Okay, so I'm not
drunk... but I'll explain that later.
But it
is post-game, and I've got things to say.
Boston University topped the University of New Hampshire earlier today, 2-1, with a clinching goal in the final minute of play. Islanders draftee Corey Trivino scored the first BU goal, and his line looked good on every shift.
In other NCAA tournament news,
Bemidji State beat Cornell University in stunning fashion to become the lowest-seeded team to make the Frozen Four... ever. Which is pretty hilarious when you think about it.
But I want to discuss the BU Terriers here. Assuming my audience is primarily Islanders fans, I'll try to keep it pertinent to 2nd-round draftee Trivino and Long Islander and free-agent to-be Matt Gilroy. Or at least, keep it interesting in general.
Enough can't be said about this year's Terriers. Rival teams have poured over the tapes and made countless line matchups, but not one has been able to reliably find a chink in the Boston armor. Really, it is something special. But anyone who knows BU hockey can tell you that this year's sense of team and community is nothing new.
After today's win, the Terriers took the busride back from Manchester, NH to Commonwealth Ave. It took less than an hour for a handful of players to turn up at a local bar, where they were met with a rousing welcome from us loyal fans. This marked the second time this year the players and the fans met at a campus bar after a victory -- the first was as per a longstanding BU tradition after our Feb. 9 Beanpot victory.
And while it's obvious that the players -- with their freshly-awarded NCAA REGIONAL CHAMPIONS baseball caps -- are the focus of the bar, there's no one happier to be there among the fans. All the Terriers (particularly the seniors) are smiling wide, cracking jokes, and laughing at the replays being shown on TV. It is obvious that this is a team that really enjoys
being a team on and off the ice.
But really, what team wouldn't, with success like this? BU is
33-6-4 this season, and virtually every player is enjoying career-best production and statistics. It's only when one considers exactly
who is on the Terriers that this team's attitude becomes really amazing.
With headline-making players like Sr. forward Brandon Yip, Soph. forward Colin Wilson, and Sr. defender Matt Gilroy, the possibility of individualism on this team is undeniable. It is a credit to the legendary coach
Jack Parker that these players --
some of whom are graduating and likely have NHL aspirations in the fall, and some of whom may turn pro even before their collegiate tenure here is over -- are keeping their noses down and focusing on the whole.
And that is making all the difference as BU skates headlong into the Frozen Four. As a BU fan, I watch in awe of history in-the-making. As an Islanders fan, I am not only learning
how to enjoy supporting a winning team, but I'm watching how a real team is put together and how it works. It may seem complicated here, but it's something that I sense is happening with the Islanders, especially with the growing number of rookies playing at the NHL level for the first time together.
I really urge all Islanders fans to watch the Frozen Four telecasts on ESPN2
April 9th and 11th... not just for the Terriers, but for some great college hockey. This tournament has been as ridiculous as it gets: final-minute goals and stunning comebacks have become the norm, and BU is the only #1 seed to advance past the preliminary rounds.
So, yeah. Two beers with my friends and the players at the bar,
Go BU.
