February
11, 2008
Beanpot Championship
From
Beanpot Observer to Beanpot Hero
BC's Petrecki earns place in history
of tournament he grew up watching
By
Jeff Howe
Boston
College 6,
Harvard 5 (OT)
|
| Team |
Goal |
Str |
| Time |
Assists |
| First
Period |
| 1-BC |
Brian
Gibbons (8) |
EV |
| 3:51 |
M.
Price, P. Gannon |
| 1-H |
Mike
Taylor (6) |
EV |
| 7:27 |
D.
Rogers, I. Tallett |
| 2-H |
Matt
McCollem (2) |
EV |
| 11:15 |
D.
Rogers |
| Second
Period |
| 2-BC |
Brian
Gibbons (9) |
EV |
| 1:21 |
B. Smith, M. Brennan |
| 3-BC |
Nick
Petrecki (1) |
EV |
| 9:06 |
C.
Sneep |
| Third
Period |
| 3-H |
Doug
Rogers (5) |
PP |
| 2:35 |
M.
Taylor, A. Biega |
| 4-BC |
Pat
Gannon (4) |
EV |
| 5:48 |
M.
Price, T. Kunes |
| 5-BC |
Andrew
Orpik (4) |
EV |
| 10:22 |
M.
Lombardi, K. Kucharski |
| 4-H |
Jon
Pelle (7) |
EV |
| 11:14 |
unassisted |
| 5-H |
Mike
Taylor (7) |
EV |
| 15:36 |
A. Biega |
| Overtime |
| 6-BC |
Nick
Petrecki (2) |
EV |
| 7:07 |
P.
Gannon, M. Greene |
| Goaltending |
| BC:
John Muse, 67:07, 21 saves, 5 GA |
| H:
Kyle Richter, 67:07, 27 saves, 6 GA |
| Penalties:
BC 3/6; H 1/2 |
| Power
Plays: BC 0-1; H 1-3 |
| Attendance:
17,565 |
BOSTON – It couldn't have been set up
any better for Nick Petrecki. The Boston College freshman
watched the puck dangle loosely in front of the crease,
while Harvard goalie Kyle Richter was stuck on the ground
with a pile of guys in his way.
But before Petrecki closed in and buried the
overtime winner to lift BC to a 6-5 victory over the Crimson
in Monday night's championship at the TD Banknorth Garden,
he nearly had a nervous breakdown.
"My life flashed before my eyes right
there," Petrecki said. "I was just like, 'Do not
hit the post. Do not shoot this into the netting. Do not
fall down.' I was just following up the play, was in the
right place in the right time, and I'm very fortunate to
be put in that situation to contribute to the win.
"I took a swing at it, closed my eyes
and luckily it went in. It's every little kid's dream who
grew up in the Boston area to [score] the OT winner in the
Beanpot … so it's a dream come true."
Prior to the tournament's title tilt, though,
the only collegiate goals Petrecki had scored were in his
dreams. But he notched his first career goal in the second
period to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead and went on to etch
his name in Beanpot lore with the lamp-lighter 7:07 into
the extra session.
It only seemed right. In the third period,
Petrecki was picked off by a referee, allowing Jon Pelle
enough room to enter the BC zone and fire one into the back
of the net to pull Harvard within 5-4. It wasn't much of
a laughing matter on the Eagles' bench at the time, but
after the game, Petrecki's teammates showed no hesitation
to rag on him for the reversal in karma.
"It's probably one in a million that
will happen again," Petrecki said. "Obviously,
very frustrated at that point and very upset, but Coach
[Jerry] York talks about the hockey gods being with us,
and everything happens for a reason. I believe that happened
tonight."
Petrecki couldn't have been happier. His story
is one that has made the Beanpot so rich in tradition around
Boston for 56 years. While he grew up in Clifton Park, N.Y.,
his mother is from West Roxbury, Mass., and his father went
to Babson College in Massachusetts. Petrecki said he has
been attending the Beanpot since he was about 5 years old,
and even remembered seeing one played at the old Boston
Garden. His parents were in attendance to see him score
his first two career goals.
And Petrecki also helped shed some of the
demons that have haunted York and the current senior class
in the Beanpot. While the win gave Boston College its 14th
Beanpot in school history, it was the team's first since
2004, meaning no one in the locker room had held the trophy
prior to Monday. Even worse, the Eagles watched hated rival
Boston University win the last three championships –
two at BC's expense in the title game.
And York improved to 3-6 in the Beanpot final
since taking over the bench prior to the 1994-95 season.
He won one tournament as a BC sophomore in 1965 but didn't
reach the championship game in either of his last two years.
Now, he's got an 18-year-old freshman to thank
for one more.
"I just always wanted to play for the
Eagles and dreamed of an opportunity like this," Petrecki
said. "So I'm very fortunate that I was able to get
those two goals and help us in the victory."
COLIN
ON EVERYONE
Boston
University 5,
Northeastern 4 |
| Team |
Goal |
Str |
| Time |
Assists |
| First
Period |
| 1-NU |
Tyler
McNeely (9) |
EV |
| 5:50 |
R.
Ginand, K. Kraemer |
| 1-BU |
Colby
Cohen (3) |
EV |
| 17:02 |
C.
Wilson, L. Popko |
Second
Period |
| 2-BU |
Nick
Bonino (10) |
EV |
| 5:30 |
S.
Smolinsky |
| 2-NU |
Joe
Vitale (9) |
EV |
| 7:07 |
W.
MacLeod |
| 3-NU |
Ryan
Ginand (9) |
EV |
| 7:33 |
J.
Driscoll |
| 4-NU |
Ryan
Ginand (10) |
PP |
| 11:00 |
D.
Strathman, D. Muench |
| 3-BU |
Colin
Wilson (10) |
EV |
| 13:51 |
C.
Sanders |
| Third
Period |
| 4-BU |
Matt
Gilroy (6) |
EV |
| 9:18 |
D.
McGoff |
| 5-BU |
Colin
Wilson (11) |
EV |
| 16:41 |
L.
Popko, C. Cohen |
| Goaltending |
| NU:
Brad Thiessen, 59:43, 40 saves, 5 GA |
| BU:
Adam Kraus, 59:56, 25 saves, 4 GA |
| Penalties:
NU 9/18; BU 5/10 |
| Power
Plays: NU 1-4; BU 0-7 |
| Attendance:
17,565 |
Boston University's major contributors Monday
night were hardly a who's who of Terrier nation. BU needed
help from everyone in its 5-4 win over Northeastern in the
consolation game, from freshman goalie Adam Kraus, who earned
his first career victory, to rookie third-line forward Colin
Wilson, who scored the game-winning goal.
"We know we can count on guys all throughout
the lineup if they're willing to play the right way, willing
to play hard," BU senior co-captain Brian McGuirk said.
"We have a great hockey team we can put out there,
no matter who is playing. We're confident in everybody.
You've just got to show up and give it your best effort,
and you hope to be successful."
Wilson scored two goals and added an assist.
He rocketed a hard slapshot from the left point that sailed
past Huskies goalie Brad Thiessen to cut NU's lead to 4-3
at 13:51 of the second period – a "huge goal,"
according to BU coach Jack Parker. And Wilson finished the
Terriers' comeback by one-timing Luke Popko's pass into
a wide-open net at 16:41 of the third, giving Boston University
back-to-back wins for the first time since early November.
"It was nice burying the puck there,"
Wilson said. "Popko, on the second goal, made a great
play. I had nowhere to put it but in the net. It was cool,
but I'm just happy that we got that win. We're 2-0 in our
last two games and trying to get on a streak in the home
stretch. I'm pretty happy we got that one."
SEEN
AND HEARD AT TD BANKNORTH GARDEN
INCH's Three Stars of the Night |
|
| 3.
Colin Wilson, Boston University
It
wasn't his fault the officials swallowed the whistle.
He scored two goals, including the game-winner.
2.
Brian Gibbons, Boston College
The Beanpot MVP made a name for himself on
a night when the team's stars were shut down.
1.
Nick Petrecki, Boston College
He probably should have been the MVP, and
he thought so, too. During the on-ice trophy presentation
following the game, Petrecki skated up to receive
the MVP trophy but had to be pulled back as Gibbons'
name was called. |
•
Northeastern coach Greg Cronin was a bit peeved after
BU scored to go ahead 5-4 in the third period. An NU defenseman
had his stick ripped out of his hands by BU freshman defenseman
Colby Cohen (who should get two assists on the play, considering
his efforts) and thrown into the air, allowing the Terriers
to cross the puck to a wide-open Colin Wilson, who lit the
lamp. As the teams lined up for the ensuing face-off, Cronin
heaved a stick onto the ice and was given a bench minor.
In Cronin's defense, it was a terrible, terrible no-call
by the four-man officiating crew.
"Well the guy pulls the stick out of
the defenseman's hands and throws it up in the slot, I mean,
I don't understand how you miss that," Cronin said
after the game. "The guy's stick is supposed to be
in the lane where the puck went through, and the guy scored
the goal. I saw it from the bench. The guy grabbed it and
threw it into the slot. It wasn't like, if he dropped it
down in front of him five feet from him, I can understand
missing [the call]. When the guy takes the stick and throws
it, then the explanation, 'I thought he was trying to lift
the stick and it ended up in the slot.' Obviously, I'm pissed
off. I don't even want to talk about it. I don't even know
how you miss that. There's two referees out on the ice.
You tell me with three minutes to go in the game you can't
see that?"
•
Even though BU's Wilson and BC's two-goal tandem
had an impact on their teams winning on Monday night, Harvard's
Mike Taylor had two goals of his own and made a great backcheck
play to disrupt an Eagle scoring chance in the final minute
of regulation. Crimson head coach Ted Donato went as far
as calling Mike Taylor "the best player in the tournament."
•
Boston University entered the night with a 6-3 all-time
record in Beanpot consolation games. Jack Parker, in his
35th season on the Terriers' bench, is 3-1, with the only
loss coming in 1980 to Harvard. Before Parker got there,
all five of BU's consolation games were against the Huskies.
Exactly 45 years ago tonight marks the last time the Huskies
have defeated the Terriers in a Beanpot consolation game.
And, yes, this was just the 10th non-title tilt for BU in
the tournament's 56-year history.
•
BU freshman goalie Adam Kraus made his second career
start tonight, and he made 25 saves to earn his first career
win. Kraus let up four goals on 27 shots during a 4-3 loss
to UMass Lowell on Dec. 7.
•
There was a 50/50 raffle going on tonight to benefit
the Travis Roy Foundation.
•
This is the first Beanpot without a shutout in any
of the four games since 2005.
•
By the time the first game got going, the Northeastern
student section was packed to the brim while the BU section
– directly to the right of the NU students –
was very, very bare. The BU kids might have just assumed
they were playing at 8, and didn't realize the Beanpot had
a consolation game.
•
BU freshman forward Joe Pereira (5-foot-10, 178 pounds)
tried taking a charge at Northeastern sophomore defenseman
David Strathman (6-foot-2, 198 pounds) in front of the BU
net after a whistle in the second period, but Strathman
nonchalantly raised his arms and put Pereira on his backside.
•
There's only one elevator that takes the media from
the third floor to the ninth floor, and it's notoriously
slow. So, everyone who took it from the third floor to the
fourth floor – and you know who you are – gets
a bench minor for the night.
•
The Harvard fans were severely outnumbered by the
BC faithful, and it didn't help that the BU presence was
virtually nonexistent.
•
The Boston College media relations department put
a stack of "Nathan Gerbe for Hobey" fliers in
the media room.
•
In case anyone was wondering, the overtime format
for the consolation game consists of a five-minute sudden
death period. If no one scores, the game ends in a draw.
A tie has never happened before, but the first game was
knotted at 4 in the final few minutes, with overtime looking
like a possibility.
•
The operator of the TD Banknorth Garden video boards
would like a mulligan for airing a certain replay in the
third period. BC senior Mike Brennan was called for a cross-checking
penalty at 12:23, and the camera zoomed in on Brennan looking
at the ref and saying, "What the (fill in four-letter
word that rhymes with duck)?"
•
Northeastern's Brad Thiessen won the Eberly Trophy
for being the goalie who played two games with the highest
save percentage (.897).
•
The ECAC crew had the officiating duties tonight,
so a name like Mark Messier (an assistant referee) really
jumps out to a primarily dominant Hockey East crowd.
•
Boston College outshot Harvard 7-0 in overtime.
