Feb. 6, 2006

By Elliot Olshansky

CSTV.com

	ELLIOT OLSHANSKY Elliot is CSTV.com's hockey editor and runs his Rink Rat hockey blog on CSTV.com. E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   --- M. HOCKEY 1/17: Learning Lessons Along The Way 1/10: The Wait Is Over 1/03: Rolling On The River 12/27: Presents For The Holiday Tournaments 12/20: A K.O. Blow 12/13: Climbing Their Own Mountains 12/6: Looking Forward, Not Back...Right? 11/29: Predictable Unpredictability 11/21: It's Magic Time 11/15: Front And Center 11/8: Shifting Gears 11/1: Maize, Blue and Green 10/25: Wild West Show 10/18: The Need To Grow Up Quickly 10/11: Apart, But Back Together 10/11: The Next Five 10/10: Rising Irish 10/9: Dogged Determination 10/9: One More Bounce 10/7: There Can Be Only One 10/7: Last Dance? Just Dance 10/5: Wisconsin Leading Women's Field Again 10/5: Mercy-cursed? Hardly 10/4: Setting In The West? 10/4: Young Bucky 10/3: Leaders With A Pact 10/2: Keeping The Gate Shut 10/2: Quick Like A (Bob)cat 10/1: North Country Rising 9/27: Finding A Future 9/26: Ready And Set 9/26: Warriors' End A Tough Blow For College Hockey 9/25: Same Old, Same Old…Maybe 9/24: In With The New 9/20: Getting To The Point 9/13: A Different Shade Of Red 9/6: International Incident 8/30: Better Or Worse? 8/23: A Fork In The Road To Montreal 8/16: Dome Wasn't Built In A Day 8/15: Huskies' Legacy, Husky Honor 8/9: In Through the ShootOut Door 8/2: If The Skate Fits... 7/26: Well Red7/19: Increasing Northern Exposure 7/12: Net Differences 6/23: A Golden Day in Columbus 6/23: Who Says You Can't Go Home? 6/23: Getting Schooled 6/22: American Dreams Realized In Columbus 6/21: Feeling The Draft From Miles Away 6/19: The Once and Future Rivals 6/15: An Uneasy Partnership 6/14: Picking the Player, Not the Team 6/14: Signs of the Times 6/13: The NHL's Schools Of Thought 6/12: The NHL Entry Draft Numbers Game 6/7: River Hawks Just Keep Rollin' Along 5/31: The Games Do Count 5/24: An Uncertain State of Affairs 5/17: Tougher By The Dozen 5/10: Not Going Anywhere 5/3: Moving Right Along 4/26: A Different Kind of Student-Athlete 4/19: Save the Best For Last? 4/8: A Tale of Two Captains 4/6: Bitter-Sioux-eet Moment 4/6: Spartans Prepare For Glory 4/6: Reaching The Boyle-ing Point 4/5: And Then There Was One 4/4: Note-Worthy 3/31: Just Win, Baby 3/29: Everybody Hurts...But Some Hurt More 3/28: Sparty's Believe It Or Not 3/26: The Kids Are Alright 3/25: Everything Is One 3/24: West Regional Preview 3/24: One Last Charge 3/23: Midwest Regional Preview 3/23: East Regional Preview 3/22: The Force Is Strong 3/18: No Laughing Matter 3/17: The End is the Beginning is the End 3/17: Solid Gold 3/16: Winners, and Still Champions 3/15: The "Other" Saturday Game 3/11: Fighting Like Cats and Dogs 3/9: Here They Come Again 3/8: Mass Movement 2/26: Born To Break Barriers 2/26: Center of Attention 2/22: The End Is Near 2/15: Changing the Game 2/13: The More Things Change... 2/8: King For A Day 2/1: G-RIT-ting Their Teeth 1/28: Raising Their Q Score 1/26: Making Sure The Advice is Right 1/18: CHAined Together 1/14: Michigan Offensive-Reliant, But Progressing 1/11: Royally Flushed? Not So Fast 1/6: Echoes Cheering Their Game 1/5: Colonials Hope Not to Be Frozen Out 1/4: How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us 12/28: Give a Little Whistle 12/14: Riding the Cycle 12/7: Netting a Trend...Or Not 12/2: The Lost Weekend 11/30: Net Difference Doesn't Show 11/24: Not The One 11/16: Taking Care of Business 11/9: The Weight of Expectations 11/2: Huskies Heaven 10/28: Be (C) Here Now 10/18: Buckeyes' Laurinaitis Is One Cool Customer 10/13: Honey, I Shrunk The Pads 10/6: Gophers Eager to Relive History 10/6: Johnson Eyeing Trip to St. Louis 10/5: Go West, Young Man 10/4: Catamounts Climbing 10/3: BC's Boyle Not A King Yet 9/29: Johnson Sees Draft Rights Traded 9/29: Flash: A Streak of Green in Big Red Net 9/26: The Best Is Yet To Come 9/26: Hockey East Media Day Notebook 9/25: Terriers Seek Ounce of Prevention 9/25: ECACHL Media Day Notebook 9/25: Hensick Is One Wise Wolverine 9/22: Not Left Out 9/15: Seeking The Magic Formula 9/8: Thunderbird's The Word 9/1: Keeping the Nets Full 8/25: Searching For Solid Gold 8/18: Royal Reality 8/17: Kessel Closes the Book 8/13: Bulldog Days In Lake Placid 8/11: Mind Your P's and K's 8/4: Bring Your 'A' Game...or Don't 7/28: Catching up with the CHA 7/21: BC's Boyle Will Be Back 7/21: Flash: Will Kings Give Royal Treatment? 7/14: Flash: Players Choose School, Pt. 2 7/7: Flash: When Players Choose School 6/30: Flash: Gophers Going? 6/23: Big Man Still On Campus 6/22: Flash: Feeling a Draft 6/21: NHL Draft - Ready or Not 6/20: NHL Draft - Not Hype-notized 6/19: NHL Draft Profiles 6/15: Flash: Lions' Share of the CHA's Future 6/8: Flash: The Road Ahead for the CHA 6/1: Flash: In-Season Tourney Changes 5/25: Flash: Major (Junior) Difficulties 5/18: Flash: Taking Stock of the College Game 5/11: Flash: Fanning the Flames 5/4: Flash: Can The CHA Be Saved? 4/27: Flash: Eyes On Naples 4/20: Flash: Coaching Carousel Slows 4/15: True Blue, and a Dream Come Truer 4/13: Flash: Looking Back at Frozen Four 4/9: Clipped Wings 4/8: Happily Ever After 4/7: Thrills, Chills and Skills 4/7: World Class 4/7: (Un)familiar Faces 4/6: A Real `Kill Joy' 4/6: Making a Difference 4/5: Frozen Four Flash 4/4: Who Said It All? 3/30: Hobey Watch Wrap-Up: Oops! 3/30: Flash: Regionals In Review 3/26: Done With Mirrors 3/24: The Numbers Lie 3/24: Puppy Love 3/23: Flash: Tournament Time 3/19: Intensity Not For the Birds 3/18: Once in a Generation 3/17: Beyond Their Years 3/17: BU Happy, BU Healthy 3/16: Flash: Breaking New Ground 3/9: Flash: Precarious Powers 3/9: Up All Night At Union 3/02: Flash: Tired Tigers and Talk 2/23: Flash: The New CCHA Format 2/16: Flash: New York State of Mind 2/14: A Little Talk, A Lot of Action 2/13: Intensifying An Intense Rivalry 2/13: The Loneliest Game 2/12: The Frozen Forty Thousand 2/11: Thrills And Chills 2/9: Take It Outside 2/9: The State Of College Hockey 2/9: Flash: A Spectacular Weekend 2/9: A Dream Come True…Sort Of 2/6: Hot Dogs: BU Finds The Final 2/6: Quality, Not Quantity For BC 2/2: Flash: Huskies Rise Up 1/26: Flash: Rivalry Week 1/19: Flash: DU's Struggle 1/12: Flash: Hobey Candidates Clash 1/5: Flash: Road Trips W. HOCKEY 11/8: Making The Impossible Possible 3/10: Saints Go Marching On 1/17: The Gender Of A Generation 9/30: In a New Era, Wildcats Rising Again FIELD HOCKEY 8/24: A Freshman, Not a Rookie 8/23: Out With the Old? Never 8/21: Top 10 is ACCtion Packed 8/21: Three Times a Charm for Maryland? TRACK 4/23: On Another Level 4/21: Champions Are Coming Home SOFTBALL 4/25: Hokie Nation Is For Real 4/21: Leading the Way WRESTLING 4/23: A Strong Sense of Commitment 1/4: Family Mat-ters W. VOLLEYBALL 8/23: Ute Movement LACROSSE 5/27: No Lightning, Just Purple Reign 5/26: One For The History Books 5/26: Taking Steps Forward 5/26: `Hoo Woulda Thunk It? 5/19: Quakers Shake Slow Start to Leave Terps Shell-Shocked 5/11: Turtle Power Still Strong 4/22: A Game With No Losers 4/22: With a Little Help From My Friends 2/16: Lest the New Traditions Fail 5/29: Picture of Perfection 5/28: A New York (Up)State of Mind 5/27: Philadelphia Freedom 5/27: Graduation Day 5/21: Fear the Fable 5/21: Hoos Better, Hoos Best 5/20: Welcome Back 5/20: A Mass-ive Comeback 5/14: (Under)Dog Days 4/22: The Perfect Storm 4/22: Eve of D-struction BASEBALL 4/21: Relay for Life Shows a Spirit Unbroken 4/21: Off to Never Neverland 4/25: Any Other Beanpot 4/25: Birds And The Beans GOLF 6/16: The Long Wave Goodbye 6/16: Cut Crazy 6/15: Baca and Bacchus 6/15: The Ultimate Test 6/14: The Wildcat and the Tiger M. WATER POLO 9/5: A Comeback Is Bruin FOOTBALL 9/1: Always More Than Just Football 9/1: Plenty of Emotions, But No Excuses 9/1: Hope For The Day Ahead 11/20: For RU, So Much More Ahead 11/18: Achilles Teel 10/10: If The Left One Don't Get You... 10/1: Rice Ready to Go Wild Feeling First-y 9/16: Feeling First-y 9/9: History Lessons

BOSTON - With an average age of 20 years and 140 days, Boston College is the youngest Division I hockey team in the country.  Of the 20 players in uniform for the Eagles' Beanpot opener against Northeastern on Monday, three were seniors, two were juniors, and four of the six defensemen were freshmen playing in their first ever Beanpot.

However, as young as the Eagles are, on Monday, they had all the experience they needed.

Each of BC's three seniors - Peter Harrold, Chris Collins and Stephen Gionta - scored for the Eagles on Monday, and when it was all said and done, the Class of 2006 had accounted for four of the five BC goals in a 5-2 win over the Huskies.

"We've got a senior class that's second to none," said BC head coach Jerry York. "Not, maybe, in quantity, but Peter Harrold, Stephen Gionta and Chris Collins have been a really significant factor in any success we've had this year.  When you've got that group of young players, you really need something from the top class."

The Eagles certainly got "something," and it started with Harrold, the captain from Kirtland Hills, Ohio, who streaked in along the wall, headed for the net, and put a backhand shot through the five-hole of Northeastern netminder Doug Jewer, a goal that got the attention of classmate Stephen Gionta.

"I think it was huge," Gionta said of the seniors' performance, "especially our captain, Peter Harrold, leading off, and just his leadership is unbelievable, coming out on the big stage, and we're trying to show the younger guys: play for the win.  Don't sit back.  We have to go after it, and I think we did that today as a whole team."

Gionta came up big in his own right.  With BC leading 3-1 in the third period, Gionta redirected a shot from the point by Brett Motherwell for a power-play tally that gave the Eagles a three-goal lead, which would prove insurmountable. 

It was Collins, however, who shined most brightly for the Eagles.  Collins, who had not scored in six prior Beanpot appearances, scored twice against the Huskies, including his NCAA-best fifth shorthanded tally of the season. 

"Chris Collins continued to play exceptionally well." York said. "What a senior year he's having. Everything is going his way, but it's because of a lot of hard work. "

The Fairport, N.Y., native's pair of goals after being held scoreless in his past three years of Beanpot play is, in some ways, a microcosm of his BC career.  In a year when Patrick Eaves' decision to sign a professional contract with the Ottawa Senators seemed to have left the Eagles without a single go-to player, Collins has come out of nowhere to fill the void and then some, leading the nation in goals per game. 

"He's always been a good penalty killer," York said.  "That's been the strength of his game.  He blocks shots, he anticipates.  The offense has never really gone along with it.  That's been the biggest surprise we've had this year. He's been a staple of our penalty-killing unit since his freshman year - he's kind of a grinder-type kid - but now, he's got a little more poise with the puck, and he's got more playmaking ability than I've seen over the first three years.  That's a pretty good package."

The issue at hand is that Collins, Gionta and Harrold will return to the TD Banknorth Garden next Monday, looking to close out their Beanpot careers with a championship, their second in four years.  Even for the normally calm Collins, the specter of his final Beanpot shone brightly in his mind.

"I'm not the kind of guy who gets too nervous before games," Collins said, "but I was really feeling the excitement today.  Sitting in class today, I couldn't stop moving.

"I come from Rochester, and I really didn't know too much about [the Beanpot], but the last three years have really shown me how much hard work it takes to get there."

Led by the hard work of their three-man senior class, the Eagles will look to "get there" for the second time in three years next Monday night.