INSIDE HOCKEY

Ask any hockey fan, save for those Northeastern and Harvard supporters, who they'd want to see in the Beanpot final, and most would choose Boston University and Boston College as the ideal matchup. How can you argue with college hockey's greatest rivalry in the championship game of college hockey's greatest regular season tournament?

The last two national champions have taken different roads to the second Monday in February, with BC looking like a Frozen Four shoo-in at times, while BU at one point saw itself fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot in Hockey East. Yet, the records and what's happened in the past get thrown out come 8 p.m., as the Beanpot is a different animal from anything else in the course of a season.

BU will play for its 30th Beanpot title, while the Eagles will play for their 15th Beanpot win. It's been BU's tournament through the years, but BC has to be the favorite on paper, especially given the way the Eagles have destroyed their last two opponents (Harvard, 6-0, and UMass-Amherst, 7-1). Let's break it down by position and see who has the edge.

Forwards

The Eagles top line of Joe Whitney, Brian Gibbons and Cam Atkinson has torched defenses since they were put together in early January. In the last two wins alone, they've combined for 12 points, and will be the line BU coach Jack Parker focuses on the most. This means that perhaps the line of Chris Kreider, Ben Smith and Jimmy Hayes will be the most important line of the game. If Parker puts his top defensive unit on the ice with the Whitney-Gibbons-Atkinson trio, the Kreider-Smith-Hayes line could change the game in BC's favor.

For the Terriers, there has been no real offensive stud or scoring line to speak of this season, but they do have some "scoring by committee." Nick Bonino leads the team in points with 23 (six goals, 17 assists). Sophomore Ross Gaudet, who didn't dress at all last year, has eight goals and has come out of nowhere to become a scoring threat, especially in the second half of the season. Gaudet and Bonino played with Joe Pereira on Friday night, which is a line that has a great mix of natural scoring ability and consistent grinding that can make life difficult for opposing teams.

Defensemen

The Eagles finally got Tommy Cross back in the lineup on Friday night after a knee injury sidelined him for four games. It strengthens the defense and allows for coach Jerry York to not have to play just four defensemen late in the game. The Eagles have a young defense, with just one senior (Carl Sneep) on the blue-line, yet the freshmen have played like seasoned veterans given the minutes they've logged. All but Sneep have never played in a Beanpot final, so it will be interesting to see how they play on such a big stage.

For BU, a lower-body injury may sideline Colby Cohen for Monday's game. He was a healthy scratch in BU's win against Lowell, and if he can't play then freshman Ben Rosen will step in and play. Parker was pleased with how the other defensemen stepped up in Cohen's stead, with Kevin Shattenkirk, David Warsofsky and Eric Gryba in particular using their poise and experience to pull out the victory. Shattenkirk is second on the team in scoring (three goals, 17 assists) and will be important to watch on the power play.

Goaltending

John Muse of the Eagles has a national championship and Beanpot title to his name, and he has regained the form he had from that 2008 season. He took back the starting job after splitting time with freshman Parker Milner, and has jumped to second in the conference in goals-against average (2.37) and he's playing much more confidently. With a young defense in front of him, Muse taking over the game is what BC needs in order to secure a victory, especially late in the game.

For BU, Kieran Millan, coming off a Beanpot title and national championship of his own, is equally important to his team's success. Millan was outstanding in the first round against Northeastern, making big saves at crucial times. Millan has had a down year, but if he plays well on Monday, not only is it huge in terms of winning the Beanpot, but it's also huge in terms of building momentum for the final stretch of the season.

Prediction

I picked BU to take home its 30th Beanpot at the beginning of the tournament, and I can't back down from my pick now, even with BC dominating opponents as they have in the last two games. The Terriers played BC well in the team's last two meetings, and it will surely be a close game, no matter which team wins. BU needs to stay out of the penalty box and keep BC's potent power play off the ice, while the Eagles need to take control of the game early and not play from behind.

Score: BU 3, BC 2