At the annual Beanpot luncheon yesterday afternoon at the elegant Blades & Boards Club, Harvard's two players in attendance heard what Monday, February 1, means to Bay Area college hockey fans.

Former Olympian Dave Silk delivered an impassioned speech to the audience of reporters, coaches and league officials, with Captain Ted Drury and senior Matt Mallgrave sitting at the table right in front of the spry young Silk.

Silk told stories, waxed poetic, cracked jokes. The Beanpot, he intoned in a slightly shaky tone, means two words: "tradition and emotion."

Mallgrave and Drury no doubt got the message. They're not from the Bay-area, but they know what's on the line Monday night at 6 p.m., when Harvard skates onto the uneasy Boston Garden ice to play Northeastern.

Harvard (13-1-1 overall, 12-0-1 ECAC) is poised not just to advance to the finals, but to win the tournament, which it hasn't done since 1989.

And, without question, the Crimson, ranked second in the nation, is the decided favorite to hold the `Pot aloft come February 8.

To win, Harvard must rid itself of the ghost of BU, which has beaten the Crimson three times in a row. To win, Harvard must somehow manage to use its unparalleled speed and skill in the ever-tricky Causeway institution. And to win, Harvard must first get past Northeastern.

Staying Cautious

"We're definitely not looking past them," Drury said yesterday. "They're a good team with a good coach. They're going to be tough, no doubt."

Sure. And a new Garden is coming to Boston and Billy Bulger is heading for electoral defeat. Folks, it's not going to happen.

Of course, the impossible is always possible. If healthy (which is still a question), Northeastern features some multi-talented forwards, including Jay Schiavo (10-12-22), Sebastian LePlante (6-14-20) and Dino Grossi (11-12-23). The Huskies also star one of the strongest offensive blue-lines in college hockey, anchored by Bob Kellogg (4-12-16) and Chris Foy (7-8-15).

The Best Bet

But the safe money stays with Harvard. Just ask Harvard-grad-turned-Northeastern-Coach Ben Smith.

"They're an outstanding team, with an awful lot of talent," Smith said. "We have somewhat of a propensity for penalties at the wrong time, and we've been beat up a bit by the rigors of our schedule. Our record speaks for itself."

That it does. Can you say 8-14-1 overall, 5-10-1 Hockey East.