Three miles of arcing trolley tracks along Commonwealth Avenue connect Boston University and Boston College. In concert with that geography are decades of sparks and on-ice fireworks, keeping the rivalry red-hot, and the annual Beanpot Tournament the best regular-season event in college hockey.
Only the Great Lakes Invitational at "The Joe" each December can hold a candle to the 'Pot, played the first two Mondays each February since 1952.
This Monday night, the first faceoff of the 54th Beanpot final takes place at the sold-out TD Banknorth Garden between two coaches who skated against each other in the '60s at respective alma maters, and sit at No. 3 (Jerry York) and No. 4 (Jack Parker) in career wins. Between two teams that have met 18 times in the Beanpot Final; five of the last six and the past three. Between two teams ranked in the top 10. And between two goalies atop the nation's very best.
History favors the Terriers with 26 Beanpot championships; the Eagles are seeking a 14th title. Last Monday, BC topped the Northeastern Huskies, 5-2, in semifinal play; BU survived a spirited Harvard comeback, 5-3.
Two weeks ago, the Terriers came back from a 2-0 deficit at BC for a 4-3 win in a Beanpot tune-up. BU is 25-10 in Beanpot play versus BC. The teams have met 231 times overall; a BC Beanpot win would be their 100th of the rivalry.
With a historic goalie duel between BU's John Curry and BC's Cory Schneider in the making, and the annual flavor of a local national championship game, here's a look inside the key stats, facts and impacts as Parker and York prepare their boys for another round of Beanpot history.
Boston College Eagles
Current record and national ranking: 18-6-2 (15-4-1 Hockey East); Ranked No.4 in most polls; first in Hockey East.
Beanpot record: 13 championships, 2nd 13 times, 3rd 21 times, 4th 6 times
Last Beanpot championship: 2004 over BU in OT, 2-1
Coach's profile and Beanpot history comments: Jerry York coaches his 12th Beanpot Monday night. "This is all hockey all of the time. It's Beanpot time. It's a unique experience and I hope we all stay in that presence and enjoy it for what it is. Stephen Gionta is one of our captains, and it's my eighth year of coaching a Gionta; I just heard Brian has a new son. Hopefully I can stay long enough for Brian's son to come up."
Impact players: "No question, (he's our go-to player)," said York about his stellar pipe-dweller Schneider. "He's one of the top goalies to ever play here. And (senior captain) Peter Harrold is having a remarkable year; and this year stepped up to become an elite (defenseman)." Add the league's leading scorer Chris Collins, and junior Brian Boyle to that list.
Keys to a BC win: Schneider on top of his game. Keep nine freshmen and eight sophomores from allowing the aura of a Stanley-Cup environment to throw them off York's game plan. Give Harrold support on the blue line. Get big-game leadership and play from seniors Collins and Gionta, ditto from Boyle and underclassmen Dan Bertram and Ben Ferriero.
Boston University Terriers
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John Curry has not lost in the New Year (9-0), and brings a 2.28 GAA into next week's game.
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Current record and national ranking: 16-8-2 (13-6-1 Hockey East); Ranked No. 6 in most polls; second in Hockey East - four points behind Boston College.
Beanpot record: 26 championships, 2nd 18 times, 3rd 6 times, 4th 3 times
Last Beanpot championship: 2005 over Northeastern in OT, 3-2.
Coach's profile and Beanpot history comments: Jack Parker coaches his 32nd Beanpot; he was captain his senior year. "The only goal I got in the Beanpot was the final game against Harvard my senior year. I was excited for me and my line mates. This is like Groundhog Day to me. I've been involved in Beanpots for a long time. It's exciting because it's different people. You want your freshmen to enjoy their first Beanpot and you want your seniors to have a memorable one."
Impact players: "We've got great goaltending. He's the best goaltender in BU history as far as stats are concerned," Parker told the Boston media about his walk-on sensation. Curry has not lost in the New Year (9-0), and brings a 2.28 GAA into next week's game. "Our co-captains David Van der Gulik and Brad Zancanaro are our two best players," said Parker. Right behind are defenseman Dan Spang, and the second line of Pete MacArthur, Kenny Roche and Bryan Ewing.
Keys to a BU win: Score first. Win face-offs and reduce shots on Curry. Continue strong contributions from freshmen Brandon Yip, Jason Lawrence and Chris Higgins, whose goal in the semifinal win was ESPN highlight stuff.
On Campus Clips -- University of Denver sophomore goaltender Peter Mannino is one of 22 finalists for "Michigan's Best" award that honors the state's top sports figure from 2005. Mannino was named the 2005 Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player. He is joined on the list by, among others, Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons) and Brendan Shanahan (Detroit Red Wings). ... New Hampshire coach Dick Umile issued one-game suspensions to seven players for an unspecified violation of team rules. All seven sat out last Friday's 4-1 road loss to archrival Maine. ... Stat leaders with a month to go in the regular season: Nebraska Omaha's Scott Parse has 17-34-51 to lead all scorers; Colorado College's Brett Sterling has 22 goals; Bowling Green's Alex Foster -- 35 assists; Minnesota's Ryan Potulny -- 11 power-play goals; Boston College's Chris Collins -- four shorthanded goals; Wisconsin's Brian Elliot -- 18 wins in goal; Vermont's Joe Fallon -- six shutouts... The ECACHL took top honors with 14 points in the Commissioners' Cup play. The six Division I college hockey conferences announced a 33-game series to be played among the conferences throughout 2005-06. Each conference had representatives in 11 games. ... Miami announced that they will open the 2006-07 season and the New Goggin Ice Center by hosting the annual IceBreaker Tournament. Miami's first game next October will be against Denver, coached by former RedHawk coach George Gwozdecky.
NHL.com's Current Top 10
- Minnesota
- Miami (Ohio)
- Boston College
- Cornell
- Wisconsin
- Boston University
- Michigan
- Colorado College
- Denver
- Vermont
Bob Snow covers college hockey for NHL.com.
