Disappointing end to Beanpot

The BC Men lost their Beanpot Opener last week and I didn't even mention it. Excuses, excuses...young team, Beanpot means nothing...we've heard it all before. I was ready to move on to something else. But then they went and lost the 3rd place game to Harvard in OT.  Now a forgettable Beanpot becomes one you want to forget. They can start putting this behind them Thursday against UMass.

The good news is that the BC Women are playing for their Beanpot Tuesday night against BU. It will be at home and BC's chance to make it three out of the last four Beanpots.

Hockey struggles continue

BC finished lasts in the Beanpot. Let that sink in for a minute. BC is a bit at the stage where nothing can go their way. The loss to Northeastern was somewhat controversial. Cotton scored what should have been the go ahead goal late in the third, but it was called off. Following that decision, Northeastern answered to take the lead and then added one more empty net goal in the final seconds.

This was the first time that BC finished last in the Beanpot under Jerry York. Traditionally the team used this little series as the starting point for another championship run. Now York has to use a different tactic. The team has lost three straight. Some of it has been bad luck, but the team also needs more scoring. 

The team takes the ice again Friday against Vermont. I trust York will have them ready.

BC bounced from Beanpot

The team came in hot, but it didn't matter once they dropped the puck. The Terriers dominated throughout and went on to a 3-1 victory.

BU controlled early and got the first goal. Meanwhile, BC couldn't muster much offense at all in the first period. It wasn't a huge surprise as BU also won the season's previous matchups. They have more top level talent right now and a little more depth. The hope was that BC would start coming together right about now.

With the loss, BC has to regroup and take on Merrimack Friday and then the Beanpot consultation game against Northeastern on Monday.

Academic honors and other links

The ACC named Jon Baker, Truman Gutapfel and Kevin Kavalec to its All Academic team. They all deserve congratulations. What's comforting is that regardless of the season and regardless of the coach, BC continues to place students on these sorts of lists and teams. It speaks to BC's academic structure and the type of kids we recruit.

The BC Women's Hockey team waltzed to another Beanpot Championship Tuesday night.

Hockey East suspended Miles Wood one game for elbowing BU's Ahti Oksanen during Monday's Beanpot Championship. Wood was given two minutes at the time, but the league viewed the game tape after and felt the penalty deserved more punishment.

BC brings back the Beanpot!

Alex Tuch's overtime winner (below) gave BC its 20th Beanpot. OT can go in such crazy directions, I am just glad BC wrapped it up in the extra time. Let's hope this serves as another one of York's springboards to bigger hardware.

OT Winner https://t.co/oZE9iTGZFa

— John Buccigross (@Buccigross) February 9, 2016

BC wins Beanpot Opener

Given that this was the best Harvard team BC has faced in a Beanpot Opener, getting a win is a major positive. Throw in a BC comeback and winning with a very thin list of Goalie, a 3-2 victory feels good.

Casey Fitzgerald started off the scoring. Sanford tied it up and then White scored BC's go ahead goal. Demko saved 21 shots.

BC will face the winner of Northeastern and BU for the Championship next Monday.

Hockey get crucial win in Beanpot Consolation game

Normally I don't care about the Beanpot Consolation/3rd place game. If we don't win the whole thing, most BC fans rationalize the Beanpot as an unimportant non-league tournament. Monday night BC finally wrapped up its delayed 2015 Beanpot with a OT win over Harvard. And it was a win BC had to have. This team is very bubbly and needed another W with regards to ranking and resume. Now the must-win games shift to the series against Notre Dame. We always want to beat the Irish, but this year the team needs the wins to help keep the post-season thoughts alive.

Hockey loses Beanpot opener

Even as the team struggled early in the season, I always expected the guys to come together for the Beanpot. Boston's annual tournament is when York teams kick it into high gear. Well that won't happy this year as Northeastern knocked BC out of the Beanpot Final. It will be the first time in six years BC won't play for the championship.

BC will play Harvard in the consolation game Monday. If they make a run this year, it will be without the Beanpot title.

Beanpot postponed and other links

The Beanpot will have to wait one day, as the organizers have pushed the Semis to Tuesday. The weather related delay won't impact the Women's Beanpot, which will also start Tuesday.

Huge recruiting news over the weekend as Addazio flipped the Connecticut Player of the Year Zach Allen to BC. Allen previously verballed to Northwestern. He fills a huge position of need on the Defensive Line and continues BC's progress in Connecticut.

The Maxwell Club named newly arrived Eagle Elijah Robinson the New Jersey Player of the Year.

That's five in a row (but who's counting?)

The Beanpot was BU's tournament for most of its existence. Not anymore though. Monday night BC won its fifth straight Beanpot, defeated Northeastern 4-1. BC scored first, but it was a pretty even game overall. Northeastern evened it in the second period and wasn't going to let us waltz to another title. BC took the lead again late in the third and then piled up some late goals in the final minutes when the Huskies started taking chances.

Jerry York refers to this time as the start of the championship run. But I don't even know if we need to ramp up anything. The team hasn't lost since November. We could keep riding this momentum through Hockey East an onto another Frozen Four. But let's not look too far ahead.

This is a bragging rights tournament, so let's brag! We won again. Congrats to everyone on the team. For they don't even know what it is like to lose a Beanpot!

BC gets past BU in Beanpot Opener

Remember when BU used to dominate the Beanpot? It is getting hard because on Monday BC knocked the Terriers out of the tournament in a 3-1 victory. The final goal was an empty netter that wrapped up the win. BC will go for its fifth straight Beanpot title next Monday against Northeastern. The Huskies crushed Harvard 6-0.

Like so much of our hockey success, I think Beanpot success is becoming so commonplace that we risk taking it for granted. But watching Jack Parker between periods on NESN was a reminder that these runs cannot go on forever. We should cherish this time and relish that we have one of the classiest men in sports leading this program.

Four in a row! BC wins another Beanpot

(Pic via Mook Williams)

It's a regional tournament. It comes in the middle of the season. It doesn't really mean much. Yet winning the Beanpot never gets old. Tonight's victory was our fourth in a row.

We broke things open in the second period. Gaudreau scored twice and Milner had 20 saves. The team resumes its normal schedule on Friday against Merrimack. Will this be the spark to another championship run? In past seasons BC has broken out of doldrums after the Beanpot. We have enough talent and the right guy behind the bench. After all York has been through this year, it would be nice to end the season with another trophy.

Beanpot Championship Game Watches

Tired of shoveling? Or maybe you live somewhere warm and saw all that snow dump on New England and longed for a touch of Boston. Either way, joining up with your fellow Eagles to watch the Beanpot is a great idea. If your local Chapter is having an event and it is not listed, post it below or email me.


Atlanta Game Watch 
Taco Mac
The Prado, Roswell Rd
Atlanta, GA

Dallas Game Watch
Christies Sports Bar
2811 Mckinney Ave Ste 22
Dallas, TX 75204 

Fairfield County, CT Game Watch 
Tavern on 7
611 Main Ave
Norwalk, CT 06851 

New York City Game Watch
Bounce Sporting Club
55 W 21st St
Manhattan

Philadelphia Game Watch
Fox & Hound
1501 Spruce Street
Center City
($5 validated parking available)

Washington, D.C. Game Watch
Irish Whiskey Public House
1207 19th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20036

Seattle Game Watch
Buckley's in Belltown
2331 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA 98121

BC wins Beanpot opener

After a tight first period, BC scored to go up 1-0 going into the first break. From there we controlled defeating Harvard 4-1. BC will now face...NORTHEASTERN in the Finals next Monday. Yes, you read that correctly, BU lost in the first game. Too bad. 

I wanted to note that the students really came through tonight. It was referenced on twitter, but you could see and hear it on the NESN feed. They were loud and ready to cheer. Let's keep it going next week in the Finals.

Beanpot Game Watches UPDATED

Since football didn't inspire much passion last season and the basketball team doesn't seem poised for a postseason run, the hockey team might be the only reason for BC fans around the country to gather for a while. With the Beanpot kicking off tonight, some Alumni Chapters are hosting Game Watches. If your chapter is and it is not listed, email me or post in the comments.

Atlanta Game Watch
Taco Mac
The Prado, Roswell Rd
Atlanta, GA

Fairfield County, CT Game Watch
Tavern on 7
611 Main Ave
Norwalk, CT 06851

New York City Game Watch
The Royal NYC
127 4th Ave
Manhattan

Washington, D.C. Game Watch 
Irish Whiskey Public House
1207 19th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20036

Seattle Game Watch 
Buckley's in Belltown
2331 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA 98121

Buzzer beater at Beanpot

Photo from the Heights's Twitter.

When things are going well you only need a few seconds to score. BC waited until the final six seconds of OT to beat BU and wrap up their third straight Beanpot.

BC has used the Beanpot as a springboard in the past. Let's hope they do again this year.

BC wins Beanpot opener and will face BU again

BC smashed Northeastern 7-1 in the first night of the Beanpot. This leaves BC to play BU once again next Monday. With that many goals, there were plenty of highlights including two-short handed goals.

As a reminder next Monday's game doesn't mean anything if BU wins but will be a nice springboard for us if we win another Championship!

I didn't forget the Beanpot and other links

The Beanpot starts tonight. BC is in the late game against Northeastern. I apologize for the lack of a preview, but I haven't been able to watch much BC hockey lately. The Heights put up a good piece. If you have some sort of sports package you can watch the game on NESN.

Women's basketball lost to Wake Forest. They remain winless in conference but still have a few winnable games left on their schedule.

Donnie Fletcher answered some questions for this NFL Draft blog. He attributes much of his success to BC.

ESPN didn't think much of BC's recruiting efforts this year.

I'm glad BC wrote this article on Steele Divitto. If the Globe won't write it, BC might as well promote it on their own site. You also have to be impressed with Steele's maturity.

Beanpot Champs again!

Forget the BU Invitational. BC is once again the Champion of Boston. Credit to Northeastern for giving us all we could handle. The Huskies kept fighting back from our early leads and went ahead in the 3rd. We answered, took the lead and then allowed them to tie and force OT. Jimmy Hayes sealed the deal with his game-winning goal six minutes into OT.

This is BC's 16th Beanpot and our third in four years. In the past winning the Beanpot has been a springboard to big things ahead. Let's hope it brings us luck again this year. Next step: Hockey East Champions!

Track record and other links

I usually neglect BC track, so I felt it was worth mentioning that Caroline King broke the school record for the mile. It was the second-fastest mile in the nation this indoor track season.

The Hockey team shutout Providence 3-0. They seem ready for Monday's big game.

Although he's has good things to say about BC, recruit Casey Cochran is visiting Notre Dame.

Since ESPN dropped Conference USA, UCF and their brethren are on regional Fox sports channels. That actually increases the odds of our game with the Knights getting on TV. The Fox channels will probably jump at the chance to get a big market team on their networks.

Chris Herren now talks to high school students about drugs and alcohol. He also has a book about his experiences coming out this May. I hope this recovery takes.