At least if you’re lazy, sloppy, untalented and undisciplined you have something to work on, somewhere to improve.

It had to be a pretty terrible game if you were Harvard. You did almost everything right and still lost.

At least according to their coach, the Terriers didn’t do everything right but they still won. Now that’s really an encouraging situation.

Parker and Meyer and the rest of the BU players know they at least deserve to be in the final every year. They own this tournament.

“I hate playing in consolation games,” Meyer said. “There are no fans. We just weren’t willing to play in a consolation game this year.”

“I’m not sure we deserved to reach the Beanpot final for the last three years,” Mazzoleni said.

Maybe that’s the difference.

Despite the talent on both teams, BU knows they belong, and Harvard may not be quite sure. There’s something to be said for tradition and history. Winning breeds winning. Losing just breeds a lot of moral victories and excuses.

Harvard is definitely rounding the corner. The improvements in recruiting and performance on the ice are undeniable over the past four years under Mazzoleni’s tenure.

The Beanpot just happens to be an unpleasant reminder of how far the Crimson may still have to go and how hard winning traditions are to rebuild.

Changing the players is not enough to build a winning program. Building a program takes time.

Explaining BU’s dominance at the Beanpot, Parker probably summed it up best.

“There is not as much pressure when you’ve won seven of your last eight Beanpots,” he said. “Compared to a team who has not won in nine years, it is no big deal if you don’t win one year. It means you keep your poise under pressure. When the crowd gets in it in the third period, you stick to your game plan and you win.”

—Staff writer Timothy Jackson can be reached at jackson2@fas.harvard.edu.