Fresh off a 7-1 curb stomping of Northeastern in the opening round of the Beanpot, the Eagles are back up to 6th in this week's PairWise Rankings. Let's take a look at this week's bracket.

Previous brackets ... January 13 ... December 12.

Onward.

Step 1: Pick the 16 tournament teams

1. That lesser program down the Green line
2. Massachusetts-Lowell
3. Michigan
3. Ferris State
5. Minnesota-Duluth
6. Boston College
7. Minnesota
7. Merrimack
9. Maine
10. Notre Dame
10. Union
12. Ohio State
13. Michigan State
13. Northern Michigan
15. North Dakota
16. Air Force -- Atlantic Hockey Champion

Bubble teams (in order): Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Western Michigan, Lake Superior

By conference: CCHA 6, Hockey East 5, WCHA 3, ECAC 1, Atlantic Hockey 1

Step 2: Assign the seeds

No. 1 seeds: Boston University, UMass-Lowell, Michigan, Ferris State
No. 2 seeds: Minnesota-Duluth, Boston College, Minnesota, Merrimack
No. 3 seeds: Maine, Notre Dame, Union, Ohio State
No. 4 seeds: Michigan State, Northern Michigan, North Dakota, Air Force

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Need a great time waster at work? Check out College Hockey Inc.'s College Hockey Matchup tool. Select any two teams to view all the college hockey connections in the NHL.

A total of 22 of the NHL's 30 franchises have at least one tie to Boston College either on the current roster, in the minors, as a draft pick or in the front office. Eighteen players are on active NHL rosters, six are playing in the minors and another nine are draft picks.

After the jump the current list of BC ties in the pros. Go Eagles!

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So much win.

BC just annihilated Northeastern tonight. A curb-stomping if there ever was one. Our Eagles scored a touchdown to defeat Northeastern 7-1, earning a spot in the Beanpot Championship against -- who else? -- Boston University.

Forgive me if this post makes little to no sense, as I just drove 5 hours round-trip to watch 3 hours of hockey, was up late watching my Giants win the Super Bowl last night (yeahhh, buddy!) and it's something like 4 hours past my bedtime (I know, I'm getting old, whatever). But how could I not spend a few minutes to gush about this game?

The effort was tremendous. Just tremendous. BC was winning pucks on the boards like it was going out of style. The transition game -- a cornerstone of the Jerry York Offense™ -- that had been missing for months showed up to the party in a big, big way. I lost track of how many of our goals game on the transition.

Just how awesome was the offense in this one? Chris Kreider was held scoreless. The guy who is going to wave "Hello! Goodbye!" at the XL Center in Hartford while driving by it on his way to MSG, because he won't even touch the ice in an AHL game. That guy. Boston College scored 7 goals, and Kreider wasn't involved in any of them. Not to say he didn't show up -- he was all over the place -- but the rest of the offense, particularly by way of Messrs. Whitney and Gaudreau, with two goals apiece, picked up the slack.

BC scored shorthanded... twice! BC scored on the power play... twice!!(WAT I DON'T EVEN)!! BC outshot the Huskies 2:1, putting a straight-pimpin' 46 shots on net. Milner was sparkling and is quickly playing himself back into the number 1 goalie slot (as high as I am on Billet, how do you not keep putting Milner in there at this point?). We had a monster student section... again. 4 and a half sections; as big as Northeastern's. We used our super-awesome, drool-worthy alternate jerseys. I'm glad I wasn't playing the drinking game from home because I'm sure many of you will be hungover from all of NESN's shots of a straight-up dapper looking Jerry York. Etc, etc. That's how good a night it was.

The highlight(s) of the night, at least for me, came down to two finalists:

1) Our 5th goal, which, as @joegrav so aptly put it, was pretty much the hockey equivalent of Rawlings getting dunked on:

2) Northeastern's fans toward the end of the game. My fan-crush on Northeastern is pretty well documented, but how can you not respect, or at least have a hearty chuckle at, the originality and wittiness of their student section? At the end of the game, when the game was far out of reach, BC fans taunted with "What's the matter with NU? NU sucks!" to which Northeastern responded with "What's the matter with the Beanpot? The Beanpot sucks!" Those poor guys have had a rough go of it. Even their women's team hasn't won a Beanpot since 1998. My personal favorite, however, was when BC fans started chanting "We want BU!" and Northeastern responded with "We want Harvard!"

Seriously, how can you not tip your cap?

In any case... I'm going to sleep. But not before I feed you all some delicious, delicious highlights!

Also, just for kicks I took a video of BC's fight song + goal chant. The fight song isn't that audible, but nonetheless, you can get a good idea how big our student section was.

Before we can get super excited for the Beanpot Championship, we have the small matter of knocking off a very, very weak Vermont team on the road. Can't overlook this game. A loss would be devastating to our PWR standings. We're currently 6th, though 4th in RPI (we're losing two random comparisons to Ferris State and Minnesota-Duluth). We're a mere .0009 RPI points away from being 2nd, which is almost close enough to be a virtual tie. BU in first place (I know, right??) is not much farther ahead. Beating Vermont and winning the Beanpot could, in theory, vault us all the way to 1st place in the PWR. Not definitely, but possibly.

And right on schedule. Starting next Monday, it's trophy season.

vs.

No. 4/5 Boston College Eagles (16-10-1, 12-7-1 Hockey East) vs. Northeastern Huskies (11-11-3, 7-11-2 Hockey East)

What: 2012 Beanpot First Round
Time: 8:00 PM Eastern
Date: Monday, February 6, 2012
Place: Boston, Ma.
Arena: TD Garden
Capacity: 15,565

TV: NESN
TV Announcers: Tom Caron (play-by-play), Craig Janney (analyst)
Online Audio: bceagles.com
Announcers: Adam Kaufman (play-by-play) and Ken Hodge (analyst)

Series: BC and Northeastern have previously met 215 times. Boston College leads the all-time series 154-47-14.
Last Meeting: Boston College 2, Northeastern 1 (November 11, 2011)
Last Meeting in Beanpot: Boston College 7, Northeastern 6 (OT) (2011 Beanpot Championship Game, February 14, 2011)

Last Five Meetings:

W - Boston College 2, Northeastern 1 (January 14, 2012)
W - Boston College 2, Northeastern 1 (November 11, 2011)
W - Boston College 4, Northeastern 3 (OT) (October 22, 2011)
W - Boston College 5, Northeastern 4 (March 18, 2011, Hockey East Semifinals)
L - Northeastern 2, Boston College 1 (February 19, 2011)

Trends: Monday's game will mark the 41st meeting between the Eagles and Huskies in Beanpot competition. Boston College is 31-9 against Northeastern the Beanpot. The Eagles are 29-8 against the Huskies in the first round of the Beanpot and 2-1 in three championship games (1980, 1983 and 2011). (via BC weekly release) BC has won four straight over the Huskies dating back to last year's Hockey East semis.

Northeastern's Leading Scorers: Fr. Ludwig Karlsson (9-14-23), Jr. Steve Qualier (8-14-22), So. Braden Pimm (9-10-19), Jr. Vinny Saponari (4-15-19)
Northeastern's Leading Goaltender: Jr. Chris Rawlings (11-10-3, 2.51 GAA, .922 SV%)

Leave your thoughts on the game below. Go Eagles!

Prediction: Boston College 3, Northeastern 2
Record-to-date: 15-12-0

You asked, and you shall receive. It's Beanpot time again, and if you are like me you probably are at a bar watching the game with your favorite brew. Along with Grant and Brian, we have created the Ultimate Beanpot drinking game, as a way to you know help you bond with your foes from other Beanpot Schools. If you have any other suggestions, leave them in the comments. Cheers, and GO EAGLES!

Every time the announcers bring up BC's uncertainty at goalie ... drink ONE

For every player on Harvard you can name ... give out one drink

Don't forget the annual tradition of BC getting a goal waved off ... drink ONE before the game to get it out of the way

TV shows some toolbox from BU going nuts after BC is scored on ... drink FIVE

TV shows an NU fan with some kind of inappropriate sign ("BC sucks on the PP," perhaps) ... drink TWO

BC and NU join in on a "Sucks To BU" chant ... drive TWO

If the announcers mention the BU players kicked off the team ... drink FOUR

TV mention's BC's Super Bowl Champions ... (Brian) drink ZERO, since the Patriots aren't winning and BC's two representatives are injured. BOOM! (Grant) What?? I'm confused ... both teams have BC grads. If the Pats don't win, that means BC will have 4 Giants with Super Bowl rings ... whosajiggawhat?

Replay of Chris Kreider undressing the BU defenseman 2 years ago ... drink THREE

NESN promos the Red Sox or Bruins during a game ... drink a sip (don't want you to die now)

If Gene DeFilippo actually shows up to a Beanpot game ... drink and pray for the safety of your beloved hockey team

Every shot of Jerry York looking straight up dapper ... baby sip. Don't want to kill you.

Every time the announcers mention the fact that Northeastern hasn't won the Beanpot since 1988 ... drink TWO

Every time the announcers mention the fact that Harvard hasn't won the Beanpot since 1993 ... drink TWO

Every time the announcers lament over the fact that Northeastern/Harvard haven't won the Beanpot since 1993, how BC and BU OWN this tournament and how it would be good for the future of the tournament to see Northeastern or Harvard win it ... drink FIVE

Announcers mention BU has the most Beanpots, but BC has dominated of late ... get a big mouthful of beer and spit in your BU friends face as you laugh at him

Cody Ferriero, brother of Benn Ferriero and ex-Eagles commit mentions ... drink TWO
If paired up with a mention of Gaudreau and his decommit from Northeastern... drink another

The announcers mention BC's struggling basketball team ... drink THREE

The announcers mention Colorado College ... imitate that famous John Belushi "College" picture

BU loses in the first round ... SHOTGUN A BEER FIND YOUR NEAREST BU FAN AND LAUGH YOUR BUTT OFF

BU loses in the finals to BC ... SHOTGUN A BEER FIND THE NEAREST BU FAN AND LAUGH YOUR BUTT OFF

The Boston College Eagles hockey team returns to action tonight when they face the Northeastern Huskies in the first round of the 2012 Beanpot. The game starts at 8:00 PM at the Garden.

The game will be televised on NESN, Tom Caron and Craig Janney are your announcers.

For you out-of-towners without TV coverage, consider heading out and gathering with your fellow alumni to cheer on the Eagles. If your local Alumni Chapter is hosting a game watch, let us know in the comments section and we can change, update or add as appropriate.

New York, NY
Thunder Jackson's
169 Bleecker St.
New York, NY

Washington D.C.
The 19th
1900 I Street, NW, Washington, DC
http://enjoyyourround.com

Food/Drink specials are $3 Sam Adams, 50 cent wings and $5 flatbread pizzas

Fairfield County, CT
Tavern on 7
611 Main Ave, Norwalk, CT 06851

Boston, MA
T.D. Garden, duh

Seattle, WA
Buckley's In Belltown
2331 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA 98121

Atlanta, GA
Location: TBD

Go Eagles!

Last night's game was the classic example of why shootouts are an awful way to settle a hockey game.

Boston College Women's Hockey and Northeastern played 65 minutes of some of the most entertaining hockey of the year. The game was incredibly even, with NU holding a 42-36 edge in shots, each team scoring their regulation goal in the 2nd period, and each team having 3 power plays. Unfortunately, Northeastern won the shootout 2-0 to break the 1-1 tie and advance to the Beanpot finals.

The game was delayed about 20 minutes at the start due to some ice issue's at BU's Walter Brown Arena, where an earlier Zamboni failure dumped a bit of grease on the ice. The rink crew cut out a chunk of the ice and flooded the spot, but the arena wasn't quite cold enough to freeze it over in time. They had to resort to spraying the area with a fire extinguisher (huh?) to help cool it enough to freeze over.

Once the game got underway, it was clear that both teams were tied atop the Hockey East standings for a reason. It was a very up-tempo game with tons of chances for each team but neither able to find the back of the net until the 2nd period. Northeastern's Rachel Llanes put home a rebound that trickled by BC's Corinne Boyles for the 1-0 lead.

BC tied the score late in the period when Emily Field found the back of the net with just under 2 minutes to go. It was the one goal I didn't see, as I was under the stands getting ready to do my best Billy Cundiff impression in the 2nd intermission Super Shot. Double fail.

The game remained tied through the third period, despite chances for each side. Overtime stayed scoreless until BC's freshman superstar Alex Carpenter dangled her way through three Northeastern defenders and beat Northeastern's Swiss Olympic goalie, Florence Schelling, only to ring the iron. It was a fantastic individual effort that was just inches away from sending the BC faithful into a frenzy.

BC will take on Harvard in the consolation game next week - a huge game against a good Harvard team sitting in 9th in the PWR. BC desperately needs the win to hold onto its 4th place standing, as the top 4 teams in the PWR host their respective NCAA quarterfinal. The game is at Walter Brown Arena at Boston University at 5pm next Tuesday.

With just seven regular season Hockey East games remaining, the Eagles find themselves tied with Boston University atop the Hockey East league standings. But with the three Beanpot schools playing more games than the rest of the conference up until this point, it's hard to figure out who's where in Hockey East with all the games in hand. Inspired by an Oilers blog that does this for the NHL (and as seen on mgoblog), here is the current Hockey East standings presented baseball-style:

BC's weekend sweep of UNH really helped improve the Eagles standings both in Hockey East and in the PairWise. BC is back up to 5th in the PWR in a three-way tie with Merrimack and Ohio State. Boston University and UMass Lowell are currently two of the top four teams in the nation in terms of the PairWise, which, if this holds, could be problematic for the Eagles chances of staying close to home come tournament time.

As you can see, while Merrimack is only in fourth place in the current standings, it has two games in hand with BU and three with both BC and Maine, which puts them tied with BU atop the league's top-heavy league table.

The rest: BC has now completed its regular season series with BU (1-2-0), Maine (1-2-0), Massachusetts (1-2-0), UMass Lowell (2-1-0), New Hampshire (3-0-0) and Northeastern (3-0-0), and has three games remaining with Vermont, two with PC and two with Merrimack. Considering the fact that Vermont has all of two wins in 18 Hockey East games this season -- an overtime winner over Lowell and a one-goal victory over UMass, both at home -- capturing six points against the Catamounts is an absolute must at this stage in the game.

Same story with a home-and-home with Providence, where four points are required. A good showing in the Eagles' home-and-home with Merrimack will improve both the Eagles' HEA standing as well as BC's tournament seeding. However, with five of seven games remaining against teams not even in the PWR Top 30, Boston College will more easily improve their HEA standings, making a run at the Hockey East Tournament's top seed, over improving their standing in the PairWise.

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