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By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer

There are two types of performances hockey fans love to see from their teams. There’s the lopsided ass-whoopings, defined by seemingly effortless goals, late-game scrums and a growing, impenetrable sense of swagger (see: 2008-09 Boston Bruins). Then there’s your standard nail-biters: the tight-scoring, hard-hitting kind of stuff that puts the crowd on its feet for the final minute—a minute that can seem like either an eternity or a second, depending on who you’re rooting for.

Round one of the Beanpot on Monday featured both of those kinds of games. On the one hand, BC fans got a taste of dominance: a 6-0 drubbing of an undisciplined Harvard Crimson team (sorry, Harvard fans–not that any of you showed up anyways). On the other hand, BU and Northeastern fans were treated to a fierce battle that went unresolved until the Terriers eked out a late third-period goal, eventually winning 2-1.

And on we go to another BC-BU final.

Next Monday’s championship game will mark BU’s 25^th finals appearance in 27 years. BC heads to the championship game for the 8^th time in 11 years. The two have combined to win the last 15 Beanpots—BU, of course, accounting for 12 of those.

But history, though it should never be overlooked, may not have much bearing this time. The Terriers, NCAA champions a year ago, have struggled to a 10-11-3 record this season, forced to rebuild around a core of mostly freshmen and sophomores. While the Eagles aren’t exactly having a banner year themselves, their 14-8-2 record is good enough for 14^th in the nation, and they have plenty of weapons up front, as evidenced in Monday’s first game.

BC 6, Harvard 0

-The BC forwards looked outstanding, using their speed to apply constant pressure on an overmatched Harvard defensive corps. They made crisp passes and got the puck to the net with regularity, some characteristics that factored into their three power-play scores.

-Six different Eagles scored six different goals: Ben Smith opened the scoring with a power-play goal six minutes into the first, Matt Price and Pat Mullane followed with second-period tallies, and Chris Kreider, Brian Gibbons and Carl Sneep piled it on with a goal each in the third.

-John Muse was stellar in net, especially when BC needed him early in the game, posting a 33-save shutout.

-Harvard tallied fourteen minor penalties in the game—not exactly the wicked smahht play you’d expect. Forward Louis Leblanc, Montreal’s first-round pick in 2009, was downright Komisarek-ian with three minor penalties (two of the obscure, overly-detailed variety): “grasping the face,” “hitting after whistle,” and the more familiar “high-sticking.”

-The BC faithful got creative with their taunting, unopposed by the 5-10 Harvard fans in attendance. Harvard netminder Kyle Richter was the main recipient, hearing “Rich-ter. . . you suck. . . at life. . . and GOALTENDING. . . IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT! IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!” after every goal he allowed.

-In Richter’s defense, he didn’t have a chance in hell at stopping most of those goals. He was saddled by a slow defense and a team that, as a whole, wasn’t very effective on the breakout (see: 2009-2010 Boston Bruins). The BC forwards were creating chances out front like nobody’s business.

BU 2, Northeastern 1

-The nightcap couldn’t have been less one-sided—both on the ice and in the stands. Both teams played a tight and relatively disciplined game that wasn’t decided until the final buzzer. The tension was palpable until the last seconds expired; in the first game, the arena was relatively relaxed once BC went ahead 3-0 in the second—and the way Harvard was playing, maybe even before then.

-Alex Chiasson broke a 1-1 tie with 5:47 remaining in the third period. The goal occurred off a thrilling sequence of end-to-end action: BU failed to capitalize on a 3-on-2 that subsequently created a 3-on-2 for Northeastern. The Huskies then turned the puck over and fell out of position, allowing BU to come back the other way, this time 3-on-1. Chiasson brought the puck into the zone and, instead of passing, put a wrister on Northeastern goalie Chris Rawlings that trickled in and sent half the crowd into a frenzy.

-Both goaltenders were impressive, but BU’s Kieran Millan had the save of the tournament thus far, barely deflecting a close-range bullet away with his glove in the final minute with Northeastern pressing to score on a 6-on-4 advantage. He finished with 26 saves on the night. Rawlings took the loss, stopping 33 of 35 shots.

-The balcony was packed with both BU and Northeastern students, divided into sides so that a sea of black lined up against a sea of red and white. Made for some pretty cool and entertaining interaction between the two sets of students. The Northeastern fans were definitely more into it—understandable, because the school still hasn’t won a Beanpot since 1988.

- Northeastern took a penalty almost immediately after both BU goals, which didn’t offer much in the way of momentum. The refs definitely seemed whistle-happy on Monday, but I suppose that college refs put up with much fewer shenanigans than NHL refs.

Final Thoughts

Monday was an entertaining start to a tournament that really is an integral piece of hockey tradition in Boston. The Beanpot games really only have as much bearing in the standings as any other regular-season game. But players put it all on the line for a stubby little trophy and some bragging rights, transforming the TD Garden into a battleground for local pride, consuming aging alumni and belligerent students alike. It’s about as fun a set of hockey games as you can watch in Boston—and that certainly includes the Bruins.

My Prediction for Monday

3-1 Eagles

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