Minuteman Flames in the News

CBS Sports Boston, February 14, 2012

BC’s Arnold On Beanpot Winner: ‘It Is A Dream’


BOSTON (CBS) – For Boston College forward Bill Arnold, netting the game-winner in Monday night’s Beanpot Championship was one of his dreams.

Although it’s a hard dream to have, he said, after putting in the difference maker with just 6.4 seconds left of overtime.

“You can’t eve dream of this; you never think it’s going to be you,” he said on the ice after BC won their third straight Beanpot championship 3-2 in OT over BU. “But yeah, it is a dream.”

A Needham native, Arnold is enjoying a solid sophomore campaign after a successful freshman year at the heights, capturing the Berne Burke award for outstanding freshman after a 20 point season. Monday night, he scored his 13th goal of the season to give Boston College their 17th Beanpot championship.

“Barry Almeida and Steve Whitney, my two line mates, made two great passes. I was just the benefactor of that,” he said. “I was at the right place at the right time. Just needed to shoot the puck; put the puck on net and good things happen.”

“The coaches have been harping me the last five or six games to shoot the puck. I hesitated for a second, (I) wasn’t sure if I was going to shoot it.”

It was a good thing he did. Now Boston College, ranked third in the country before the game, can add some more bragging rights to the rivalry with BU, the second ranked team in the nation heading into last night’s tilt.

“They played a great game, they’re a great team,” Arnold said of the Terriers, who have 29 Beanpot championships overall. “If we play them 10 games, I think it will be a one goal game 10 times.”

Arnold is no stranger to big moments on the ice. Before his time at BC, Arnold played for the US Under-18 team that took home a gold medal in Minsk two years ago, and captained the 2008 Under-17 team where he won Outstanding Forward honors.

All of this earned him a trip to the NHL, as the Calgary Flames drafted him in the fourth round in the 2010 draft.

But for now, Arnold is just going to soak in being this year’s Beanpot hero.

“I had a blast. This is what you play for.”