Bourque brings Beanpot back to BU
BOSTON -- Beanpot University. Or Bourque University. Take your pick.
If the naming rights to the FleetCenter can be auctioned off for charity on eBay, then what's the big deal with changing the name of a certain Green Line university over on Commonwealth Ave.?
As if the Terriers hadn't already found every type of imaginable hero in their impressive run of Beanpot wins, enter Chris Bourque, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer and Boston legend Ray Bourque.
You can't make this stuff up.
All the 19-year-old freshman did against the Huskies was take advantage of some good fortune. Senior defenseman Bryan Miller had pushed a second-chance shot off the left post and it rebounded into the slot when a fortuitous Bourque arrived on the scene and backhanded the puck past sprawling NU goaltender Keni Gibson at 14:10 of the extra session.
"I just saw the puck sitting there and I just put it in," was Bourque's simple explanation of his heroics.
Game winner. MVP. Perfect at the Beanpot. Just another day's work for the Topsfield, Mass. native.
No matter what he does in the rest of his career at BU, or even at the next level, Bourque will forever be a part of the Boston sports landscape -- of which the Beanpot plays a big role.
"The Beanpot is one of the reasons I came to Boston University," Bourque said. "It was an unbelievable experience in my first two games. We had fun out there, we wanted to win it for the seniors and that's what we did."
The game winner was Bourque's seventh goal in a rookie season that has seen its share of growing, and physical pains. A knee injury has slowed him down this year, and it limited his time and effectiveness in the Beanpot opener a week earlier against Boston College.
Dressed in a brown suit, black shirt and tan tie, Bourque arrived at the postgame press conference carrying a bag of ice for his still sore knee and the Beanpot trophy -- which he placed next to Miller.
Bourque was also sporting what he called his Beanpot beard, which in truth was a long way from being anything that actually resembled facial growth.
But none of that mattered because the understated and undersized Bourque (5-foot-9, 178 pounds) was still riding high from his first Beanpot playing experience.
"It was everything I thought it would be," he said. "The place was rocking, our fans were great and we won. That's the biggest plus, that we won."
Even if their coach wasn't convinced they necessarily deserved it.
"I think we really dodged a bullet tonight," BU's Jack Parker said. "For 60 minutes we got outplayed. And we got outplayed because we were trying not to lose. And Northeastern deserved a better fate. They had a hell of a game.
"Chris getting the game-winning goal is certainly a big boost for him and his confidence. I was real happy for Chris because he was getting frustrated that he wasn't getting many chances."
All he needed was one.
And that one sent the BU senior class away with three Beanpot titles in the last four years -- not to mention nine in the last 11, but who's counting. The lone miss was last year's 2-1 loss at the hands of Boston College.
"It seems like the Beanpot Championship belongs to BU," Miller said. "And now it's back where it belongs."
Thanks to Chris Bourque, freshman forward at Beanpot U.
David Albright is a senior editor at ESPN.com and can be reached at david.albright@espn3.com.
