Beanpot 2012 Schedule: Boston College Aiming for Bragging Rights with Three-Peat

Boston College still has a long way to go toward supplanting Boston University as the top college hockey outfit in Beantown, though a win in Monday's 2012 Beanpot final would be a big step in the right direction for the Golden Eagles.

BC has won each of the last two editions, and three of the last four, of the annual tournament, which pits the four major puck-pushing institutions in Boston—BC, BU, Harvard and Northeastern—against each other in a battle for crosstown bragging rights.

To date, BC has won 16 times in 31 trips to the finale, well behind the 29 titles in 48 finals appearances by BU. These two met in the last round two years ago, with the Golden Eagles topping the Terriers by a 4-3 score.

All told, BC and BU have faced each other for the title 20 times prior to Monday's matchup, with the Terriers emerging victorious on 12 occasions.

BU will enter the upcoming clash as one of the top-ranked teams in the nation. They'd still be No. 1 if not for a 3-2 loss to UMass on their home ice this past Friday—a result that will almost certainly drop them from their perch.

The Eagles, on the other hand, are skating into the grudge match in top form after demolishing Vermont on Friday, 6-1. They'll be hard-pressed to sneak that many pucks past BU senior goaltender Kieran Millan, who's carried the Terriers of late and is among the best netminders in the country right now.

That being said, the Eagles have plenty of firepower to send Millan's way. BC coach Jerry York sports a quartet of capable attackers, balanced between small slashers Johnny Gaudreau and Steven Whitney, and big bruisers Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes.

With that sort of scoring punch and plenty of momentum behind them, expect the Eagles to hold off the Terriers to narrow the massive gap between No. 1 and No. 2 in the Beanpot hierarchy.

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