Captains Reflect on Beanpot

The annual Beanpot luncheon was held yesterday at Legend's restaurant in the FleetCenter. All four teams competing in the tournament--Harvard, Boston University, Boston College and Northeastern--were represented by their coaches and senior players. The luncheon is an opportunity for the Boston media to interview the coaches and team members. Each coach and captain gave a brief speech assessing their team's season to date, while the captains commented upon the personal importance of the Beanpot and their memories of the tournament. The following are excerpts from those speeches.

Harvard--Ashlin Halfnight

"I'll keep this short. Unlike a lot of the guys here, I didn't grow up in the Boston area. I was watching Major junior and not college hockey, Memorial Cup instead of the Beanpot and the Toronto Argonauts, not the Patriots.

"My first memory of the Beanpot, perhaps appropriatly, is a strange one. I was watching TV with my dad one night and we had it on a channel that was showing a tournament and to tell you the truth I don't even remember who was playing, but we recognized a few of the names so we just sat down and started watching it. Problem was, Toronto really didn't get the channel and so you could imagine that the game was a bit hard to follow. So needless to say, my first Beanpot experience left me with a bit of a headache.

"Once I got down here, it didn't take long before the importance of this tournament was made clear to me. I know all the players in here can speak for the fact that when you step on the ice for the first Beanpot game there is a special energy everywhere. I've played a number of college hockey tournaments and the history and tradition of this one definitely endows the tournament each year with a special importance.

"It has been suggested that the town stops for two Mondays consecutively in February and the four teams here become the focus of this city's attention. This year we were definitely in danger of being overrun by a flood of Super Bowl victory parties, but seeing that those have been canceled everyone will be looking our way again.

"I think that the fact that so many people take the time to come out and support us, is a great thing for all four schools and also for college hockey in general.

"Personally, I have been here for three and a half years and I have seen the importance of the tournament, but I have yet to win it. I know that Joey [Craigen] and Marco [Ferrari] and I will be making our last bids this year and we're looking forward to good things. I'd just like to wish all four teams good luck in the tournament and the remainder of the season."

Harvard--Ronn Tomassoni

"It's been a good team and I have enjoyed coaching them. They are very energized and willing to learn. We have only three seniors and all three have done an outstanding job in the leadership department. We have been involved in an awful lot of close games throughout the season and we have been a resilient bunch. One of the main reasons that we have been so resilient has really been because of the leadership of the three seniors.... Where we have struggled is the offensive department. We have only scored something like 2.55 goals a game, but it just doesn't leave much room at the end of the night. As I said earlier, we are a team which is getting better every time out and is gaining confidence from an offensive point of view.

"BU is a great team and they are certainly, in my opinion, the measuring stick when it comes to the Beanpot or even when it comes to the national scene.

"I have a great deal of respect for Jack and his staff and program. I think that it is one of the best kept secrets in college athletics. Hockey doesn't get anywhere near the publicity of basketball and football. I was over there watching BU play BC a week or so back and looking at the banners, I don't think that people realize what they have done. Not just over time, but recently. I think that they have been to the national Final Four six of seven or seven of eight and that is quite a tribute.

"They have done a great job and we certainly know that we will have our hands full playing against a great team, but we're a young team and that brings a lot of enthusiasm too and I think that our kids are looking forward to the opportunity to play BU.

"We respect them, but we don't fear them. I think that we can play with them. I think that we can beat them. If you're going to win a Beanpot, you have to go through BU. We get a chance to play them on the first night and we're looking forward to it and I think that it will be a good hockey game."

Boston College--Joe Harney

"My first Beanpot was probably when I was four or five years old with my dad. It was really special growing up in this area because you see how the father/son relationship really comes together around Beanpot time. For me to be playing with my dad there watching is special and my family around.

"So I am looking forward to this year's Beanpot. It should be very exciting and I think that all four teams are very competitive. It is going to be a hard-fought battle on both nights. Our team is really starting to play well and gel together as a team. Our win/loss record hasn't been exactly what we like, but we're excited about the way things are going. We're looking forward to a great Beanpot. Bring on the Huskies."

Northeastern--Rick Schuhwerk

"I am also a local kid and I probably saw my first Beanpot when I was about ten. I had the luxury of growing up watching players like Tony Amonte and Marty McGinnis and great players like that. It is a great privilege to go to a school like Northeastern. The Beanpot, I feel, is probably one of the biggest tournaments in the country. It is all about tradition and school spirit. I am very excited to play for it. I want to thank the Beanpot committee and Northeastern for bringing me here for this experience and I wish everyone the best of luck."

Boston University--Bill Pierce

"The team is real excited for the Beanpot. It has been a goal all year. We played Harvard earlier and we had a good game against them, but hopefully we'll get by them and get to the finals again. Good luck to all the teams."

BU--Jack Parker

"It's a pleasure to be back here in my 24th Beanpot as a hockey coach. I've been coming to Beanpot luncheons since 1966 so I can associate quite a bit with this tournament and it's always a highlight. This is the most important tournament that our schools play during the year. I believe that the Beanpot will continue to be the premiere tournament for all four schools.

As far as Harvard and BU are concerned, let me speak first not as an expert, but as an observer of Harvard University. We played them earlier in the year. I fully agree with [Harvard coach Ronn Tomassoni's] assessment of his own club. When we played them earlier, it was certainly not a 5-1 game. I can remember I saw [Harvard athletic director Bill Cleary] two days later and I said, 'Boy, that club is going to be real good the second half of the year.' Because they're solid in goal, their experienced and talented defense will hold them in good stead with any team they play against. All they had to do was wait for their freshman and sophomore forwards to grow up a little bit and folks, it looks like they've grown up pretty quickly right now."