What the Boston University men’s hockey team accomplished this past Saturday night is something that will not be soon forgotten, if ever. The way the Terriers collected their fifth national championship was unbelievable, and it could very well be one of the greatest games in the history of college sports.
I’m no Barry Melrose or Don Cherry, but as far as hockey games go, this is easily the greatest game I’ve ever seen. And quite honestly, I would have expected nothing less from this BU squad, a group of athletes that seemed to have a flair for the dramatic this year.
A lot of people probably remember BU scoring three goals in 44 seconds against BC in the Hockey East Tournament semifinals. The Terriers could score in the most unlikely circumstances, when the odds were completely against them, when the stakes were highest. Two shorthanded goals against Northeastern in the Beanpot final ring a bell?
Nothing can top what happened in the Verizon Center on Saturday night, though. Just when it appeared that everything this season had been for naught and this immaculate Terrier team was about to lose to an upstart team with a geographically confusing name, the Ice Dogs got us again.
What was accomplished in the final minutes of that game is the stuff of legend, and will live in the lore of both Boston University and college hockey forever. Years from now, people will talk about how BU came back from a 3-1 deficit heading into the final minute of the game to force overtime. It will become a point of reference for people searching for some kind of hope when things couldn’t look bleaker.
This championship is a culmination of the time and effort put in by an extraordinary group of individuals fighting for a common dream ‘-‘- to be that last team standing when the confetti falls and the season comes to a close.
It’s because of guys like Kieran Millan, whose steadfast presence in goal was a huge reason why the Terriers were able to go as far as they did. And to think, he was in high school a year ago.
It’s because of guys like Jason Lawrence, who provided his teammates with a go-to guy on power plays, and could be counted on to provide clutch goals when need be.
It’s because of guys like Nick Bonino, whose value can be summed up in the fact that BU was undefeated this year when he recorded at least one point. It’s no coincidence that he contributed a goal and an assist in that dramatic final minute.
How about Colin Wilson, someone who spurned the riches of the NHL to come back for another year of college and an attempt at achieving the ultimate prize? The NCAA championship would not have been possible without his exceptional talent.
Nobody can forget our very own Hobey Baker Award winner, Matt Gilroy, a person whose uplifting story as a walk-on has been well documented across the country these past few days, and rightfully so. We often see consummate team guys like Gilroy get pats on the back for their work and sacrifice, but usually when it comes time to hand out the big awards, they’re left out of the picture. It’s refreshing to see a guy of his ilk honored.
And of course, there is our very own living legend, Mr. Jack Parker. His guidance and wisdom led the team and helped them strive and accomplish all they did this season. Being able to pull off the kind of rally that BU did in the championship is not possible without the ardent leadership of a man like Parker.
This accomplishment is not exclusively for the team, though ‘-‘- it’s for every person at BU and the rest of the Terrier faithful scattered across the country.
We’re a group of people who are often put on the back burner. Boston is, by all means, a pro sports town, and the attention that is paid to college sports often diverges from us. We don’t have a football team, and despite a tendency to come up short in big games of recent, BC commands the city’s conscience in that department. Ditto for basketball.
Hockey is unquestionably our sport, but having not won a championship in that sport in this decade seemed to make some people forget the rich tradition of the program.
Terrier hockey is a great representation of why people shouldn’t regard sports as being meaningless. We all go to a school that, to the naked eye, is a collection of random buildings on a major thoroughfare that is divided in two by an expressway. But the passion and energy for BU hockey is a unifying force, something we can all point to as a source of pride. Winning a national championship magnifies all of that, and makes every single one of us feel as if we are part of something bigger than ourselves, something truly special.
For each and every individual associated with BU, from the players who lace up their skates to the diehards in the stands to the alum living halfway across the country, this championship’s for you.
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