, who they are 0-2-1 against this year. They lost 6-1 in November, and tied the second matchup 1-1 before losing 3-2 the next day. With their current six game win streak, the Huskies are feeling good about their title defense.
So that leaves us here today, looking two more Northeastern and Boston College matchups. The men would love nothing more than to validate the two earlier games where they played the Eagles down to the wire, only this time coming away with a victory. The women would love nothing more than to prove they are still the elite team in this city with a win over a team they haven’t figured out yet this year. When it comes down to it, this Beanpot means more to Northeastern than it does to Boston College in both matchups.
Boston College’s men have won the past four tournaments, meaning the only players on the team who haven’t experienced Boston supremacy are the freshmen. Northeastern, on the other hand, is playing for the renewed pride of a team that has been an afterthought in terms of Boston bragging rights for well over two decades. Until they can validate their great season with a Beanpot title, the Huskies will be considered the third best team in a city that lives for hockey, no matter what their record.
Boston College’s women would love to unseat the Huskies at the top, but this is a much more important win for the Northeastern team. A win on Tuesday would prove that the early struggles were an aberration, and that the Huskies are still the best team in Boston.
The storylines are set. The plots are interesting. Nothing would please both teams more than a chance to make up for their earlier losses against Boston College with a win. Both Northeastern teams have grown a lot and are much different than the earlier results suggest. Don’t expect them to make the same mistakes again. Make no mistake, the Huskies are thrilled to have another shot at Boston College. And who knows? Maybe the third and fourth times really are a charm.
–Dan McLoone can be reached at [email protected]
