Jimmy Howard's hockey career began by accident.

He would always tag along with his father James, who coached the high school ice hockey team in their hometown of Ogdensburg, N.Y. Jimmy would watch practice and hang out in the dressing room.

ON THE ZAMBONI

GAME OF THE WEEK   BOSTON UNIVERSITY VS. BOSTON COLLEGE Monday, 8 p.m. ET There are conference races, and then there are rivalries. No East-coast bias here folks. It's the Beanpot Tournament championship game. It's BU and BC. Again. The event is in its 51st year, and it marks the 16th time since 1957 that the two rivals will meet for the crown. The Terriers are in the title game for the ninth straight year, and 19 out of the last 20. But the Eagles clearly have the overall edge this season. Boston College has won all three regular-season contests between the two teams. The next place they can meet is the Hockey East Tournament ... for all the Beans. PLAYER TO WATCH MINN. STATE-MANKATO'S GRANT STEVENSON Colorado College is in the lead, but guess who's second in the WCHA? Not defending champion Minnesota, not North Dakota. It's Minnesota State-Mankato, and Stevenson is a big reason why. The sophomore forward has 19 goals and 31 assists in 28 games this season, behind only CC's Peter Sejna and Ferris State's Chris Kunitz among the nation's top scorers. Stevenson might also be among the same company in the Hobey Baker race. GIVING SOME PROPS IHCCA Player Awards Mercyhurst freshman goalie Andy Franck was tabbed top rookie and Boston College's junior forward Ben Eaves was named top player as the Ice Hockey Collegiate Commissioners' Association (IHCCA) handed out honors for January. Eaves posted two goals and six assists in last weekend's series vs. UMass-Lowell, while Franck was perfect in January (7-0-0) with a 1.57 goals-against average. Previous winners: Top Player -- Nov.: Peter Sejna, Colorado College; Dec.: R.J. Umberger, Ohio State. Top Rookie -- Nov.: Jimmy Howard, Maine; Dec.: Zach Parise, North Dakota. BACK IN THE DAY 1962-63 Denver won its third regular-season and playoff WCHA titles in four seasons. Denver won the conference tournament title outright for the first time as well after sharing it with Michigan Tech (1959-60) and Minnesota (1960-61).

One day, the pre-schooler tried on the goalie masks, and Jimmy couldn't stay away. He would play and play and play with the equipment. Something stayed with him.

A few years later, it happened again. After no one else on his squirt team would take the plunge, Howard's father asked if he wanted to play in net. Howard tried it, and loved it.

It was only supposed to be for one game, but Jimmy Howard has been there ever since.

Now, at 18, the goaltender is having quite the freshman year for the Maine Black Bears, and Howard wouldn't have it any other way.

"As I grew older, I loved being the last line of defense," Howard said. "I love going out and taking shots at practice. I like being in the situation where the team has to score on me to win."

And teams have had a hard time doing that this season.

While splitting time with junior Frank Doyle, Howard leads the nation in save percentage (.942), is second in goals-against average (1.72) and has a 13-2-0 record in 15 starts. He dropped his first Hockey East matchup last weekend when he started both games in a crucial weekend split against New Hampshire. Maine (21-3-4, 11-2-3 in Hockey East) will need Howard down the stretch as it sits in a three-way duel for the conference lead with the Wildcats and Boston College.

It's just the way Howard likes it.

"The bigger the game, he enjoys it even more," Maine coach Tim Whitehead said. "He doesn't play like he's under any pressure at all. He doesn't get fazed by anything."

That might have a little to do with Howard's time before coming to Maine. Although he did not play for a prep school or high school, he was a member of the U.S. national team developmental program, which consists of two national teams, an under-17 and under-18 squads. The goal of the program is to prepare student-athletes for participation on U.S. national teams and for other hockey careers.

With the under-18 team, Howard posted a record of 5-1 in six games with a 1.17 goals against average and a .958 save percentage to help the United States to its first gold medal at the 2002 IIHF Under-18 World Championships in Slovakia. Howard's .933 save percentage is the top all-time for the U.S. National Under-18 team.

That success on a national and international stage is what drew Maine to Howard. For Howard, the decision to attend Maine was simple. Yes, Maine is a quality collegiate program with great following and tradition. But Orono reminded him a lot of his hometown of Ogdensburg in upstate New York.

Another thing that is also similar for Howard are the oddities that come with being a goaltender. Wacky superstitions? Not exactly. But there is a pregame routine that has Howard ready to go, in full gear at exactly 44 minutes before game time.

Tape sticks. Have POWERade and PowerBar while Coach Whitehead delivers pregame talk. Stretch out. Get ankles taped. Get dressed before 44 minutes. In that order, before every game. But what if something goes wrong?

"I usually have a secret backup plan just in case," Howard laughed.

The plan for the Black Bears heading into the home stretch is more of the consistency Howard has shown this season. With Howard sharing time in net with Doyle (14 starts), Whitehead will have two fresh pairs of legs for the remaining eight regular-season games.

As for when the Hockey East Tournament begins on March 6, Whitehead might make a choice.

"It's important to us that they (both) have an opportunity to play," Whitehead said. "Coming down the stretch, if one of them emerges, he'll get the nod. Jimmy is positioning himself to take the lead."

High stakes. Last line of defense. Just like Howard likes it. But this time, it won't be an accident.

Joy Russo is a staff editor at ESPN.com. She can be reached at joy.e.russo@espn3.com.