Sports Redux: Eagles Take Home the Beanpot

Boston College and Boston University's showdown during the Beanpot final on Monday demonstrated just why their rivalry still has legs - and why a BC/BU showdown can entertain even those without any connection to the schools.

While BU jumped out to the early 1-0 lead, BC skated its way to a 4-3 victory in front of a 17,565 crowd during the Beanpot final at the Garden on Monday night. While the 3-1 lead the Eagles had generated by the second period (which increased to 4-1 in the third) could have deterred the Terriers, BU was determined to make a game of it, chipping away and finally narrowing the lead to one point with a clutch Colby Cohen goal with 2:46 left in the third. As BU head coach Jack Parker put it post-game, "We certainly put on a pretty good show for the Garden faithful.’’

Steve Whitney, Carl Sneep, Chris Kreider and Barry Almeida notched the goals for BC, while Kevin Shattenkirk, David Warsofsky and Cohen scored for BU. At game's end, Eagles goaltender John Muse earned MVP honors.

Given the way the Beanpot tourney slots are put together year after year (where you'll never see BC and BU face off in the first round), we're hesitant to refer to Monday's earlier game as a consolation matchup. Instead, the Northeastern/Harvard Beanpot showdown ended with the Huskies on top, 4-1. After Harvard's incredibly chippy and spirited play last week, it could have been surprising to see the Crimson looking flat - if you didn't consider that the team was playing its third game in four nights.

On the pro side, it's all about trades today and whether or not the two active Boston pro teams will make moves before their respective teams' deadlines. Has Ray Allen played his last game in the Garden as a member of the Big Three? Are the Bruins, who face off against Buffalo tonight, seriously considering Tim Thomas as trade bait?

Photo by Bostonist's Victoria Welch.