women's beanpot

[Quizmire]

so yeah ... the ladies have one of these things too. my prediction: bu will actually score a goal in it this year! :D

seriously though - it should be good. bc looks to have a somewhat better team this year so maybe they can capture the elusive 'pot that has evaded them thus far.

[dave1381]

Hi Quiz - Sure BC has a reputable coaching staff at long last and at least one blue-chip recruit coming next year (and they were absurdly picked fourth in Hockey East), but they are the clear-cut cellar team in Hockey East this year. And they play Harvard in the semifinals, a team that's beaten them by five goals or more in every meeting since 1998-99. I wouldn't suprised if your BU-Northeastern game has a closer final score than the BC-Harvard game. I think the inevitable Northeastern-Harvard final next week will be a fantastic game though.

[kATEspade]

Dave, I dont think you really know what you are talking about at all. Have you even seen BC play at all this year or are you just going by what you read in the box scores, which dont even tell the full story anyway? I have caught several BC games and was impressed by some of the things they did and the way they played. Im not saying that this team is stacked with talent, but they do a lot of things right and do have a few strong players.

[catssupafan]

I have seen bc play unh and I also wouldnt be surprised if bc again gets downed by the superior harvard team

[dave1381]

I'm not denying that BC has talent and is much improved. But to suggest they have a realistic chance to win the women's Beanpot this year is absurd. As Mutch said in the Globe today, his team's at the point where teams can't just show up and expect to win without even trying anymore. That said, if their D-I Beanpot opponents do play their game, BC doesn't have a chance. And Harvard and Northeastern are two teams that don't have a history of looking past their opposition, and no one is going to with the Beanpot at stake. I give plenty of credit to BC, but they simply aren't up there with Harvard, and Northeastern is back among the nation's top 10 teams or so after last year's disaster.

[dave1381]

And by the way, the BU-Northeastern vs. BC-Harvard comment was me realistically pointing out that the D-I teams tend not to run up the score vs. BU's club team (note 2-0 Harvard final in last year's semifinal) while the D-I teams show no mercy to each other (note 17-2 Harvard win in January 2003 meeting with BC). I don't actually think the gap between BC and Harvard varsity is larger than the gap between Northeastern varsity and BU club. I don't think my first post was insulting to BC at all. I was just being realistic.

[pgb-ohio]

Having read quite a number of Dave's posts, my observation is that he consistently does know what he's talking about!

For my part, I don't know enough about the Hockey East Women's teams to make specific predictions. In particular, I would be very interested in what people have to say about BU. Has anyone seen them play? Are they still a club team? I don't see them listed in the HE standings or as a D-1 Independent.

(Oops -- I see that Dave has already answered my questions. I should have double-checked before posting.)

Good luck to all four teams.

[SKATNMIASOV]

IMO BC is going through a down period right now. That is no surprise with the coaching change this year, and the short time that Mutch had to recruit. It won't be long before they are competitive again.
I have been keeping up with Northeastern a bit this year. They have played some tough teams close and beat a good Princeton team. Two huge ties with Wisconsin has to make them feel like they can play with anyone. With Gunn in goal, I think they are in every game. Freshman play has been huge this year for the Huskies. Goodney has really stepped up with some goals. Play not usually expected from freshman.
I think a Harvard Northeastern final can easily be expected. I also think a great game will be the result. This year ties are definetly wins for Northeastern.
Katespade

I would also agree that dave knows quite a bit and is right on with what he talks about. I would agree that BC has some talented players. However in the end wins and losses speak volumes. I don't expect a close game with Harvard. I think they will turn the hounds loose and no mercy will be shown. It is too close to playoff time to hold players back. JMHO

[binnyrus]

1-0 Harvard over BC close to the end of the 2nd.

[binnyrus]

Make that 2-0 Harvard. 1 minute left in 2nd.

[Brando]

Any details on the game or who has scored for Harvard?

[binnyrus]

It's being webcast by the Harvard station -

I only listened for a few minutes. . . . Ruggerio had an assist on the 1st goal and scored the 2nd.

[dave1381]

4-0 Harvard final... McAuliffe figures on all four 2G, 2A, she's on fire now that they've put her back with Chu and Corriero. Much like her surge last year when they put her with Chu and Botterill. I thought that line was most productive with her on it, and I think this line is exponentially more dangerous with that setup too.

To answer previous questions, it was Cahow on D against Yale and in this game. That explains the "four forwards" mystery from before. No Harvard is not going to the torpedo. :p

[Quizmire]

and since no one mentioned it (probably a good thing), northeastern beat bu 8-0. i have two comments from that game as a player ...

1. slapshots/hard wrist shots off the thigh freakin' hurt
2. 8 minute shifts as a defensemen suck, yo.

also ... dave, the score against bu the past couple years has either been 7-0 or 8-0 ... it hasn't been 2-0 for a while.

[SteveF]

Wow. Kudos to Lisa Davis. I'd give that one of the top 10 goaltending performances I've ever seen. Davis makes a career high 59 saves in a 4-0 loss to the very talented harvard. the H also put about 30+ more attempts on net that never got threw.

BC has a long way to go in terms of team speed on D and confidence on O, but Davis is a fantastic player in net. wow.

[dave1381]

Originally posted by Quizmire
also ... dave, the score against bu the past couple years has either been 7-0 or 8-0 ... it hasn't been 2-0 for a while.
God, you're right... I don't know where that mental lapse came from. My bad.:o

right, 2-0 was only the score after the first period. Obviously I mentally checked out of watching that game around then.

[dave1381]

And another thing, I do feel bad about being so terse in responding to Quiz's first post about BC's improvement. My only excuse is that I literally got zero sleep the night before because of post Super Bowl "festivities" and that response came during my sixth hour or so of work that day. So I apologize for that.

And as for whether I know what I'm talking about, I'll confess that since my hockey-playing experience growing up mostly consisted of getting my butt kicked on my neighborhood pond by guys five years older than me (one of which did end up playing D-I), my ability to evaluate hockey talent and systems is not a strong point. But I've followed women's college hockey pretty closely for five years now and to some extent for 10 years, so I try to contribute what I can.

[goalie8pucks]

Dave you do a great job!!! I think I'm your biggest fan........I told you before, "Thanks for the articles!!"

[brookyone]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SKATNMIASOV

"I have been keeping up with Northeastern a bit this year. They have played some tough teams close and beat a good Princeton team. Two huge ties with Wisconsin has to make them feel like they can play with anyone. With Gunn in goal, I think they are in every game. Freshman play has been huge this year for the Huskies. Goodney has really stepped up with some goals. Play not usually expected from freshman."

I don't know a whole lot about the teams in HE but one might expect Northeastern to be even more competitive next season with the arrival of Petrich & Elumba. Both being pretty talented offensively.

[Batemanskater]

The women's Beanpot is one of those worthy sporting events that suffers undeservedly from poor attendance. A real shame. (Congrats to the Harvard band, however, for showing up and adding much to the atmosphere.)

Some day in the future, when this event becomes the annual sell- out that it is destined to become, those 180 souls at last night's event will be able to tell their grandkids that they walked into Conte Forum, took their pick of any seat in the house, and enjoyed the first round of the women's Beanpot (...all without having to purchase a ticket).

Nevertheless, it is great to see the teams out there giving it their all. The true meaning of the sport: not playing for a crowd but for one another and for the game.

(Kudos to NU's goaltender, Katy Augustyn, who repeatedly left her net to intercept potential icing passes from the BU end so as to keep the clock moving. A classy move with regard to the overmatched BU club team.)