As Boston University students return to classes today, the men’s hockey team completed its final chapter of returns yesterday as senior Brian McGuirk was reinstated as captain of the Terriers.
After a 40-day period that saw McGuirk go without the recognizable “C” on his left shoulder, the consequences of a Dec. 5 suspension, the forward returned to his leadership post last night in a 3-2 loss to Dartmouth College, now as a co-captain with senior Pete MacArthur.
“I took the ‘C’ off his shirt because he was the captain of the team and he’s breaking the rule that the captains are supposed to enforce so I was very disappointed,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “They all did the same thing but he was punished the most because he lost the ‘C’ off his shirt.”
“Action, consequences,” Parker continued. “He accepted those consequences and he’s worked hard ever since. He’s been a good leader and he’s been a good kid. He’s handled it like a man. I was very happy as it went on here, thinking, ‘Boy, he’s just put that behind him and he’s just trying to work hard.’
“I think he deserved to have it and I didn’t want it to be a stigma on him when he graduates,” he continued. “He’s been a great kid here and I think he deserved, more than anything, to have the ‘C’ put back on his shirt just because of the way he handled having the ‘C’ taken off his shirt. I thought he was terrific.”
The reinstatement of McGuirk as the team’s captain capped a whirlwind six-and-a-half weeks for the Terriers that started with a two-game sweep at the hands of arch-rival Boston College and the suspensions of McGuirk, Bryan Ewing, Dan McGoff and Brandon Yip and has come full circle here with the return of a full lineup as well as McGuirk’s leadership responsibilities.
The return of McGuirk’s letter was accompanied by a spirited but spurty effort from the Terriers as they moved to 3-1-1 since the start of the second half of the season. Despite the loss, both captains chipped in on the effort as McGuirk was responsible for several big hits on the Big Green and MacArthur did his part with his 22nd point in the last 13 games with an assist on Bryan Ewing’s second period tally.
Prior to the start of the season, McGuirk spoke of his responsibilities as captain — of his responsibilities as the unanimous choice by his teammates to lead the 2007-08 Terriers.
“We talk about the team having goals,” McGuirk said in October. “We want to win enough games to have home ice advantage in Hockey East, win the Beanpot and make the NCAA [tournament] but I think, more important is just every night making it so the other team comes off the ice and says, ‘You know, I don’t want to play those guys again.’ That’s my personal goal.”
Things did not go as planned during the first half of the season for the hard-hitting forward as the Terriers stumbled out of the gate with a 4-10-2 first semester record.
And then in the first week of December, following the two-game sweep by BC — the second game of which McGuirk was a healthy scratch — came the suspensions.
Now, as the Terriers kick off the second half of their season with the tumultuous final month of the first half behind them, McGuirk’s focus is squarely on the immediate future and the next two points the team can take in their quest to return to the top of the Hockey East rankings.
“No one’s hitting the panic button,” McGuirk said. “It’s tough to deal with. You look at our record and it’s tough to swallow, but in Hockey East right now it’s up and down, it’s everywhere.
“There’s an opportunity and we know, if we’re playing our game — if we’re playing each night the way we should be — we can win this league, but you’ve got to look at the next game,” he added. “It’s Merrimack, we need two points; we need to keep climbing out of the hole.”