BOSTON -- Barry Almeida scored to give Boston College a three-goal, third-period lead and the Eagles held off a late charge from Boston University to win 4-3 and claim the 58th Beanpot championship Monday night.
Tournament MVP John Muse stopped 31 shots to help Boston College (16-8-2) win its 15th Beanpot title. Boston University (11-12-3) has won the tournament 29 times since it began in 1952. The Terriers are also the defending NCAA champions.
The Boston area's four college hockey powers play for the Beanpot trophy on the first two Mondays of February.
The game matched the last two NCAA champions - BC won in 2008 - and the schools that have made the Beanpot their own, winning 44 of the 58 tournaments and all since Harvard's last victory in 1993. Northeastern, which beat Harvard 4-1 in the consolation game, has not won since '88.
It was a bit of payback for BC, which lost 3-2 in the "Frozen Fenway" game this January at the home of the Boston Red Sox.
Playing at the home of the NHL's Boston Bruins, the Eagles scored four straight goals to take a 4-1 lead before BU began its comeback.
The Terriers made it 4-2 on a short-handed goal by David Warsofsky with 11 minutes left and then, with the goalie pulled on a power play for a 6-on-4 advantage, Colby Cohen finished a scramble in front of the net to score with 2:46 left and make it a one-goal game.
But BU, which won its fifth NCAA title last year by scoring twice in the final minute of regulation to force overtime against Miami University, couldn't finish the comeback this time.
The Terriers pulled goalie Kieran Millan of Edmonton again with 1:34 left and put constant pressure on BC, but Muse made all of the saves.
Millan finished with 28 saves for BU.
Kevin Shattenkirk scored to give BU a 1-0 lead after one period before BC scored the next four goals.
Steven Whitney tied it 61 seconds into the second period after Cam Atkinson capped a scramble for the puck in front of the BU net and made a crossing pass from his knees. Carl Sneep, who had a goal and an assist in the opening round, made it 2-1 with 7:27 to play in the second.
Chris Kreider gave BC a 3-1 cushion when he came out of the penalty box and took the puck into the BU zone, faking out defenceman Max Nicastro at the circle and then making another move on Millan, going to his backhand before beating the goalie on the glove side.
It stayed that way until Almeida beat Millan on a wrist shot on a 2-on-1 with 15:38 left. But Warsofsky, who scored for BU at the Fenway game, made it 4-2 when he beat Muse on a backhander above the glove.