BC Beats BU 3-2 In Overtime Of Beanpot Championship
BOSTON (AP) — Bill Arnold scored with 6.4 seconds left in the first overtime to lead No. 3 Boston College to a 3-2 victory over No. 2 Boston University in the Beanpot on Monday night and give the Eagles the area's college hockey bragging rights for the third consecutive year.
It was the fourth straight time BC (19-10-1) has beaten its Commonwealth Avenue rival in the tournament.
Pat Mullane and Chris Kreider also scored for the Eagles, and Parker Milner stopped 32 shots.
Garrett Noonan scored twice and Kieran Millan made 44 saves for BU (17-10-1).
Luke Greiner scored a short-handed goal in the third period and Steve Michalek stopped 24 shots and Harvard beat Northeastern 3-2 in the consolation game earlier Monday.
BC led 1-0 and 2-1, but both times Noonan tied it — the second during a 5-on-3 advantage in the third period. The teams played a spirited overtime and seemed headed for another when Arnold wristed it over Millan's glove for the game-winner.
BC Celebrates Their Beanpot Win
Arnold skated toward the center of the ice and flopped onto his belly. He was soon covered by BC teammates who came swarming over the boards to celebrate a feat no other Eagles team had accomplished since 1963-65.
It was BC's 17th Beanpot title in all — still short of the 29 that BU has won as it came to dominate the tournament. The Terriers are still 27-14 against BC in the Beanpot, including 12-9 in the title game.
BU had not gone three years without winning the Beanpot since 1983-85.
Harvard has not won since 1993 and Northeastern last won in 1988.
BC, which beat Northeastern last year 7-6 in overtime in the championship game, put the Huskies out in the first round this time 7-1. BU advanced with a 3-1 victory over Harvard.
Boston College took a 1-0 lead when Mullane moved left to get around BU defenseman Max Nicastro and put the puck in the net with 11:06 left in the first period. The Eagles had a chance to extend their lead with a 1 minute, 51 second 5-on-3 late in the second, but Millan made a handful of saves to keep BU close.
Then, when the Terriers went on a power play soon after, Matt Nieto connected with Noonan on a cross-ice pass to set up the game-tying goal.
BC Senior Tommy Cross
It was still 1-1 when, with BC on another power play, Johnny Gaudreau dug the puck out from behind the net and hit Kreider at the right faceoff circle. He slid into the middle and wristed it into the net to give BC a 2-1 lead with 1:18 left in the second.
It stayed that way until BU earned a 5-on-3 of its own early in the third. Noonan was camped to the goalie's right when he got a pass from Adam Clendening and deflected it off Milner's right pad and into the net to tie the game with 12:48 left in regulation.
In the early game, Alex Killorn and Alex Fallstrom also scored for Harvard (8-7-10). Robbie Vrolyk scored and Clay Witt made 36 saves for Northeastern (11-14-3).
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
