BEANPOT PREVIEW

#1 Boston University faces #3 Northeastern. BU has the most Beanpots (28), Northeastern has the fewest (4). Northeastern hasn't won the title since 1988. They beat the Terriers that year. But they've lost 4 straight title games since then. They lost all 4 to BU.

These teams faced each other in November, with BU winning convincingly, 3-0. But since then, Northeastern has turned it on. NU goalie Brad Thiessen made 45 saves against BC in the opening round, and is arguably the best netminder in Hockey East.

But this is BU's tournament. BU has beaten a laundry list of good teams already this year. North Dakota, Michigan State, Denver, Northeastern, UNH, BC. I think they have more depth than the Huskies, and they'll be more poised in the big game.

BU 3, Northeastern 2.

REFS AND BROAD STREET BITCHES STEAL SOME POINTS

I try to avoid using the L word for sports as much as possible. To me, bad luck isn't hitting a post, or hitting a flyball 400 feet and into an outfielder's glove. Typically, plays that are deemed by many to be lucky are the end results of good play leading up to a fortunate happening.

But Saturday afternoon, the Flyers were lucky. They were lucky that the referees called a tight game on the Bruins and a loose game on them. They were lucky that as the most penalized team in the NHL, they received a mere 6 penalty minutes. Meanwhile, the Bruins were shorthanded 6 times.

The Flyers are pussies. It's as simple as that. They wait for an opponent's back to turn, then they get all rowdy. Face-to-face, man-to-man, they're cowards. And now, they're also divers.

Philly's first goal came during a 5 on 3. Both penalties on the Bruins were correct and indisputable. But Mark Stuart's tripping should have been a coincidental minor with Braydon Coburn (the Flyer he tripped) for diving. Coburn pirouetted like Sasha Cohen, embellishing the call. And by the rules, that's a dive, even if the player was actually tripped or hooked.

Philly's 3rd and tying goal also came on a BS power play. Chuck Kobasew was called for a ticky-tack interference penalty, and once again, the Flyers demonstrated their acting abilities. Claude Giroux convinced the refs Kobasew had molested him. Once again, instead of coincidental minors, the Bruins were shorthanded, and they let up a goal.

The Flyers also got away with numerous small infractions, the likes of which were being called on the Bruins. In a battle for the puck on the boards, Bergeron got punched in the kidneys. Matt Hunwick got hit 40 feet from the play and there was no interference call. Philly only got penalized when it was blatant.

But all the blame can't be leveled at the officials, or the Fruit Flies. The Bruins defense collapsed due to miscommunication on Glen Metropolit's goal. That score really gave Philly hope. They had been down 3-1, had pulled their goalie, and were on the road. The importance of that goal cannot be underestimated.

The Bruins had a power play to end regulation, and for 36 seconds into OT. They did next to nothing with it. They passed to the Flyers more than each other, and if not for a stunning glove save by Fernandez, Philly would have won with a shorthanded goal.

Mental lapses, miscommunication, and low percentage passes are all inexcusable. As much as the officials sucked, the Bruins can look in the mirror to see why they lost this game.

But it's hardly the end of the world. They got a point, have cushion enough to not be perfect at all times, and were quite clearly the superior team.



Byron Bitz (Cornell '07) also got his first NHL goal.

Massive game Tuesday night. Joe Thornton and the Western Conference leading Sharks come to town. And I'll be working the BC/Clemson game so I won't be able to see it live. But neither will most of you. Remember, the game is on Versus.

Way to go NHL. Way to get those fans back by putting huge games like this one on a channel hardly anyone gets, or if they do get it, they don't know what number it is.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Winslow Townson

BRUINS AND CELTICS BOTH GO TO OVERTIME... ONLY ONE OF THEM WINS

The Bruins won 4-3 in a shootout, the Celtics lost 110-109 in OT

The B's got some overdue production from their power play unit, scoring 2 goals in 5 chances with the man advantage. Chara also added his 12th with a rare (for him) even-strengthed goal.

An indicative stat in this game was that only two Bruins finished with positive ratings. Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder were both +1, while every other Bruin was even or -1.

It's not healthy to give up 2 goal leads. The Bruins can claim fatigue or complacency, but to give up a 2 goal lead to the Senators, the weakest offensive team in the NHL, is absolutely inexcusable. The Bruins made mental mistakes and unforced errors which directly led to Ottawa's scoring. They nearly didn't get 2 points or even 1 point because of it.

Thankfully, the B's are good enough to overcome their occasional lapses against weak teams. They host the Flyers Saturday afternoon.

Now on to the Celtics.

You know why basketball struggles to be one of my favorite sports? Because moments like KG's 6th foul. Derrick Fisher blatantly runs into Garnett, KG puts a hand on him, whistle blows, KG's out of the game. An obvious embellishment by Fisher and the last 270 seconds change.

And there's no retaliation for this kind of womanly, foul-seeking play. And it's so prevalent in the NBA and NCAA. It just makes basketball less desirable to watch, at least for me.

Anyway, what was Glen Davis doing with the ball and 0:17 left in overtime? I know Doc Rivers has faith in him, and he's a perfectly capable player, but with 17 seconds, a 1 point lead, and guys like Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo on the floor, I don't want Glen Davis taking 19 foot shots with 9 seconds on the shot clock.

Whatever. Lakers win a regular season game. Whoopty shit. SportsCenter will be all over Kobe like a Colorado District Attorney, but if these teams meet again, and the refs don't suck, we all know what has happened, and what will happen.

Fuck L.A.

Celtics get to vent their frustrations Friday night in New York against the Knicks.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand
AP Photo/Stephan Savoia

BRUINS SWAT FLYERS

Philadelphia was missing Mike Richards, and several other key players. The Bruins, on the other hand, were healthy and firing on all cylinders. Philadelphia didn't have much of a chance. Nevertheless, it was a close game. But as the Bruins have done all year, they wore their opponent down, then destroyed them in the 3rd.

Michael Ryder and David Krejci were the heroes in the 3rd. Ryder's puck possession and Krejci's passing made the difference in the period, capitalizing on an already strung out Philly defense.

When the Bruins signed Ryder, I was far from thrilled. I saw it as a consolation prize to the Marian Hossa sweepstakes, and not a very good one at that. How fun it is to be wrong sometimes. He scored his 19th goal of the year, and was +3 on the night, both excellent examples of how he contributes in all aspects of the game.

One thing to "worry" about is the recent lack of power play production. The Bruins haven't scored a power play goal in 4 straight games now. Then again, that was after a stretch of 6 PP goals in 18 chances.

The Bruins fly up to Canada's capital to face the lowly Senators Thursday night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr

RAY RAY WINS IT FOR CELTICS

The Philadelphia 76ers made a big mistake last night. With a 2 point lead and the clock ticking down, they left Ray Allen open at the three point line. Ray sinked the shot to give the Celtics a 100-99 win, their 12th straight victory.

Allen had 12 points in the 4th quarter. His final three pointer came thanks to Pierce's fake toward the net. Pierce had 29 points. Rajon Rondo added 20 points and 8 assists. The Celtics won without KG, who sat out with the flu.

The Celtics' magic number to clinch the Atlantic Division is now 17. But their lead in the Eastern Conference is much more tenuous. They're 1.5 games up on Cleveland, but both teams are tied in the loss column with 9 defeats.

Huge game Thursday night as Kobe Bryant and the Rapers, I mean Lakers come to town.



Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

DOGS HAVE THEIR DAY, TERRIERS AND HUSKIES BOTH TRIUMPHANT

Early in the afternoon, Boston University was promoted to the #1 ranking in the country, then they almost lost to 5-11-4 Harvard. The Crimson took a 2-0 lead. Nick Bonino spearheaded BU's rally with 2 goals in the 2nd period. The Terriers took a 3-2 lead midway through the 3rd, but Harvard equalized with a power play score.

With 1:46 left, BU's Jason Lawrence scored a power play goal to give BU the lead. Harvard pulled their goalie and threatened to tie it up again. The Crimson nearly scored a buzzer beating goal, but the puck crossed the goal-line about a second after the clock hit 0.

The #3 Northeastern Huskies followed the drama with perhaps their most convincing win of the season, a 6-1 drubbing of #12 Boston College. These teams played a close contest earlier in the year, and the 1st period looked like it would be more of the same. NU had a slim 2-1 lead, and a 9-8 advantage in shots.

The 2nd period saw a complete meltdown by the BC Eagles, specifically goalie John Muse. His misadventures in playing the puck away from the net resulted in two Northeastern goals. BC lost its composure, allowing 3 goals in the period. The game was essentially over. But BC continued to pepper Northeastern goalie Brad Thiessen. Thiessen finished with 45 saves of 46 shots.

So now BU faces Northeastern in a potential preview of a Hockey East Tournament final, and maybe even an NCAA final.

Source:
Hockey East

Photo Credit:
Boston Globe/Jim Davis

NOUS POSSÉDONS MONTRÉAL

(that's French for "we own Montreal")




Last year, the Bruins lost 10 straight to Montreal. After yesterday's 3-1 victory, they're 4-0-1 against the Canadiens, clinching the season series with 9 points out of a possible 10.

The Canadiens were wearing hideous throwback jerseys that looked more like standard prison issue than hockey sweaters. But I'll give Carey Price props for sporting dingy looking old school brown pads.

The Canadiens also honored their history of cheap shots, dives, and soccer-style hockey with their play on the ice. Thankfully, their power play is an impotent unit. The Bruins killed a 4:30 stretch of penalties in the 2nd, including extensive 5 on 3 play. Saku Koivu's embellishment helped earn one of those 5 on 3s.



It's amazing how often Tom Kostopoulos was allowed to hack at Tim Thomas's glove as he covered the puck. It's amazing that Ryan O'Byrne elbowed Chuck Kobasew in the head with 4.9 seconds left in the 3rd, and he'll only get the minor penalty for it.



There's nothing to like or respect about the Twatreal Canadiens.

But there's a great deal to love about the Bruins. Shawn Thornton started the game with a fight and wound up with the winning goal. Guys like Byron Bitz and Stephan Yelle contributed with an assist each. Zdeno Chara was +2. He's +4 against Montreal this season. Savard's empty netter was his 20th of the season. He had 15 last year.



The Bruins travel to Philadelphia Wednesday night. The Flyers are the only Eastern Conference team the Bruins haven't beaten. They're also the only Eastern Conference team the Bruins haven't played.

The Bruins have an 18 point lead over Montreal in the Northeast Division. The Bruins are the first NHL team reach the 80 point mark. And the icing on the cake, Guy Carbanneau benched Alexei Kovalev early in the 3rd period for not being a team player. God I hate Kovalev.





Sources:
ESPN.com
Winnipeg Free Press

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes

2009 BEANPOT PREVIEW

First Monday of February = Beanpot. It's that simple.

Game 1:

5:00 PM - #2 Boston University vs. Harvard

For anyone who thinks 4-11-3 Harvard is a pushover, ask last year's Northeastern team, who fell to the Crimson in the opening round. BU won't make the same mistake. The Terriers dominate, even though the scoreboard won't really reflect it. 3-1 BU win.

Game 2:

8:00 PM - #3 Northeastern vs. #11 Boston College

NU barely beat BC in a close 4-3 contest back in October. The Huskies have an impressive record at 17-5-2, and an exciting team, but they have yet to convince me. They lost 3-0 to #2 BU, lost 5-3 to #9 Princeton, lost 3-2 to #5 Minnesota, split two home games with #6 Vermont, and went 1-1-1 against #13 UNH. They're the Ohio State football team of college hockey. They beat everybody but the top teams. I think BC takes this one late, possible in OT. 4-3 Eagles.

Championship Prediction:

#2 Boston University vs. #11 Boston College

The classic battle. The Duke-UNC of hockey. The Battle of Comm Ave. The Green Line Rivalry. Of the 56 Beanpots awarded, BU has half (28), and BC has a quarter (14). BU and BC tied 1-1 in their first meeting, but the Terriers have had the edge in their other two, winning 3-1 on Chestnut Hill and 5-2 in Agganis Arena. BU has also beaten #3 Northeastern, #12 North Dakota, #8 Michigan, and #13 UNH (twice). BU 4, BC 2.

Sources:

Hockey East
FoxLocks.com