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Pluses and Minuses: BC prevails over BU in overtime, claims Beanpot championship

Jordan Greenway. PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Jordan Greenway. PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

None from the current crop of players on the No. 7 Boston University men’s hockey team was on the 2012 BU team that lost to Boston College in the Beanpot championship in overtime.

This year’s seniors were still a few months removed from Commonwealth Avenue when BC forward Bill Arnold scored the game-winning goal at TD Garden.

But four years later, this year’s team is pretty engrained in the Beanpot tradition, and now well acquainted with a similar heartbreak.

A scoreless, physical game throughout Monday night, No. 3 BC finally broke through 1:57 into overtime when Alex Tuch wristed home the first and only goal, defeating BU 1-0 in the Beanpot title game.

BC (20-4-4, 11-1-4 Hockey East) has now won the Beanpot five times in the last six years.

“Certainly an exciting game for everybody in the stands, and the last two periods it was a competitive hockey game,” said BU head coach David Quinn. “That’s what people expect when they see BU and BC play, and up-and-down action, both teams had great chances in the second and the third, they certainly had a majority of the chances in the first and we felt very fortunate to get out 0-0 after one.”

It was scoreless for almost 62 minutes, but that’s not to say there isn’t a lot to talk about. We’ll break this one down in this Beanpot championship Pluses and Minuses.

Minuses

Untimely screen

Senior netminder Sean Maguire was on his game throughout the title game and really the entire Beanpot Tournament. BC had a good deal of chances throughout the first three periods of the game, but Maguire stood on his head just about every time.

One of the few times Maguire didn’t see the puck, though, things went wrong for BU (16-8-4, 9-4-3 Hockey East). After both teams tried to get their legs back at the beginning of overtime, the Eagles got the first real opportunity about two minutes in and made it count.

As Tuch skated into the high slot area, BU’s defense tried to contain him before he could shoot, but the bodies standing in front of Maguire caused an unintentional screen, setting up an unpleasant result.

“I think if I saw all of it I would’ve stopped it,” Maguire said after the game. “But he [Tuch] made a great shot, and the shot crossed body post in. That’s a pro-level shot.”

Slog of a start

Against a rival like BC, and in a game of importance such as this one, it’s generally pertinent to get things started in the first period on the right foot. The Terriers, however, did not have one of their better opening periods on Monday night.

One thing that stands out right away on the shot chart is the fact that BC not only attempted 32 shots in the opening stanza, but a majority of them came in the slot and home plate area. Life was not easy for Maguire, to say the least.

BU was mostly kept to the outside of the faceoff circles and did not really kick things into gear until the second period.

Sloppy play, Greenway to the box

For anyone who’s watched a BU-BC, you know it can get chippy and downright nasty during and after the play. This one was no different, especially on the BU end of things.

Freshman forward Jordan Greenway seemed to be in the middle of it all on Monday, drawing the ire from a lot of the BC contingent in the arena.

Greenway was involved in a play in the third period in which BC goalie Thatcher Demko was knocked down for a few minutes, and he also drew three penalties during one scrum in the second period, including a 10-minute misconduct. BU killed off all of the penalty time, but was without Greenway’s presence until early in the third period.

“Well certainly missed him, but I thought we continued to play a pretty good second period,” Quinn said. “…But any time you’re missing a guy who’s 6 foot 5, 230 pounds against that team with the big, strong D corps that they have for an extended period of time, it’s not going to help you, that’s for sure, but I don’t think that had anything to do with the outcome of the game.”

Power outage

BU’s offense could not muster a goal in what turned to be Demko’s ninth shutout of the season (a new single-season BC record), but the real issue tonight was the lighting at TD Garden.

With 8:53 to play in the first period, the main lights above the ice slowly dimmed and then turned out. The teams skated around the ice to stay loose, but were eventually sent back to their respective dressing rooms. The situation was finally resolved after nearly 30 minutes, but it took longer than a normal intermission to get the lights up and running.

BC head coach Jerry York said after the game said both teams were offered the chance to play a 29-minute second period instead of finishing the first, but York said he and Quinn declined the opportunity.

Pluses 

Maguire nearly perfect

We’ve mentioned it in this article a few times already, but Maguire was good in this one — really good.

He kept BU in the game with 23-first period saves and finished with 41 stops on 42 chances. Maguire, for the tournament, saved 65 shots on 67 opportunities for a .970 save percentage. He wouldn’t carry the Beanpot trophy, but he did earn Beanpot MVP and the Eberly Award for the highest save percentage in the tournament.

The only two goaltenders to have a higher single-tournament save percentage than Maguire were former BU netminders John Curry (.985) and Rick DiPietro (.981).

Sarah will have more on Maguire’s stellar performance in her sidebar.

Mid-game adjustments

The first period was not one BU will be writing home about anytime soon. The rest of the game, especially from a defensive standpoint, the Terriers did a much better job in their own end.

BU pushed the Eagles to the perimeter and limited the number of “Grade-A” opportunities they could get on net. By game’s end, the total shot attempts were closer than the first period may have indicated, with BC holding a slight 68-62 edge.

“…I thought in the second and third period we did a much better job of being decisive and just making a decision and doing it with conviction,” Quinn said, “and that made everybody else’s job easier and that’s why you saw the dramatic drop in shots and scoring chances and made it a hockey game.”

57 Comments

  1. Tough one to swallow tonight.Maguire was absolutely incredible.I knew it would be a battle,usually is against BC.But I honestly thought we would win this game…..

  2. Beyond tough. Valiant effort by our team blah blah, and a tip of the cap to them blah blah and all the rest that good sportsmanship crap .

    Bottom line is I hate losing to them and their smug arrogance

  3. this quote by the immortal jack riley captures my feelings exactly

    after a 1-0 loss to Wisconsin, a school official tried to console Jack by saying, “That was a great hockey game,” to which the elder Riley responded with “Great game, my [bleep]. We lost.” He then proceeded to tear the dressing room door off its hinges.

  4. If you do not score on a 5 on 3 you do not win.

  5. no 5 on 3 goal no win

  6. We miss you Max

  7. Any way we can look at the TOI numbers from last night? I only heard Kelley’s name when he went to serve Greenway’s penalty. It felt like they only rolled 3 lines, since I didn’t hear a squeak about Phelps.

    • Sarah Kirkpatrick

      Yeah, we don’t really get TOI in any sort of stats but I barely noticed Phelps if at all. Kelley was out there a bit but not a lot. Didn’t feel like the fourth line got any time except for Moran who was playing with the third line at times.

    • Andrew Battifarano

      Yeah, to Sarah’s point, we don’t get any official time on ice statistics before or after the game. But, by my watch, I did not see Chase Phelps take one shift. Tommy Kelley served part of Jordan Greenway’s penalty and then briefly touched the ice when the first minor penalty expired. He could not have been on the ice for more than two minutes. When Mike Moran played, he was generally centering the third line.

      • Thanks to you both. I checked some other box scores and got nothing but figured asking here might give me some new insight.

        Any thoughts on playing with a short bench, and has it been happening all year? I feel like I really only noticed it on Monday, but it’s one of the few games I’ve been able to sit and watch all the way through, so maybe I’ve been missing the trend. It definitely seems sub-optimal, even though overtime ended quickly enough that you can’t really make the claim guys were too tired…

        • Yeah, I don’t think Phelps and Kelley have been too bad all season, so I don’t really understand why they didn’t get at least a few shifts mostly to relieve some of the top three lines, who looked slower/more tired by the third period. He’s played with a short bench a lot this year, but I can’t recall any time he’s done it to this extent — usually they’ll get some shifts early and then sit later in the game.

  8. Another frustrating, disappointing and difficult loss to the team up the street. Please explain to me , DQ supporters the less then stellar first period. How can a team not be ready and focused to play a Beanpot Final against its biggest rival. The team played better in the second and third but if B.U. cannot score even one goal then they cannot expect to win. I thought that Sean deserved a better fate. It could have easily been 4-0 after the first period instead of tied at 0.
    In the spirit of good sportsmanship congrats to the man up the street as his team seems to play its best against B.U. Please note that he is now 6-1-1 against DQ. ( fact not opinion) He seems to get better with age.

    • Ah there you are…was waiting for your angry post. As usual you only pounce when they lose.
      You know what. ..take your “fact not opinion” statements and go away. You are not a,fan Larry. You wait for them to lose and then talk stupid nonsense. You need to get out of your fantasy world that anything you say matters. You make a fool of yourself every time you post. You can literally feel the pain you’re in when you are forced to say somethig positive.
      #LARRYHATESBU #LARRYHATESDQMORE
      #DQLOVESYOURANGER
      #LARRYNEEDSTOLETITGO

    • Please explain to me DQ HATER, why you bother commenting? You’ve been MIA these last 5 or so games. Ohhhh wait because they’ve been winning!! OK then….let’s just leave it like this
      #Larryfakefan
      #LarryHatesDQ
      #Larryisanangryman
      BUT the best part….
      #DQSYAOLaughatLarry
      #SOdoesParker
      #heisNOTyourfriend
      #LMSiswhatitis

      • Sean,
        Why are you such a sore loser and cry baby? Wa, Wa, Wa, . Clearly you have as much class as Cam Newton . Conveniently you did not answer my questions and in typical Sean fashion made ignorant and clueless comments . Do not blame me for the results, I am not a coach or a player and certainly not responsible for the on ice action. For the record I did comment on two of the victories so wrong again Sean!
        I suggest if you do not like my comments than ignore them. I commented after this game because of the opponent and the event. Its good to beat teams with losing records but I considered it a statement game. Unfortunately BU. gave a good effort for two periods just not good enough. The teams record speaks for itself.

        • NOT a sore loser at all, I thought it was a GREAT game and NOT happy they lost but its your rotten attitude. YOU are the Cam Newton….gloating when BU loses. And your measly comments when they win?? You can literally feel the PAIN it causes you to write them. You throw dig after dig after dig and have the gall to call other people’s comments ignorant and rude? It’s hilarious to me that you think your take on the team and the game is accurate. FYI at approx. this stage of the schedule last year PC, THE NCAA CHAMPS were about 17-9-2. oh and then got knocked out of Hockey East quarter finals as well.
          See, LOTS can happen at this point in the season. I choose to be optimistic whereas you choose to only see the negative. Oh sure you’ll say x and y were decent but then ALWAYS follow it up with some crappy comment. NO I do not like your comments at all. I love BU hockey and definitely had higher hopes record wise this season but I think they are playing their best hockey right now. They didn’t pad their schedule like other HE teams did and have a VERY tough stretch ahead of them. SO you can continue to talk trash about the staff, Quinn in particular and I will do my best to ignore you. It tends to be hard because your so blatant in your remarks. Why don’t you enlighten us all as to your reason you think Quinn is such a bad coach? Seems hockey legends, Gold Medal winners and Stanley Cup winners disagree with you. So for the record, I’m going to side with the likes of Parker, Bourque, and Eruzione in that BU hired the most qualified candidate.
          Right on Big Roy!!! Couldn’t agree more!!

          • Sean,
            I am glad you enjoyed the game. I am sure that the team up the street shares the same sentiments. Especially since it is their sixth straight Beanpot victory over B.U. and their sixth title in seven years. Me not so much, just another blown opportunity against our biggest rival.
            Did not realize that this is now your blog and you control the content. I most have missed the fine print. Once again you deliberately attack me instead of discussing the game. I would find your posts amusing if they were not SO PATHETIC and boring .As usual they are 100% inaccurate.
            Why would I answer any of your questions regarding my differences with your idol? Especially since you are so disrespectful and close minded on any opinion that is different from yours!

        • Just thought I would stop in and say hello,hope all is well Larry,This team could be very dangerous during the final stretch,I hope so anyway!

          • Right back atcha Larry boy! I find you revolting and disrespectful and close minded as well. See, we do have something in common!!
            Wa wa wa…Coach got rid of FOH…wa wa wa….now I can’t pretend to be a biog shot because I’d have to pay more. Talk about Pathetic??? Take a look in the mirror pal

          • Sean,
            It is amazing how consistently inaccurate you are in your rants about me. Believe me we have NOTHING in common! It actually costs me significantly less the past few years because I am one of the Legacy Donors that no longer makes a financial contribution to the program. I only maintain my season tickets. Instead, recently I made a donation to Autism Speaks at the game against Umass.
            I took a look in the mirror and I am proud of the over five decades of support that my family and I gave to Hockey Program. Since the environment has changed I have turned the page and moved on.

          • BU Hockey 7
            Nice to hear from you. Time to turn the page on the Beanpot and Super Bowl. Next six games are crucial and will define the season especially the next two. I hope B.U. is a contender and not a pretender.

  9. Larry u truly are a piece of work, clearly u hate quinn and love kissing Yorks a** .. u on the wrong blog buddy u are unreal, so we don’t score a goal we deserve to lose like bc scored alot of goals, watch the game instead of trying to find things to b**** about… glad u keeping count of York record deep down u Definitely like bc just don’t want to admit… #gobu!!

    • I hate to disappoint you big roy but I have rooted against the beagles my whole life. In fact this latest defeat cost me a dinner and verbal abuse from my friends that support the team up the street. Do not recall a team winning a game by not scoring. For the record and the 100th time I do have issues with the way that DQ runs the Hockey program and at times I can be extremely critical. It is not personal and I have no reason to hate him.
      I do respect the job that the man up the street has done . Especially since 2001 since his program has not only dominated B.U. but the entire world of college hockey. This is called good sportsmanship perhaps you are not familiar with that concept.
      For the record I hope B.U. bounces back this week in two crucial games.

  10. team played hard. Bc is a good team. Some people consider them national favorites. Bu played them even for much of the game. Bu can and hopefully get a chance to beat them down the stretch. One thing I found disappointing was the amount of shots that were high and wide. Shots need to be on net with a chance for rebounds. also Demko and his phony injuries and his flopping should be called out before next game. He’s 6-3 235 lbs and he plays net like a glass schandalear

  11. Colin,
    Great observation, many odd man rushes that B.U. created were stymied by shots that were high glass or wide. Perhaps a trip to eye doctors for the team is in order. They did not seem to have an effective cycle game and many passes were off the mark. Defenseman waited too long to shoot or pass which resulted in assisting the other teams transition game. A two man advantage that resulted in a breakaway by the opponent. A good effort in the last two periods ,just not good enough.
    .

  12. I now can totally relate to that Northeastern University Huskie player who, after Grzelcyk scored that game-winning shot in the Beanpot one year ago, smashed his stick against the crossbar of the NU net. That’s how angry I was. I guess from all these years I’ve just been trained to think that when we play a tournament or post-season game against BC, we will always come out on top in the end. This loss made me so bleeping angry. Anyway, the positive that I was able to take from this game was that we definitely have the best goalie in the nation … taking nothing away from Demko. That means we will always have a chance to win against the best teams we go up against in March and April. On a final note, I will now say that losing Max Letunow was an absolute disaster. I am very disappointed in whoever made that happen. Without question, he should have been a Terrier this year.

    • I am glad to see you are fine after the latest misstep. Sorry Glenn but the beagles have dominated college hockey , as well as B.U., since 2001. Six consecutive wins against BU in the Beanpot and six titles in seven years. I hate to disagree with you but TD set a school record this year with nine shutouts and counting. I think Sean has been the backbone of the team but still not as good as TD.
      Greenway has been much improved and the Freshman have played well and contributed .Hope it goes well tonight!

      • Dominated college hockey? BC? They can’t even dominate Hockey East … so how can they even think about college hockey in general?

        • Glenn,
          Please ignore fake fan Larry. He’s nothing but condescending and arrogant any time BU loses. Chirps in nice and loudly when they lose and barely stifles a congrats when they win. He will bash Quinn yet the minute someone calls him out on his taunts, he cries “don’t personally attack me”. Yet because Quinn and Co are “high profile” he feels he can hurl insult after insult and it’s ok. Oh and he accuses anyone who appreciates Quinn to be a family member or “apple polisher”.

          • Sean
            I don’t really care what you think. I am a private citizen and a fan. As I previously stated any Coach that is in the public eye is open for either praise or criticism. Last nite only praise! At the end of the day I am entitled to my opinion and you are entitled to yours.

        • Glenn,
          Great victory last night! Since 2001 the team up the street has won 4 NCAA championships. Probably the Odds on favorite to win it this year. This hurts but it is the best team I have seen this year.

          • Yes Larry, it was a great victory last night. I was particularly impressed that they were able to give up a lead near the end of regulation BUT didn’t get all frazzled from that mishap. It’s nice to see them drawing penalties late in the game and capitalizing on the ensuing power plays … as was the case last season.

            Sorry Larry. BC may very well be the favorite this season as far as teams coming out of the east. Unfortunately, they will only get smoked by the powerhouses out west (like North Dakota, Michigan, Saint Cloud State, etc.) if they make it to the national tournament.

          • Glenn
            I hope you are right about the Beagles. It is extremely difficult for me to write positive comments about them but sometimes the truth hurts. I believe they have not lost this year. Oops I did it again. SORRY!

          • Glenn,
            I hope you are correct in your assessment of the Beagles. This hurts but they have been undefeated this year. Their goaltender has set a school record with nine shutouts and counting.It is tough to praise them but they are the best team I have watched this year . Sometimes you have to accept the truth. Sorry!

          • Larry, if you think that BC has a legitimate chance to win hardware in April, you’re living in a fantasy world. There’s just too much of a gap between them and the five top teams in D-1.

          • Glenn,
            As painful as it is for me to write. Yes I predict they will win it. I hope I am wrong. Please note your North Dakota team dropped two this weekend and even Quinnipiac lost. Only one team is undefeated this year. Sorry to be real.
            I would worry about B.U.. Currently in 5th in Hockey East and in one week went from 7th to 10th in the pair wise. (back on the bubble)

          • It is possible that BC may win it all. I just have very little faith in them when matched with the best teams from the west (whether it be North Dakota, Nebraska, Saint Cloud State, etc.). To be honest, it is very unlikely that they will be playing hockey in April. They better win this year though (for your sake) … as from next season onward they will have big-time problems that are secondary to their losses on the recruiting trail.

          • Glenn,
            I hope you are right and they lose the rest of there games this year and are quickly eliminated in all playoffs. Unfortunately That is unrealistic. Every year I hear the same story about recruiting. At the end of the day it is results that matter. Except for last year and 2009 they have also won that battle. How has UMass -Lowell been so successful with no name recruits,? Unfortunately recruiting top talent doesn’t always translate to on ice victories. (For example Minnesota)

    • Friend_of_BU_Hockey

      Glenn — I learned that unfortunately it was Letunov himself who failed to take action on a required admissions-related activity pertaining to international students by its required deadline. Letunov would probably be the leading scorer on this team. And his impact next year would have been even greater IMO.

      • Friend _ of_BU Hockey
        I was told by a member on last years team that it was the coaching staff that failed to obtain and submit the appropriate paper work by the deadline. At the end of the day It has really impacted this years team. I don’t believe that it was Max’s fault. At least that was the impression that I got from this former player.

        • OMG really?? A player from last year? Hate to tell you he’s dead wrong. It was all on Max. Can you even fathom the coaches not knowing when a deadline is of a player they recruited?? Seriously? That “former player” has it backwards for certain.

      • Thanks FOH and Larry. OK, whoever it is that was at fault (Max himself or perhaps others too), that was just an awful loss for us. I would just hope that going forward, BU staff will be on top of the next international player and make sure that the kid does comply with everything that the university requires … as far as paperwork, etc.

      • Yes FOH, you are correct. It was Max who messed up.

        • Guest 2
          My sons suite mate was a player on last years team. He is my source and I believe him. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter as Max enrolled at UConn.

          • Larry,
            Players are not privy to WHY a recruit does or doesn’t end up on the team. Seems silly doesn’t it?. I promise it was not a coaching error.

          • This former player might know more than you think since his dad was a teammate of DQ at B.U. I I have no reason not to believe him. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter. Any thoughts on tonight’s game?

      • Exactly correct about Max,it was his inability to do what was asked of him which caused his rejection….FACT.

        • I guess it doesn’t matter but I have no reason to doubt my source. A former player from last years team. Any thoughts on tonight’s game? Were you happy with the effort.? Is this team destined for fifth?

  13. Needless to say I was impressed with Maguire. But, Greenway was a close second. I love his game and how he got BC off of their game.

  14. HE suspends Wood for ctc to head on the play were he only gets a 2 min pen after refs talk it over. Should have been 5 mins and may have been a game changer.

  15. Larry, once an insider now he’s not and he’s not going to let it go.

    • BINGO!!!! Anonymous!! You got it!!!

    • Another ignorant comment! He must be your relative
      TOTALL Y False ! Sean , Sean Always Wrong !

    • Another clueless ignorant, apple polisher and you know what kisser! Is this Rhett?

      • YOU are ignorant and mean Larry. And trust me you don’t want to bring family members into this blog as you constantly do with Quinn’s family. Stop stooping so low…oops sorry….you’re standing up….never mind.

        • Anon 1
          My comments regarding DQ are not personal. When I make any references about his followers being family members , I am not serious. I am only having fun. This is a sports team not a world crisis. So don’t be so sensitive and have a sense of humor. I am sure he has a great family.