With 27 Beanpot titles, the Boston University Terriers have often been dubbed the New York Yankees of the Beanpot. Just don’t tell that to head coach Jack Parker.
He’s a Red Sox fan.
Led by senior goaltender John Curry (10-5-7, .187 goals against average), junior forward Pete MacArthur (11-12-23), and sophomore forward Chris Higgins (10-13-23), the 2006 Hockey East champions are hitting their stride and are locked-and-loaded to capture their third straight Beanpot title.
Heading into Friday’s game against UMass-Lowell, the Terriers (13-5-8, 10-4-7 HE) had won six of their past 10 games, and lost just one, 5-2, to fellow Beanpot contender Boston College Jan. 26. That game was a make-up for a Dec. 1 game that had been postponed because of fog in BC’s arena.
The Terrier offense started the season in a bit of a fog themselves, a major reason for the team’s early struggles.
“We’re scoring better now,” said Parker, who is participating in his 40th Beanpot as either a player or coach.
“There were a lot of 1-1 or 2-1 games early on,” he said, crediting his defense and Curry for helping the Terriers stay competitive as their offense struggled to wake up.
“We’ve been good at our own end and gotten great goaltending all year long. I haven’t had many players who have improved as much as John Curry has in his time here. He has been the catalyst of the team.”
Parker also gave accolades to his captain, senior defenseman Sean Sullivan (1-10-11), who also plays the point on Terrier power plays. “[He’s] a great skater, he sets the pace and is a great leader,” he said.
This year offers a new challenge to Parker and his BU squad, as each of the four teams competing has a solid chance to win, Parker said.
“There will be no upsets this year,” Parker said. “All four teams played each other real tough. Everyone [is] bringing their best game.”
The Terriers will kick off the 55th Beanpot at 5 p.m. Monday at the TD Banknorth Garden against a revitalized Northeastern team under the guidance of second-year coach Greg Cronin.
“They’ve played unbelievably hard this year,” Parker said of Northeastern, a team that opened eyes around New England with a 6-1 thrashing of No. 3 Maine at Alfond Arena Jan. 26. “They’re playing as well as anyone. They’ve turned some of the ties from last year into wins.”
