Beanpot Recap: BU Tops Harvard 4-3

I'll be the first to admit that Boston University stole this game. They were down 2-0 about a minute into the second period. BU was playing sloppy hockey. I don't know if it was nerves or the fact that maybe they got a big head with their new number one ranking. Whatever it was, it was not pretty. The Terriers still controlled the puck most of the time, but they had little chances. Crimson goalie Matt Hoyle was awesome tonight. He had three or four huge saves for Harvard.

BU looked a little better after they tied it up. They went ahead at the start of the third period, but found themselves tied up again when Harvard scored with about five minutes left to go. Jimmy Fraser took a penalty with 2:10 left to go in the third period and cost his team the game as BU scored a power play goal.

There was some rumblings as the period ended because Crimson forward Alex Biega shot the puck into the net CLEARLY after the final horn sounded. Nevertheless he continued to celebrate which prompted them to review the goal. Naturally, it wasn't a goal. It actually went in about a second after the horn.

BU definitely got away with that one. They will absolutely need to step up next Monday if they want to win this thing.

Here are some pictures I took during the game. Once again, they're from my phone -- and the very last row of the Garden -- so the quality could be better:

Warm-ups.


A shot after BU went up 3-2.


The BU student section. It's huge. I didn't even see a section for Harvard. Northeastern's was getting pretty big, but it didn't come close to matching BU's.

One word: BEANPOT.

Each year, the first two Mondays in February feature two of the best nights of college hockey all season. The Beanpot tournament is here once again ladies and gents. For those of you who don't know much about the tourney, the four Boston-area teams (Harvard, BU, BC and Northeastern) go head-to-head. To some of these guys, winning the Beanpot is even bigger than winning an NCAA championship. As a fan it sometimes feels that way too. Each team brings their very best hockey. It just feels special.

This year everyone is hoping for a BU vs. Northeastern final -- the number one and three teams in the nation respectively. That game would be unreal; the teams haven't met since November 16 where BU won 3-0. Things have changed a bit since then, and Northeastern has been on fire. But let's not get ahead of ourselves -- first BU has to beat Harvard (who can be sneaky from time to time) and NU has to get past BC. I would make predictions, but I'm also superstitious -- a.k.a I don't want to jinx anything. And in a tournament like this -- anything can happen. We all know who I'll be rooting for.

Game time is at 5 p.m. with BU facing off against Harvard. BC and Northeastern will play immediately following that game. NESN and Rogers Sportsnet will broadcast it on TV. I highly, HIGHLY recommend checking it out.