BOSTON - One of the most unique events in all of sports did not disappoint, as the 2012 Beanpot came to an end on Monday night following a thrilling 3-2 victory for the Boston College Eagles over the Boston University Terriers in the championship game.
"For the last few years, people have been talking about if the Beanpot had lost it's luster, how are the crowds, you know, where is college hockey in the Boston area. Tonight was a statement" said Eagles head coach Jerry York. "That place was jammed with fans of college hockey, whether they're associated with BU or BC, Harvard or Northeastern. I think the Beanpot is in good hands, it has been for a long time. It's going to continue, especially with that hockey game tonight."
Bill Arnold sent the TD Garden crowd into a frenzy (at least, the Boston College fans) when he scored the title-clinching goal with 6.4 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Eagles the championship -- their third in a row and fourth in the last five years. Boston College improved to 71-49 overall in Beanpot games and won its 17th championship.
Pat Mullane scored the first goal of the game (shorthanded) at 8:54 of the first period, assisted by Chris Kreider, putting Boston College up 1-0. Garrett Noonan tied the game with his power play goal at 15:11 of the second period, assisted by Matt Nieto and Alex Chiasson, but Kreider but the Eagles back up by a goal with his score at 18:42 of the period. Noonan scored again at 7:12 of the third period, which would be the last goal of the game before Arnold's game-winner. Kieran Millan (44 saves) and Parker Milner (32 saves) were outstanding all throughout the night for BU and BC, respectively.
"BU played an outstanding hockey game," said York. "That was college hockey at its finest. We're both ranked in the top five in the country, so we kind of expect that. And then there was the rivalry between the two schools. It all had the makings of a classic college hockey game, and it unfolded just like that. Of the five goals scored, the winning goal was the only five-on-five goal. It was hard to score, hard to get really terrific offensive chances five-on-five. Both teams really played [hard], and the power plays resulted in four goals there. I thought our club played extremely well."
In the consolation game, the Harvard Crimson fended off a pesky Northeastern Huskies squad, 3-2, to claim third place. Alex Killorn scored the first goal of the game (his 16th of the season) at 11:44 of the opening period. Robbie Vrolyk answered with a goal for Northeastern at 4:07 of the second period, tying the game at 1-1. Alex Fallstrom potted his 10th goal of the year to put Harvard back on top at 18:13 of the period, and the Crimson led 2-1 through two periods. Luke Greiner's shorthanded goal at 13:44 of the third period put the nail in the coffin for the Crimson, but Luke Eibler scored a goal at 14:07 of the final period for Northeastern. Alas, it was far too late, and the Huskies fell just short.
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