This is the Most Unique Frozen Four Ever

I haven't blogged about ice hockey in a very long time, a year to be exact, because it's tough to find BU hockey games on TV in New York and this shortened NHL season hasn't made it easy for me to catch a Bruins/Rangers game at the garden. Nevertheless, this has been a super eventful hockey season as BU's Coach Jack Parker announced his retirement after 40 years with the Terriers and in true BU fashion, the final games were an emotional roller coaster, beating archrival Boston College 6-3 to make it to the Hockey East Conference Final!

Unfortunately BU's season ended to UMass Lowell (whaat, wouldn't have thought this would happen 5 years ago) in the Hockey East Final and Parker's career would not see another NCAA tourney. But if anything, this college hockey season has been a story of the unexpected. All four schools in the Frozen Four--Quinnipiac, St. Cloud St, UMass Lowell and Yale--have never won a National Championship. Yale is the only school that has made it to the Frozen Four. Once. SIX DECADES AGO in 1952.*

It's going to be a historic championship no matter which team wins, and I'm just super excited it won't be BC. I'll be cheering for Lowell all the way, go Hockey East!

*Source: Wikipedia

Stikman Still Lives

When I was in D.C. for the Frozen Four, I found these cool robot figures on the crosswalks and wanted to know why they were there or who put them there. Last September, the Washington Post wrote about these street Robots called Stikman that were placed there by an anonymous street artist. Sometimes it pays to be emo and stare at the ground all the time, because you may find a pleasant surprise like Stikman!
So when you're in D.C., keep a look out for the Stikmen because it seems some are fading away.

Today is CHRISTMAS, Signed Hockey Jersey!

Last Christmas, my second cousin who went to BU for grad school gave me an autographed jersey by the '98-'99 team. I WAS SO EXCITED, until I checked their record: 14-20-3. Not such a hot season, and it turns out he was sent the autographed jersey as an alumni gift; however, Mike Eruzione (1980 Olympic Ice Hockey Champs) signed this jersey in the top left right under the 'BO'.
BUT TODAY FELT LIKE REAL CHRISTMAS, because the best team in Terrier History autographed the jersey I have worn to every game in the past four years. We got Hobey Baker winner #97 Matt Gilroy (also signed with the NY Rangers for $3.5 mil/2 years), Colin Wilson who signed with Nashville Predators and is playing on the US National team... I can't believe how cool this is.
The autograph signing was from 5-6 pm at the Student Union, and the lines were already long at 4:20. The players must be exhausted from all the media and press, but it's nice for them to do this for the fans and especially little kids that look up to them.

Photo Below: Matt Gilroy next to his Hobey Baker award.
Thanks again to BU and the Hockey program for letting all the fans enjoy this National Victory!

Destination D.C. - The Drama that is BU Hockey

The three most significant milestones in life are:

1. Your Wedding Day
2. Birth of your first child
3. The day that your favorite sports team wins a National Title!!

Saturday night, BU played in the national championship game in D.C. against Miami University (Ohio) and tied up the game in the last minutes of the the third period after being down two goals... all I have to say is that when BU scored that second goal to make it BU 2-3... I was sooooo scared to watch the 59 seconds left on the clock tick away.

BUT being BU, they always find a way to come back and get the win, even if it means giving the fans an aneurism.  Nick Bonino's tying goal in the last minute of the game blew up the student section (you would have thought we won the game or something).  All of us were in disbelief, at this point, BU wasn't going to let a Miami overtime goal happen and we knew it. Bodies were everywhere.  People just jumped on each other and hugged strangers and the screaming didn't stop. 

IT WAS AMAZING... then Colby Cohen scored an OT goal, sudden death of Miami, and BU ARE THE NATIONAL CHAMPS!!!!! THIS IS THE MOMENT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR MY FOUR YEARS AT BU, and it happened at my very last game.  The world is good again.

BU fans in D.C. cheered down L street, directed traffic and announced to the city that BU was National Champs... if D.C. wasn't a hockey city before, it is now.  It's been an amazing four years being a part of BU hockey and I couldn't be happier with this finish.

Champions DO play here

The Road to Frozen Four begins...

The Terriers are Hockey East Regular Season Champs after their 3-0 win today over the Providence Friars (haha).  For several weeks if not longer, BU has been trailing Northeastern for the title, and to win the Regular Season, the Terriers depended on RIVAL BOSTON COLLEGE to beat Northeastern last night (can you believe that??).  Well as much as I HATE cheering for BC (tooorture), they won (4-1!) giving us a chance to be #1 in hockey east. AND WE DID IT!  

I have screamed, hyperventilated, mourned and celebrated with fellow Terrier Hockey fans since freshman year.  And in my four years at BU, I hoped to see BU make it to the Frozen Four and maybe even win a National Title (last time BU won NCAA title was in '95).  We've always gotten close, but never pass NCAA regionals.

This is it! This is the year I've been waiting for, because damn, our hockey players are GOOD. They deserve to be #1.  We're on a 16-game unbeaten streak and have been #1 in the nation since forever.  Here's a brief cap of the weeks leading up to National Championship in DC:

• 3/13-3/15 Hockey East Quarterfinals @ BU's Agganis Arena
  
• 3/20-3/21 Hockey East Championship @ TD Banknorth
• 3/28-3/20 NCAA Regionals @ I think UNH
• 4/9-4/11 Frozen Four in DC!

Go Terriers! And, THANK YOU SENIORS!

Personal favorite and Senior Brandon Yip #18