Sometimes, you can’t help but be optimistic. Boston University takes on Providence College tomorrow night and then plays Newton University in a Beanpot battle to decide who’s the best in Boston (for the first two weeks of February, at least).
And despite being at nearly every game this year, I still think it can happen.
I thought the momentum from that huge shutout of the University of Maine would last, and BU came out discombobulated against the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. The effort seemed lacking, and more glaringly, the team just played poorly, with few exceptions. It looked like a peewee team passing the puck.
Lowell showed what everyone suspected – that it is for real – and its strong performances against BU earlier this year were no fluke. The Terriers showed in that game that just when we think they may be headed in the right direction, they lose. The fact that this team hasn’t won consecutive games is more than a bit appalling.
So what happens on Monday? Naturally, BU spanks Northeastern University, dominating the Huskies for large stretches, led by the tower of power, Ryan Whitney, and a solid effort from the resurgent Sean Fields in net. All four lines played well, and the defense was solid.
So will BU finally win consecutive games? All signs point toward yes, but really, how can we take signs seriously at this point. There’s a pretty good chance that the effort will be there, but the results won’t. It’s a sadly familiar story this year.
If they do take their second straight game (Pats streak it is not), can they possibly beat Boston College on Monday? The Eagles have shown themselves to be superior to the Terriers in every aspect of the game this year. Hell, they even get better garbage goals.
Did anyone else see that second BC goal on Monday? From the glass, over the net, off Dov Grumet-Morris’s leg, nothing but net. Like the No. 2 team in the nation really needs the help of Larry Bird playing horse.
It’s funny, I have a couple friends who are BC fans (gasp, it’s true), and they just choose to assume that BU is going to win this thing again. I’m not sure whether it’s a ploy to try and will their team to a better shot, or whether they don’t want to be disappointed if another BC team that’s higher (much, much so) in the rankings loses again. Maybe they really think BU just owns this tournament.
I hope, pretty desperately at this point, that they are right, especially because this is probably going to be the team highlight of the season.
To hope that an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament is coming is pretty delusional, and while this team might have the talent to take the Hockey East Tournament, it’s pretty insane to believe that the Terriers will win four out of five against teams that are better when they haven’t won two games in a row all season. Then again, I happen to be delusional and pretty insane, which explains a lot.
So the Beanpot may just be it – BU’s last chance to show the fans of Boston that the team it has seen is not the “real” squad. That the high expectations at the beginning of the year weren’t as ridiculous as they seem now. In my freshman year of 2000-01, I saw a disappointing BU team lose the Beanpot for the first time in six years. In the last two years, I saw two ballsy teams pull out the tournament for numbers 24 and 25.
That T ride from North Station to Packard’s Corner will seem twice as long if BC beats BU for the fourth time this season. If the Terriers pull off the upset, it will seem like a five-minute jaunt to the Dugout.
Let’s root for the Dugout special.
Just Because I Can
I just want to thank the Pats for the birthday present, even though it was a bit early this year. Two Super Bowls in three years will make a long-suffering post-Big Three Boston fan quite happy … Reason number 56 that I love Minnesota hockey: ice skating cheerleaders. Incredible … Bill Belichick can do many things, but for our sake, and his own, he should never dance again. Other than that, the five hours I spent in Government Center were well worth it. If you’re a fan of a team, never, ever miss a world championship celebration … I was extremely disappointed with the Northeastern fans on Monday. It seemed like the good, smart (I know they’re NU fans, but some of them have more than peanut brains) fans were drowned out by football-mentality Neanderthals. I’m gonna show up for part of the indifference – sorry, consolation game and hope that I hear better stuff out of them … Miracle opens on Friday, and any BU fan who doesn’t see it within a week and a half should be banished from Walter Brown and then Agganis Arena forever. I already have chills, and I just saw a making-of special on E! and the previews. I can’t wait to see how the game turns out in the movie. And hearing Al Michaels and the greatest call in sports history will get me all emotional, I’m sure. “Do you believe in miracles?! Yes!!”