Arnold gives BC 3-2 win in OT vs. BU in Beanpot

[February 14, 2012]  BOSTON (AP) -- Bill Arnold wristed a shot into the net, the clock froze at 6.4 seconds, and the Boston College forward was soon belly-sliding on the ice as his teammates piled on top of him.

So few of them have known it any other way.

The BC sophomore scored the game-winner just before the end of the first overtime to give the No. 3 Eagles a 3-2 victory over No. 2 Boston University in the Beanpot on Monday night -- BC's third consecutive victory in the tournament for the area's college hockey bragging rights.

It's the first time anyone other than BU has won three Beanpots in a row in almost 40 years.

"This was college hockey at its finest," said BC coach Jerry York, who was a sophomore when the Eagles completed their last back-to-back-to-back Beanpot wins in 1965. "It had all the makings of a classic college hockey game, and it unfolded just like that."

Pat Mullane and Chris Kreider also scored for the Eagles, and Parker Milner stopped 32 shots for BC (19-10-1). Garrett Noonan scored twice and Kieran Millan made 44 saves for BU (17-10-1).

BC led 1-0 and 2-1, but both times Noonan tied it -- the second during a 5-on-3 advantage in the third period. The teams played a spirited overtime and seemed headed for another when Arnold took a cross-ice pass from Steven Whitney and wristed it over Millan's glove for the game-winner.

It was BC's 17th Beanpot title in all -- still short of the 29 that BU has won as it dominated the tournament for most of its 60 years.

BU coach Jack Parker noted that the Terriers won eight times in the 1990s and seven in the 2000s but have yet to win in this decade.

"So we have some catching up to do," he said.

Boston University had won 12 of the previous 15 Beanpots -- more than half, 29 of 57, overall -- before BC's current streak, and the Terriers had not gone three years without winning it since 1983-85. BU is still 27-14 against BC in the Beanpot, including 12-9 in the title game.

"BU has a lot of victories, but that's all in the past," BC defenseman Brian Dumoulin said. "Just like our wins the last two years are in the past. We weren't trying to get my third Beanpot. Our goal was to get our freshman their first."

BU and BC, which won three of the past four NCAA championships, are 2-2 head-to-head this season and are tied for second in the Hockey East conference.

But it was the fourth straight time BC (19-10-1) has beaten its Commonwealth Avenue rival in the tournament.

"This was a very tough game to lose," Parker said. "You lose an overtime game, you lose a championship and anytime you lose to Boston College. We're 2-2 against them, but they have the big one so far -- they have a championship."

Luke Greiner scored a short-handed goal in the third period and Steve Michalek stopped 24 shots as Harvard beat Northeastern 3-2 in the consolation game earlier Monday. Alex Killorn and Alex Fallstrom also scored for Harvard (8-7-10). Robbie Vrolyk scored and Clay Witt made 36 saves for Northeastern (11-14-3).

Harvard has not won the Beanpot since 1993, and Northeastern last won in 1988.

BC, which beat Northeastern last year 7-6 in overtime in the championship game, put the Huskies out in the first round this time 7-1. BU advanced with a 3-1 victory over Harvard.

Boston College took a 1-0 lead when Mullane moved left to get around BU defenseman Max Nicastro and put the puck in the net with 11:06 left in the first period. The Eagles had a chance to extend their lead with a 1 minute, 51 second 5-on-3 late in the second, but Millan made a handful of saves to keep BU close.

Then, when the Terriers went on a power play soon after, Matt Nieto connected with Noonan on a cross-ice pass to set up the game-tying goal.

It was still 1-1 when, with BC on another power play, Johnny Gaudreau dug the puck out from behind the net and hit Kreider at the right faceoff circle. He slid into the middle and wristed it into the net to give BC a 2-1 lead with 1:18 left in the second.

It stayed that way until BU earned a 5-on-3 of its own early in the third. Noonan was camped to the goalie's right when he got a pass from Adam Clendening and deflected it off Milner's right pad and into the net to tie the game with 12:48 left in regulation.

[Associated Press; By JIMMY GOLEN]

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