LYONS: One year too late?

I’m not going to lie ‘-‘- I am very jealous of all of you still in school while I’m in my first year as a postgraduate. And, no, I’m not just talking about the fact that it’s no longer socially acceptable for me to go out on a Tuesday or Thursday night with my friends.
I’m not talking about sleeping until noon and then skipping my second class to nap, either. Though come to think of it, you can definitely add those to the list of reasons I long for it to be this time last year.
But that’s not what I want to talk about as I return to the back page of the FreeP. The reason I’m envious is that you get to watch this year’s Terrier hockey team week in and week out. From what I’ve heard, read and watched, this team is on its way to doing very special things. Things that haven’t happened on this side of Commonwealth Avenue in more than a decade.
Sure, it’s early. Injuries can always happen, and while the victories have been impressive, this college hockey season is still very much in its infancy. But there’s no denying that the product on the ice right now is the deepest squad Jack Parker has worked with in quite some time.
Good luck trying to find a hole on this team.
It’s just my luck that things would work out this way, too. Of course, the year after I graduate would be the year the men’s hockey team finally puts together its absurd amount of talent and plays like a Frozen Four squad.
Now, don’t get me wrong ‘-‘- I’m still a huge fan of the team and have followed every game so far online. But I couldn’t be more jealous of you. When I finally see this team play with my own eyes Saturday against Michigan, it’s going to be different than sitting in the heart of the student section. I don’t think it’s possible for collegiate sports to matter as much as they do during your undergraduate years.
Before I continue, I have another grievance. Not only is this team ridiculously talented, but look at the non-conference schedule you have had the opportunity to see at Agganis Arena this season. Already this year, North Dakota and Michigan State have stepped into the visitors’ locker room. Now the University of Michigan invades on Saturday. You’ve got to be kidding me. In four years, I saw the likes of Minnesota, Colorado College and Denver come to town. But this many big names haven’t visited BU in quite some time. Once again, I find myself jealous of all of you.
Which is why I’m telling all of you this ‘-‘- soak in this season, because you don’t know if there’s going to be another one like it in your time at BU. There are no guarantees in sports.
Look, this team might not win the national championship. Sometimes winning championships in sports are more of a fickle occurrence than anything else. The best team doesn’t always win. Teams often get hot at the right time and win it all.
Just take a look at the Terrier team from my sophomore year. They were ranked No. 1 in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament, and then somehow lost to a BC team they’d already defeated five times that year.
The Terriers fell one game short of the Frozen Four in 2006 and haven’t made it that far in either of the past two seasons. I took that sophomore year team for granted because I figured they’d just get better the next season. That’s not how it works, though.
Here’s my point ‘-‘- something catastrophic could happen to derail the Terriers this season. But if the goaltending can hold up, this will probably be the best team in your four years at BU. With a great senior class and the impending departure of sophomore Colin Wilson to the NHL, the 2008-09 season could be as good as it gets.
Learn from my mistake. No matter what year you are, make sure you enjoy this team and how special it is. It’s great to be you right now.