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BU, BC Set To Battle For Beanpot, Bragging Rights

BOSTON (CBS) -- Two of the top college hockey teams in the country will take the ice at the TD Garden on Monday night, and there won't be any points in the Hockey East standings on the line. Instead, they'll be much, much more.

The No. 2-ranked Boston University Terriers and the No. 3 Boston College Eagles will skate in the Beanpot Championship Game at 7:30 p.m., with the two teams battling for the 60th title in tournament history.

The Eagles will have at least a minor edge in momentum, as they enter the game on the heels of last Monday's 7-1 win over Northeastern to earn their spot in the championship game. Overall, BC has won four straight, outscoring opponents 20-7 in the process. The Terriers, meanwhile, beat Harvard 3-1 last week in the opening round but lost 3-2 to UMass on Friday night.

BU will have history on its side, though, as the Terriers are vying for their 30th Beanpot title. They also haven't gone three years without winning a Beanpot since 1983-85, and they'll be looking to keep it that way on Monday night.

The matchup itself is as close as it gets. BC enters the game with an 18-10-1 overall record, compared to BU's 17-9-1. In Hockey East, the teams own identical 13-7-1 records. BU owns a 2-1 record against BC this season, though the Terriers have only outscored BC 11-9 in those meetings.

Both teams will bring potent offenses to the Garden, with BU's 3.48 goals per game ranking second in the conference and BC's 3.45 goals per game just behind. It'll be up to BU netminder Kieran Millan and counterpart Parker Milner to keep the pucks out of the net. Millan has done it before, leading the Terriers to a Beanpot title as a freshman in a 5-2 win over Northeastern in 2009.

With just six games remaining in the regular season after Monday night's championship, the road to a successful stretch into the Hockey East tournament and beyond begins with the ultimate Boston hockey championship game at the Garden.

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