>Posted on 21 Apr 1994 at 15:09:50 by Mike Machnik > In fact, although I can't verify it yet, >long-time area fans say that the last game Merrimack ever >played in the Boston Garden was against Lowell in the old Teapot >Tournament - the DivII Beanpot featuring (I believe) Lowell, Merrimack, >Salem State, and Holy Cross. The Teapot Tournament was an invention of Bill Riley, the former coach of Lowell, in the early eighties. The original teams were BOWDOIN, MERRIMACK, SALEM and LOWELL. The first Teapot, in January of 1980, was won by Bowdoin over Salem State. The game featured a great performance by Bowdoin goalie Bill Provencher, who was to be named league MVP that season. I also remember the hard time I had trying to negotiate the steep stairs of Boston Garden on crutches -- the result of an injury to my knee in a hockey game a month early. (Oh, yes, for those who don't know, Bowdoin is my undergraduate Alma Mater.) I think Holy Cross replaced Bowdoin in the last year of the tournament. The Teapot was a really good tournament, due to the Bowdoin-Merrimack and Merrimack-Lowell rivalries. It's too bad the tournament isn't played any more. Luiz F. Valente