The "V" Spot: Beanpot Blues

For both No. 3 Boston University and the Harvard men's hockey team, the Beanpot Tournament has become very familiar. Overall the Terriers have won the last five championships and the Crimson have, well, lost.

A quick glance at last night's 4-0 result reveals that nothing much has changed. The Terriers are in mix for six, and their Coach Jack Parker spent the post game gloating again.

But Harvard captain Trevor Allman sat in the locker room after the second period and dwelled upon history of a different kind.

His team was only down 1-0 to a more talented B.U. squad off an early goal by winger Jack Baker. The Crimson had managed to weather an early Terrier storm on the strength of spectacular senior netminder J.R. Prestifilippo.

Allman knew the tying goal had precedence.

In the 1998 Beanpot Final, the Crimson also trailed 1-0 after two periods on an early goal by the eventual Hobey Baker winner Chris Drury. Prestifilippo, in his first game back from mononucleosis, kept the score intact long enough for then-freshman winger Harry Schwefel to tie the score late in the third off the nicest pass Brice Conklin '99 made in his entire Crimson career.

The Crimson lost the game in overtime, but Schwefel's heroic shot made the mighty Terriers sweat out sudden death.

But at 10:24 of the third last night, Harvard discovered its only hero would be Prestifilippo, and like every single time in his career, he wouldn't be enough.

Senior defenseman Mark Moore got caught pinching at the blue line, and Baker and Carl Corazzini converted a two-on-one rush to seal Harvard's fate.

"It crosses your mind," Allman said. "During intermission we focused on the game plan, but memories can't help but creep up."

With the loss, another Harvard class will graduate without knowing Beanpot glory.

The Crimson last won the tournament in 1993.

"I think this is the premier regular season tournament in college hockey," said Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni after the loss.

Last night's problems were all too familiar. The team didn't play physical enough to curtail the Terriers speed early. When it did limit the B.U. rush, Harvard had difficulty finishing its own scoring chances.

Freshman center Dominic Moore thought he had a goal in the second period, but video replay overturned it, ruling--rightly--that the net was off its moorings.

Special teams were atrocious for the Crimson. B.U. scored two power play goals, and in its five man-advantages Harvard took just three shots on goal. On one Crimson power play, it flubbed two consecutive passes from point to point, with the feed reaching the target outside the zone.

Despite its miscues, the play evened out by the beginning of the third period. The time was ripe for a break to fall Harvard's way.

But given the opportunity, it couldn't execute. Harvard had the man-up at 2:33 of the third period and didn't generate anything. At 6:56, junior winger Chris Bala darted from the wing on the B.U. net, but he couldn't quite make the move around a sprawled Ricky DiPietro to tuck the puck in the empty net.

Someone had to come to the forefront and make the individual effort to knot the game at one.

But it didn't happen, and more often than not, it hasn't happened for the Crimson this season and in Beanpots past.

Last year, defensive breakdowns cost Harvard its first round game against Northeastern. Harvard's 7-1 loss to B.U. in the 1997 Beanpot was simply awful.

The present seniors have won just once in the battle for Boston bragging rights--a dramatic 5-4 overtime upset of then-No. 8 Boston College in 1998.

The win setup the heartbreaking overtime-loss to B.U. in the finals.

As Allman witnessed all of the Crimson's special teams mishaps last night, perhaps he thought of that heartbreaking 1998 defeat again.

The Terriers won the game on a power play goal after a defensive break down inside the blue line. The Crimson had three chances to clear the zone before Nick Gillis could redirect the shot from the point.

As in the overtime of the 1998 Beanpot championship, missed opportunities cost the Crimson the game.

The task now falls to Mazzoleni to reverse the flow of history and restore the glory of the Harvard program. It's a long term process, but the Beanpot is getting way too predictable.

Next Monday, it's B.U.-B.C. in the finals.

I wouldn't bet against the Terriers.