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

Super Bowl Champs!

Carrying Heights’ pride (BostonHerald.com)
"The program has come a long way," Kiwanuka said. "Some of those older guys that went there, Koppen and (Chargers nose tackle) Antonio Garay and guys that are still playing in the league now, they started help to turn around a BC tradition that wasn’t too strong when they first got there."

Beanpot!

Five Future NHLers To Look For At This Year’s BeanPot (Hockey Independent)
Three of five play for Boston College, natch.

WHAT TIME IS THE BEANPOT AND OTHER BEANPOTS WE'D WATCH (Heights and Lows)
Now that practicalities are out of the way, let's have some fun. While the original Beanpot is of course the 59-year-old tournament of local men's hockey teams, there has been a surge in recent years of other Beanpot sanctioned tournaments. Women's hockey, baseball, women's rowing (which includes MIT), a club lacrosse one for men and apparently something from Qdoba called the Rice & Bean Pot that lasted about six years.

Power Rankings!*

ACC Hoops Power Rankings, Feb. 6 (ACC Sports Journal)
12. Boston College (7-16, 2-7). In one of their few winnable ACC games, the young Eagles played awful in a 51-47 loss at Georgia Tech. During one stretch, they went scoreless over 15 straight possessions and they shot a total of just six free throws.

Conference Power Rankings: ACC (ESPN College Basketball Nation)
12. Boston College: The Eagles have now lost six in a row -- the last two by a combined nine points -- and things don’t get any easier with Florida State coming to town on Wednesday.

ACC pre-spring Power Rankings (ESPN ACC Blog)
11. Boston College: The Eagles had another blue-collar class that could have been a disaster with defections but was salvaged in the end. Replacing linebacker Luke Kuechly isn’t realistic, but BC welcomes back more than it loses, and that could add up to a surprise season in Chestnut Hill.

* these are out of 12.

Mock Drafts!

2012 NFL Mock Draft: Final Draft Order Is Set, Colts Are On The Clock (SBNation.com)
15. Philadelphia Eagles, Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College. This pick requires no thought. Having an cornerstone player in between the defensive line and the mercenaries in their backfield would solve many of the problems Philly had last year. Kuechly is a good tackler with a nose for the ball. It just might make them live up to "dream team" status, at least getting them much closer.

Other Stuff!

Football's Divitto Used Winter Break to Get Edge for 2012 Season (BCEagles.com)
"Every day when I wake up, I want to feel that I got better the day before," he said. "I'm always looking for the edge and to get extra work in. This was great for me to see where I fall as an athlete."

Lacrosse Nabs Spots in Final Preseason Polls (BCEagles.com)
The Boston College lacrosse program wraps up this preseason with two more national rankings. The Eagles were tabbed at No. 10 in the deBeer women's preseason media poll on Jan. 30, and earned No. 13 in the first IWLCA poll of 2012 on Feb. 3.

Concord-Carlisle's Andrea O'Brien commits to Boston College (Boston.com)
Andrea O’Brien, Concord-Carlisle’s junior All-American soccer player who netted 37 goals and added 10 assists for the Patriots this season, has committed to play for Boston College in 2013.

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!

Congrats to Will Blackmon ('06), Mark Herzlich ('10), Mathias Kiwanuka ('05), Chris Snee ('04) and the New York Giants for their 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots last night in Super Bowl XLVI. It's the second Super Bowl ring for Snee and Kiwi and the first for Blackmon and Herzlich.

Blackmon and Herzlich become the 23rd and 24th Boston College Eagles to win a Super Bowl ring, while Snee and Kiwi become the seventh and eighth Eagles to win more than one Super Bowl. It's the fourth consecutive season that a former Boston College player earns a Super Bowl ring.

Blackmon, Herzlich, Kiwi and Snee join Steve DeOssie (Super Bowl XXV) as the only Eagles to win the Super Bowl as members of the New York Giants. The seven Super Bowl rings won by former Eagles as members of the Giants is the most of any NFL franchise.

Congratulations are also in order to the John ('76) and Chris ('79) Mara, Tom Coughlin, Jack Bicknell Jr. ('85), Sean Ryan, Jerry Palmieri, Jerald Ingram and Jen Conley. No other NFL franchise has more ties to the Heights than the Giants and it's great to see the franchise representing Boston College well with their second Super Bowl in four years.

"It's a quality school and they don't always get the cream of the crop, recruit-wise, but they've produced a lot of NFL players, particularly offensive linemen, and that's something to be proud of,'' Mara said. "They produce quality kids, because they take quality kids. They don't take a lot of questionable characters.''

Complete list of Boston College grads that have won Super Bowls below. Go Eagles!

Continue reading this post »

[Ed. note -- Bumped, and Go Giants!]

So, its about 2 1/2 hours before the kickoff of Super Bowl XLVI and unlike most of my fellow New Englanders I am not yet parked in front of the television or at some party. Yes, come 6:30 I will watch the game and enjoy the homemade chili and assorted munchies I have put together, but in all honesty, to me..it's just another game.

I am a college sports fan and in particular a Boston College sports fan and although I am proud of the fact that no school will be better represented in today's game than BC, what I know even more is that this game and the continued success of the vast majority of the Boston professional sports teams, will only serve to push the teams and the sports I love the most further into oblivion.

It hurts me to say this, but in my heart I know it's the truth, Boston College athletics and college athletics in general in the northeast and in Boston specifically are no more than a niche market. I don't believe it was always that way, but since 1993, despite unparalleled success on the fields, BC athletics has slid the way of Pro Tennis and the Tour de France. You can find it on TV, but no one cares. It has been relegated to internet web sites, ESPNU and other non-national network venues.

What changed in 1993? Well Boston College football was in the midst of one its greatest seasons ever. It had just knocked off #1 Notre Dame in what arguably was one of the greatest college football games ever played and had narrowly missed out on a Sugar Bowl berth, dropping a heartbreaking 17-14 decision to undefeated West Virginia a week later. Tom Coughlin (yes, that Tom Coughlin), had the Eagle program soaring. Ticket demand was at an all time high and the expansion of Alumni Stadium was all set to be completed for the fall of 1994.

Down the road in Foxboro, there was also a revolution taking place. Bob Kraft took over the Patriots and hired former NY Giant Super Bowl winning coach Bill Parcells to resurrect what was arguably the worst franchise in the NFL.

Unbelievably, BC owned the Boston area football market at that time. BC had more season ticket holders than the Patriots, demand for tickets was higher and more BC games were available on TV than Patriot games, because of the NFL blackout rule.

All the major television news stations and newspapers not only had BC beat reporters, but they attended and reported on both home and road games and even practices. BC-Notre Dame in both 1993 and 1994 dominated the media airwaves, even WEEI, spent significant time covering BC athletics.

Think of how absurd that all sounds now.

Boston has become a two sport town, with the Red Sox and Patriots completely dominating the market since that time. WEEI, since 1993, the driving force behind Boston sports talk, went out of their way to push BC off the cliff, doing everything possible to discourage any discussion of BC athletics, including open ridicule. Since that time the television and print media have followed, offering virtually no coverage of BC athletics through their mediums. It was unheard of that a BC football game was not on the front page of the Sunday Boston Globe, now that is almost always the case and when was the last time there was a weeknight television sports report which contained anything on the Eagles?

The fall out from this has been that an entire generation of potential fans have little or no knowledge of what BC has to offer and as was shown from the Reddit post of the other day (Map of College Football Fan Domains), BC has not just become irrelevant in the landscape of Boston sports, but actually despised and these are from the few people who actually are into college football. I believe it can be argued that Boston is the single worst college sports town in America. The Northeast has typically been looked at as a pro sports bastion, but in the other major cities, there is at least some area of college sports that has a foothold in the culture, most notably basketball in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Here, outside of college hockey, which is a classic niche market, there is downright scorn and if you don't believe that this impacts the perception of recruits, ultimately the life blood of all programs, think again.

The people who work in my office, those I share a commuter rail ride in daily, have no knowledge or interest at all in what BC is trying to peddle. I mention going to the game over the weekend and they ask what game. I bring up the Beanpot or the NCAA basketball tournament coming to town and they honestly either don't know anything about them or ask when they are. A former co-worker lived within 2 miles of campus and had no idea games were played there, he only knew that there seemed to be a traffic spike for some reasons on Saturdays and forget about getting people to go with me to a game. My stepchildren, all of whom are in their mid 20s, have never shown one bit of interest in attending a game and if they do come to the house on a Saturday will go out of their way to avoid watching college football, but they will never miss a Patriot Sunday.

Still don't think its the case, look at the dwindling attendance at home football games and home basketball games. The anticipated bump from the move to the ACC just has not materialized. Even the 2007 football team or 2005-06 basketball team, both of whom had big runs in their respective seasons, were met with a less than lukewarm response. Who can forget the Florida State game in 2007 when rain was to blame for the #2 team in the country not being able to sell out a home game? Both Alumni Stadium and Conte Forum have turned into a place where a family can take in a cheap night out, where the kids care more about getting on the video board than anything else. I never recall there being that many small children at games at least when I was in school, the demand to see a Georgetown at Roberts Center for instance, was just too great.

So how does it all change, or can it change?

Continue reading this post »

The school with the most players on tonight's Super Bowl rosters is down to just three. The Giants' Mark Herzlich is inactive for tonight's Super Bowl against the Pats. Bittersweet for the former Boston College linebacker who overcame the odds and reached the Super Bowl in his first pro season.

Also inactive for tonight's game -- if you believe Bill Belichick's injury report -- is Patriots DT Ron Brace.

With center Dan Koppen also out for the season, that leaves just three Eagles that will see the field tonight -- guard Chris Snee, linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka and return man Will Blackmon. They all play for the Giants (hint, hint).

Brace and Koppen or Blackmon, Herzlich, Kiwanuka and Snee look to become only the 23rd and 24th (and 25th and 26th) former Boston College Eagles to win a Super Bowl. Snee (XLII), Kiwanuka (XLII) and Steve DeOssie (XXV) are the only Eagles to have won the Super Bowl with the Giants, while Koppen (XXXIX, XXXVIII), Damien Woody (XXXVIII, XXXVI), Mike Cloud (XXXVIII) and Chris Sullivan (XXXVI) have all won as members of the Patriots.

Leave your thoughts on the game below. For more on Pats, check out Pats Pulpit and Big Blue View for the Giants.

And to the Giants, please don't make me watch Jimmy Fallon / Drew Barrymore dreck.