Terrier Tuesday: John Papale

If there was ever an obvious choice for Terrier Tuesday, it's John Papale. I couldn't imagine myself feeling so strongly about a freshman deserving it this early on in a season, but I've never been happier to be wrong. After men's basketball's come back and overtime win on Sunday, two things are clear. One, men's basketball is ready to compete this year. After a rough start, they're ready to put it behind them. A good confidence boost like that one will serve them well while they get closer and closer to opening up America East play at the start of next year. Second, it's that some of the woes I had from losing our top players can be quelled with this new class.

And of this new class, I am most excited to see where John Papale is going to take us.

Terrier Tuesday: Rashidat Agboola

The past few women's basketball games have been intense. With some tough games, the team really could've given up. But then that wouldn't be Kelly Greenberg's squad. Starting with the big win over St. John's at the beginning of the December, women's basketball has been just absolutely killing it this month.

There's a lot of things that can contribute to that success. But I think a lot of it has to do with Rashidat Agboola.

Butterflies

I live for those moments when I can feel butterflies in my stomach. I'll take the nauseous feeling any day of the week. Adrenaline rushes are fun and tears of happiness are all great, but nothing can ever compare to that feeling.

Most people get those butterflies when leaving for school. Because no matter what, going away to college is downright petrifying. If you're like me, you've had your heart set on Boston University for a long time. It's the only school you applied to and you don't like having to imagine yourself some place else. But even with all that, all the security you feel in coming here, you never know what to expect. You know that the pedestal you've built can come crashing down at any moment.

Some things change the second you step foot on Commonwealth Avenue. The food is different and West, as big as it is, never really has what you want. The dorms that once held allure you now realize are only tiny and cramped. No matter how many times Mom explained it, you still don't understand how to do laundry. To top it all off, you're given a person at random with whom you have shut up and deal with or jump through hoops to try and get away from.

Within your first week you're already trying new things. You go out and you participate in some school sanctioned activities. You join a club and only go to the first meeting. You go to some parties and probably put yourself in some situations you had only seen in the movies. Through it all you're praying what's right for you will just come along. That something will stick and you'll find your niche.

I found mine on October 2, 2010. The first time I got to experience Boston University Men's Ice Hockey first hand.

Terrier Tuesday: Marie-Philip Poulin

I'm going to try a little experiment here. Weekly I'm going to try and pick an athlete that I love having wear Scarlet and White. It won't always be because of the number of points they score (although that's awesome) but it'll always be about them as Terriers.

Let's see how this goes, I guess?

First Terrier Tuesday feature: Marie-Philip Poulin

Back to Boston

Jerry York finished the weekend tied for first place in wins among Division I college hockey coaches, tying Ron Mason's 924. This Friday night the Eagles travel to Providence College and at the end of the night, Jerry York may find himself in sole position of first. Because of this, apparently BC fans are going off and grabbing as many PC tickets as they can. Myself, just like all other college hockey fans (of the Terrier variety or not) were completely shocked at this action. But don't worry, we were reassured by a BC student young fan that BC travels well. I mean, how stupid of us to think otherwise.

But this isn't about them. It's about us Terrier fans. About how we don't need an incentive to get our asses to away games and make them as exciting as they always are. About how we do it because nothing is more fun than being insulted in the name of your team. About how we can be that group of fans that college hockey needs and deserves. Case in point, last night at Conte Forum.

You Shouldn't Give Up on Men's Basketball Just Yet

A 0-5 start to the season is pretty rough. Even if you're the most diehard Terrier basketball fan, not seeing a win yet makes you question the season. At the same time, we have to worry that if we don't have a near spectacular overall record, there isn't a shot in hell of us making the NCAA tournament (America East you suck). It's a little nerve-racking knowing there's no longer a superstar to carry us - John Holland is gone, Darryl Partin is gone. Even dearly beloved Jake O'Brien left us. And we can't forget about Patrick Chambers and the tiny part of our hearts that followed him to Penn State. I mean, sometimes it feels like the entire heart and soul of this team has moved on for one reason or another.

Alright, are we done with the self-pity now? Men's basketball takes on Coastal Carolina tonight and I've got a few reasons why there's no way I'm giving up on this team just yet.

For Newton

We've come to that week. That one week we've had circled on our calendars since the schedule came out. That one week where we can face our rivals not once, but twice. Where we can stay home and get away. Where we hope to, once again, prove that Boston College sucks.

It's really never hard to get amped up for this week. You don't need to read this or any other blog to tell you how important this weekend will be. It's pointless to try and coerce you to show up to Agganis on Friday or head to Conte on Saturday - I know you will. It's pointless to try and tell you to scream louder than ever, be more proud than ever, and act like a Terrier more than ever - I know you will. It's pointless for me to even be writing a post about this week at all.

So, what the hell am I doing?

November 16th-November 18th

This weekend is going to be incredibly packed with Terrier athletics. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday can be spent enjoying a tropical vacation in the ever toasty Case Gym or a winter wonderland in either one of the hockey rinks. 6 games, 4 teams. And if you would rather have it any other way, you can get off my god damn blog.

Cheer Up Charlie, BC Still Sucks

A loss against BC in any context is always brutal. It's just one of those games you never want to come out of on the wrong end. Yet inevitably, we somehow often do. But rather than dwell on a hard fought battle, I'll give you some of my reasons to take this and get more angry for the next meeting in 18 short days.

Women's Basketball Opener

I'm glad we've all been having a dandy time with ice hockey and soccer and whatever else have you this fall. But this week marks the start of another season for women's basketball. Full disclosure here, I pretty much could care less about the NBA. But when it comes to collegiate basketball and BU basketball, I go crazy.

I know a lot of you may have some reservations about making it to women's basketball. For whatever reason, the games just "haven't work out" and you just "didn't get a chance to go." Well, now's the time to stop making excuses. This Friday night women's basketball takes on the number one hated rival across the board - Boston College. If you're on campus and don't make it out to this game, well, quite frankly, you suck.

If you want some more convincing, keep reading.

MIH - North Dakota - 11/2-11/3

It doesn’t matter that we all left with Chelsea Dagger stuck in our heads. It doesn’t matter that we had to explore Grand Forks (and East Grand Forks) for eight hours. It doesn’t even matter that Matt Grzelcyk didn’t acknowledge me at all during warm ups (one day...). North Dakota was the place to be this weekend.

RIP Bleed Scarlet, November 2011 - November 2012

The offseason is typically a time for athletes, coaches and fans to rest. To recuperate and get away from the game if only for a month or two. A time when we can all breathe and regroup.

I don't believe Boston University Athletics got a chance at its own offseason this year.

It seems like every which way the athletes turned they were thrown into more adversity. For some, it was getting their character questioned day in and day out. It doesn't matter if they were friends with certain people on their team, all that mattered was that they participated in the same sport. People even tried to test the judgements of our recruits and questioned why they would even want to come to this school anymore. For others, it was getting their hard work devalued. It didn't matter if they could, yet again, prove how dominate they were. They were going to have that ripped away from them no matter what. Even if they fought their hardest, won as many games as they possibly could, they would have extreme difficulty trying to earn the opportunity to represent their school in a national tournament. And for the rest of them - they're still fighting day in and day out to prove their worth.

Yeah - all of that sucked. Even for the fans. All the sudden we were in a position where the sports we love to support were being attacked on all different levels. It wasn't just about proving ourselves to our rivals anymore, we were being asked to prove ourselves to countless ordinary people who felt some sense of entitlement to judge us.

But the good part of it all was that nobody backed down from the challenge. People were outraged at the decisions of others. We all spoke out about it. All of the sudden there were Facebook pages popping up, petitions being started, articles being written - all in overwhelming support of our teams. We would gladly defend the right to play. It branched deeper than just the diehards, too. Anyone who wears Scarlet and White was part of this. It started last Winter and is still going strong now. It has never felt better to go to a men's ice hockey home opener than it did this year. The massive student sections spoke volumes as to how much we care about this place we've all decided was our home. That support speaks louder than any competition bans or character criticisms people will throw at us.

And that is by far way cooler than anything I could ever hope to put into words on this blog. For a year, I've tried to show just how awesome we are, but I just can't accurately do that. So it's with a heavy hear that I announce today the end. After a year of truly loving what I was doing, I will be doing it no longer.

Reason #1

Reason #5
Reason #4
Reason #3
Reason #2

Today is the first day of October which only means one thing - college hockey season is here. Yesterday the women's ice hockey team played their first exhibition game vs McGill and from what I hear killed it. This weekend they go at it again vs Newton University and then the men's ice hockey team takes the ice for the first time.

After a rough year last year and an a-typical offseason, some Terrier fans needed to be reminded why the start of the men's ice hockey season was a good thing. Over the summer I started giving people my reasons to be excited for the season in hopes to show them. But it all comes down to this post - the number one reason.

This is Boston University Men's Ice Hockey.


You can knock this program down all you want. You can say the kids aren't the same, the coaches aren't the same, the rink isn't the same. You can stop buying tickets, stop supporting, stop watching. But this program will always remain one of the absolute best in college hockey. One thing you can't deny is BU hockey's storied history.

We have five NCAA Tournament Championships. That's five times we have been able to call ourselves the best. Even if you take those away, it's still obvious just how dominant this program is. 29 Beanpot wins, 21 Frozen Four appearances, 12 conference tournament championships, two Hobey Baker Winners. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

We have state of the art facilites. The team is well equipped to work hard and play hard. Agganis Arena is a beautiful place to play and yes, a comfortable place to watch. Everyone knows about us and everyone fears us.

But it's what's underneath that's even more important.

This is Boston's team. Boston's only team. BC doesn't count, Northeastern doesn't count, Harvard doesn't count. We play in the city and we represent the city. In the end, we're a Boston team through and through with a coach that swears too much and a team that jokes around a lot. We work hard and we play hard. We make mistakes, yes, but we also make history.

The biggest part of this is the connection between the team and the fans, this sport and the fans. Boston University men's ice hockey means something different to everyone who watches them. To some it's just a team to cover, another team in the college hockey world. To others, it's everything from something to do on a Friday night to something that breaks your heart or gives you joy day in or day out. And sometimes we can all forget that.

In Massachusetts, in Boston, at BU, hockey isn't just a sport. It's what brings us together and what defines us. It's not just about who wins or loses but about the pure joy you get out of watching some guys skate around a rink. The Dog Pound, alumni, families - we all watch this sport to come together and to be apart of something bigger than us.

And yeah, there is a difference between the fans and the players. They put on the jersey because they have to. They may want to do it more than anything they've ever wanted in their life, or it may be just a backup option. But each and every one of us puts that jersey on because we want to, because we need to. We chose to wear it because we want to make a mark on this program just as much as the players do.

This program gave us people to look up to, whether it was Jack O'Callahan or Mike Eruzione, Chris Drury or Travis Roy, Kieran Millan or Matt Gilroy. Those people exist and are as much of BU hockey as the guy who wore the number 10 last year. And face it, in idolizing these people, we get to learn more about ourselves. Some of us find a role model on the ice, some of us off of it. For some of us, thinking of these people makes us think of the way we felt when we first skated on a patch of ice. For others of us, it reminds us why Boston University is the best institution we'll ever attend. And I don't know about you - but nobody messes with the places I love.

So if you're as fed up as I am by Googling "Boston University hockey" and getting nothing but degrading articles, you should be as excited for this season as I am. Excited to get back at it and once again prove to everyone why BU is one of the best. Working hard and exceeding expectations is just what this school and this team do. And if anyone wants to be a hater, let them. It just serves as more motivation to defend ourselves as Terriers. And by defending ourselves as Terriers, we can help prove why this program is as storied as is it.

Get your jersey ready. Canada comes to town in less than a week and showing Canadians we can beat them at their own game (literally) seems like a good way to kick off yet another season of BU men's ice hockey domination.

6 days.

Reason #2

Reason #5
Reason #4
Reason #3


Well it's the first day of classes which means we've got to be getting close to hockey season, right? The Top 5 Reason countdown is almost complete, but before #1 comes out, check out reason #2.


Reason #2 - The Dog Pound

So not at all an original reason for why this season is going to be ridiculous but it is ALWAYS be worth repeating - our student section is the best (no, really).

Nobody can really quite put their finger on it, why last year there was such a turn around, but honestly who cares. We all became better fans and that's all that matters. Nothing can compare to those away games last year. Nothing can compare to how much louder we got. The best part is that everyone else takes notice of it, too.

Before I get into this year, why not reminisce a bit.

vs. BC - Bus + making a whole section plus ours + Superfrauds checking out early = our house

vs. Harvard - Sitting on top of the team + coming from behind + ChrisCo scoring (this is way more sexual than intended) = our house

vs. Providence - Losing track of which sieve chant you're on + an angry Friar - all students that attend PC = our house

vs. Northeastern - The whole thing = our house

vs. Minnesota - Lots of Gopher fans that don't know what chanting is + being mic'ed up + 20 or so of the loudest BU fans = our house...none for Charlie Coyle

Then of course there was Merrimack and Lowell and even that Vermont trip (and StuVi party back in Beantown), all of which have their place in Dog Pound Domination history.


That's cool. Now how about this year?

Well no need to spoil the fun for any of the new guys, the student section will speak (or chant) for itself. Just know that there's been preparation (aka facebook messages about nothing at all hockey related at 2 AM) for this year starting way back in May. People are going above and beyond what has been done in the past and the season hasn't even started yet.

The biggest complaint (and yeah, it's been one of mine) is how dry Agganis can be. How un-Walter Brown Arena it is. For the first time, I am completely confident it's going to be different this year. First of all, the people that inhabit the 118 and the 108 are more stupid (in a good) than they ever have been. They're closer (in every way imaginable) than they ever have been. There's no reason not to scream your ass off when you're surrounded by 2,000 of your best friends.

Secondly, the team is so apprecitive of us and what we do. I'm sure we all remember the post with quotes from the team (KEVIN. GILROY.) itself thanking us for everything we've done. That is just going to feed into how loud and how obnoxious we can get. If we can do it away there's no reason not to do it at home.

Thirdly, we've all got so much to prove. Let's just say it, last year frickin sucked. And we aren't even on the team. The emotion and energy that will be at this year's games are way more than usual. If your blood isn't boiling before you even enter those doors, something is seriously wrong with you.

Fourthly, and this is for all the haters, if you want it to be more WBA-esque, why don't you plant your ass there and watch a women's ice hockey game? I'm so sick of the argument that people miss that place but don't show up to it when they can. If you step foot in there and scream like you know you can, you're going to get that feeling again. Those old feelings of being in a rink, not an arena. The excessive noise, even the excessive cold. And I guarantee once you taste that 1) you'll want to do it again and 2) that'll transfer to Agganis. Ask anyone who's done it and I promise you that they will agree.

So this is it. The year it finally all comes together. Everyone that made last year happen is going to want to see it done again. All the progress made last year is just going to make us want more of it this year. I know that once people start to really see that we can't be messed with - at our permanent home or one of our vacation homes - it won't stop. This student section is going to get back to where it was in 2005 when it was recognized as the best in college hockey.

When we all start realizing that this is one of only three teams that can compete for conference hardware this year, we're all going to go absolutely insane. And once we all really believe what Parker said ("I think they think they help us win, but I don’t think they know how much they help us win") this is going to be one of the best years of Dog Pounding (you laughed) in years.


33 Days.

Reason #3

Reason #5
Reason #4

Reason #3 to be excited for this year's men's ice hockey season - the new additions in Scarlet and White


This is without a doubt one of the best recruiting classes for this upcoming season. Maybe we don't have any of the big name recruits, but BU has managed to nag a great group of guys that are all going to contribute to this team on and off the ice.

I'm not going to beat a dead horse with all the information for these guys that's already known, but I'll give a quick recap.

Sam Kurker, Mike Moran, Wesley Myron - I'll admit I don't know too much of these guys. But from what I've read, they're going to pick up the offensive slack we've accumulated. Of course we've lost people like Chiasson and Trivino, but the upcoming sophomores definitely could've contributed more than they did. And as far Kurker - we got ourselves another local that grew up a Terrier.

Sean Maguire and Matt O'Connor - There is nothing like a fresh crop of goalies. Most people expect Maguire to start out this year but that doesn't mean O'Connor's going to stop pushing to get that top spot. Friendly competition is always a good thing. Ah yes, and I do remember reading somewhere that at least one of these boys has been recognized for their intelligence in the classroom. So all the BC trolls that think our academic standards compare can suck it. Oh yeah, and the last time we had a freshman goalie in net...well, you all know how that saga ends.

Matt Lane and Danny O'Regan - Normally these two wouldn't be lumped together but I'm going to because of their play in the U18 Tourney this year. Matt Lane contributed offensively more than most expected him to, so that'll be nice to fill in some gaps up front. As far as O'Regan goes - nothing was more impressive than his grit. I think we might actually have a centerman who can win faceoffs now. Everyone, go re-read that last sentence. Now Rejoice.

Matt Grzelyck - Who's ready to read the love letter of the century?
Now I wouldn't subject you all to that, but I've honestly been excited to see this kid on our side for a long time now. Another local kid, another BU baby. Now it's even gone a step further as Grizzy was drafted by the Bruins. If that's not enough to make you love the kid, know that what he'll bring is more than anyone expects. I think Grzelyck is one of the most underrated skaters coming in this year and there's nothing better than surpassing people's expectations. Shut up, we all know he's undersized, but damn is he smart. Think Clendening but with less of the obnoxious hype and even more of the defensive skill.


Right. We've got ourselves at least eight huge pluses coming in. So what? Why are our incoming freshmen better than anyone else's?

Because everyone outside our walls thinks these kids are downright crazy. They can't comprehend why on earth these recruits would stick around and come to this school with all the mud that our hockey program has been dragged through the last year. Not even just the hockey program, but the entire school. With the rate at which kids are decommitting, any one of these eight incomers could've left at anytime. Even Sam Kurker, who was about to be pushed back a year, stuck it out and got his opportunity.

Alright yeah, they might be a little crazy. But just crazy enough to take everything they've got and show the college hockey community just why Boston University hockey is Boston University hockey. Most of them are already in Beantown taking classes and battling through 8 AM workouts. They're doing it so they can focus on hockey, 100%, and so they can focus on being the best team members they can. The dedication they've already shown should be enough to reaffirm any Terrier that the incoming class is going to serve as a huge momentum swing towards playing hockey beyond the beginning of March.

So if you're feeling a little bit down on the upcoming season, take a page from these guys. They're bleeding Scarlet harder than the average CAS upperclassman right now. Their passion for this game and their excitement to play at this school will inspire anyone. The idea of playing in Agganis, being coached under Parker, and wearing the letters that are attached to some of the greatest hockey history - they've all been preparing for that longer than most of us took to even look at colleges. To them, the idea of college has always involved skates and sticks, guts and glory. And I guarantee you they will not give up these upcoming experiences for anything some idiots with a USCHO screen name say.

As for the rest of us, whether we call BU home or not, we should remember that these kids have every right to throw on that jersey and represent Boston - the whole city - game after game. Just because of things that have happened doesn't mean these freshmen all don't deserve a clean sheet of ice. This is what they grew up wanting and working every single day for. The least we can do is give them the reception they deserve. We should show them why they decided to play here, as a part of one of the most storied hockey programs. Through packed stands and top of our lungs screaming, these newcomers need to see the parts of BU hockey that we've all come to love. From October 7th at 1 PM to whenever our team last leaves the ice on the first weekend in April, they deserve our respect. After all, it's through them that we find ways to waste our time on Friday nights at 33 Harry Agganis Way and our money on plane tickets to Minnesota...and other places. It's through them that we find our jerseys acceptable every day attire and hear our voices turning more hoarse as the year progresses. It's through them that we all find our inner crazy and the reasons why we love Boston University.

51 days.

Reason #4

Today is one of the best days all summer as the 2012-2013 Men's Hockey schedule was finally released. If that isn't enough to get you all jazzed up about the season, I'm giving you another reason in my top 5 list why you should all be more than excited for this season.

Reason #5

Reason #4 - BC Sucks

Oh you know, just the most obvious blog post of all time.


For real, BC had its year. It did its thing and won a championships (cool story, bro) but we still beat them at home...twice, against what the nation believed was the best college hockey goaltender...twice.

BC may have current bragging rights on us, but honestly what's better than that? What's better than a rivalry when one team has something to prove more than it usually does? The rivalry is going to be better than ever this year, especially now that the Natty Championships are equal in number.

But in all actuality, aside from that fact that they are Newton fricken University, here's a list of why BC sucks.

- Their fans suck. Evidence of course is present from the dates of 11/13/11 and 12/2/11. Possible reasons for that are, 1) football takes priority, 2) no one can find the rink in Boston, 3) the students picked the wrong school and are completely embarrassed by that fact and thus never attend games unless it's in a piss colored teeshirt and not a jersey because why would they spend good money supporting a school like that.

- No Dumoulin, no Kreider, no Cross. But don't worry, they still have Lil Milzy who will probably get off to a crap ass start again, so bad that BC has to touch upon all of its goaltenders, but will be consistent at the end of the season and thusly all of college hockey will praise him like the second coming of baby Jesus (well, the Catholic schools anyways). The fans (and by fans I mean us) will enjoy this season with Steven Whitney at the helm, the Eagle version of Ryan Kesler/Sidney Crosby/PK Subban. That way when we go visit Conte we can watch two sports for the price of one.

- Jerry York is a horse's ass...Jerry York drinks decaf...Jerry York is too concerned with team mass to coach...all other Jerry York jokes are true and applicable.

- Their band sucks. Unless you think playing Every Time We Touch over and over and over again is 1) pleasant to listen to, 2) appropriate college hockey music, 3) appropriate music at your institution.

- Their T storms suck. I'm sorry, when's the last time you ACTUALLY stopped BU fans from getting to the Beanpot? Stop trying to sell that to everyone. Also, when's the last time the MBTA sent an empty train to wait at the end of the B line so it could pick up all your fans from a ridiculous away game? But you know if getting to the game...5 and a half minutes before it starts is your thing, by all means go right ahead. I'm sure Friar fans could give you some tips.

- Just for reiteration: you are neither in Boston nor a college.

In a completely non-biased way though, there is no reason for BU not to continue to dominate BC this year. As we've proved, we can beat Parker Milner. The only game BU lost to BC when he was playing was the Beanpot and that was only by one goal in the last seconds of an overtime period. Secondly, there isn't a single guy on this team that has won a Beanpot...if that isn't motivation enough than nothing is. Thirdly, let us reminisce on the away games last year, the games that the team couldn't stop talking about. The BC games were where the BU fans finally took over and made Conte our house. That is going to happen this year...and it'll be even better. Sorry to rattle your concentration BC. If you want some classy pointers on how to treat away fans, please talk to Northeastern.


Dear BC,

Hope you had a nice time last year. Please enjoy that National Championship. But more importantly, enjoy your hangover this year. Can't beat a team full of mad dogs who have nothing more to do than prove to the world once again why BU hockey IS college hockey.

Love,
Terrier Nation


88 days.

One BU

I don't care what the rule books say. I don't care if BU knew about the rules. I don't care what conference BU is competing in - today, tomorrow, or next year.

I care that there are 19 teams worth of student-athletes, full of the kids I go to class with, that have to have their season taken away from them.

As everyone knows, America East has voted to ban Boston University from participating in conference championships for the upcoming season because of their decision to jump to the Patriot League starting in 2013. As many have stated, the bylaws were put in place after Northeastern left that any team leaving the America East conference would be banned from conference post season play. And as everyone has already spat out time and time again, Boston University administrators were aware of this before making their decision.

First things first - what? How is taking away the chance to compete in conference championships, of which winning is effectively the only way BU teams could get an NCAA bid, a viable punishment for such a choice? It was an administrative decision, just like it would be for any other team, and now the kids that are the ones putting it all out there day in and day out are the ones being punished.

Secondly - why does this protect other teams still competing in the conference? I get what America East is trying to do, trying to keep its conference as competitive as possible (which will definitely get less competitive with the absence of BU), but from the student-athlete perspective it's just stupid. If any of the other student-athletes at the remaining America East schools find themselves ecstatic that they have a better chance at the NCAA tournament with BU gone, then they need to re-evaluate why they started their sport in the first place. For the rest of the student-athletes, they know that winning this year is just not going to be as sweet, not without going through BU the entire playoffs and proving that they do in fact deserve it.

But the biggest kicker is for our student-athletes.

There is nothing I enjoy more than going to a BU athletics event and I can name a lot of other people that feel the same way. A lot of other people that aren't part of an official student group on campus, but a rather exist in a mesh of SMG seniors, CGS freshmen, COM males, ENG females and everyone else that identify themselves as The Dog Pound.

But with no conference championships to win, an NCAA bid far off, and a conference that no one wants to call home, why should we really care about this season?

We should care for them. This season is all about pride, respect, and camaraderie.

Those athletes still have Boston across their chest and no matter where they're playing or what they're playing for, they aren't going to forget that. Boston University is Boston's school and the athletes have every reason to keep fighting for that. The fans have every reason to continue to show up to games, matches, and meets clad in their finest Scarlet and White to show support for the group of people that play for us, for our school. Just because they can't hoist up an America East trophy at the end of the season doesn't mean we can't hoist up the BU flag at every single game.

For some, this is the last time they will ever wear their jersey. It'll be the last time they step onto the field, dive into the water, run onto the court. And for everyone else, it's a year that they lose out on a very short four year run for a championship. These are the same people that we go to class with every morning, see in the GSU every afternoon, and will continue to cheer on every night. They are just normal people who take life a step farther and put every last physical and emotional part of themselves on the line just so fans like us can tell everyone that "we won!"

By now, everyone's seen the hashtag #OneBU. I've seen lots of athletes and coaches use it, but it's time for the rest of us to step up and fulfill the meaning of it. These athletes still have a lot to compete for, a lot to prove, and we should and need to be there every step of the way. These athletes have more heart than professionals, more drive than the average college student, and more class than any other college athletic organization in America East and beyond.

This season will undoubtedly be a special one. It's not about the banners but rather banning together for the one thing we all share - love for our school. It's not about what happens at the end of the season but in every moment of it. It's not about proving to others why BU is the best, but proving to BU why our athletes are the best. This season is not just for those on the field, but also for those in the stands watching and cheering them on. Even if those athletes don't get the opportunity to call themselves America East champs ever again, they deserve the opportunity to say they played in front of diehard fans, classmates, and friends all season long.

This season is for BU and BU only.

Reason #5

Well, there's officially less than four months until the start of the BU Hockey season. Which only means one thing...let's start getting pumped now.

If you read the USCHO Forums (and god help you if you do) you may have noticed that BU "fans" are getting a little lax in the enthusiasm department lately. Yeah, we had a pretty rough season. But seriously, when all is said and done that was a more successful season than people anticipated.

Anyways, to get us all amped up for the season, I figured I'd give my top five reasons why BU fans should be more excited than ever to throw on that Scarlet and White jersey.



Reason #5: The Guys That Are Coming Back

Yeah, we have lost a few good men in the past season. Of course, we not only lost our number one goaltender but our number two, not only our Captain but the biggest Terrier on and off the ice I've seen (if you haven't read what Kevin Gilroy said about the Dog Pound, stop reading this and read this now). Beyond those that graduated, we also lost a lot of offensive talent (whether for better or worse). Then to top it all off, we took the biggest blow ever on the face of the earth in the history of the universe when Adam Clendening decided to sign with Chicago (I'm not biased).

But that doesn't even match up to the guys that we've got coming back.

These are the guys that had to deal with all the adversity hard core. They not only had to see their best friends leave, they had to stay around and take the blunt of the punishment from jackasses who wanted to classify the whole team as, well, we all know what.

We have already seen what they did with that fire. After the Notre Dame game, the team really turned it around. They stopped playing selfishly and started working as one. Even in February after the second hit to the lineup, the team was still playing at a high level. And obviously they made it all the way to Minnesota. Most people (even the haters) said that the biggest reason for not advancing beyond that was because of the offensive holes in the lineup, not the emotional ones.

Now with the hero from Canton at the helm, there is absolutely no reason for us to not take Hockey East this year. We're going to fill up the holes that we lost with the new freshmen (trust me, that's a blog post for another day). The emotional bonds that the team forged last year definitely haven't been broken. Without a doubt these guys have to be out for blood. They had the world on their shoulders for a whole season, and now they have more of a reason to come out fighting.

The senior class is going to be the most passionate leaders this team has seen in a while (perhaps 2009?) They watched their best friend dragged through the mud and then have his name cleared. They are the oldest class of Terriers not to see a National Championship. God damnit they haven't even won a Beanpot. This is their year. From Wade Megan, his goal scoring, and his C to Ben Rosen, his grinding, and his selflessness - this is it.

After all, we all know there's nothing like a college hockey team full of guys who have something to prove who have the ability to do just so.


111 days until October 13th.

BU Hockey 2012

The video compilation I made of the 2011-2012 Boston University Men's Ice Hockey Season, both on the ice and off of it. I own none of the clips nor pictures, they all come from Dog Pound members and YouTube.

How many days until October 13th?

NCAA Regional Semis 2012 - St. Paul, MN

7-3 L. That doesn't reflect the way the game truly went. That doesn't reflect the way this team's postseason has been going. That doesn't reflect how the second half of the year played out. That doesn't even remotely reflect the amount of heart needed to get this far.

In mid December, you could've stuck a fork in this team. Most BU hockey fans I'm sure remember hearing the awful news in the middle of the night. We barely had time to think about that before we lost another. It was just another two months later when we would lose our third.

Coming out of that seems ridiculous. Nobody would've been surprised to see us fold. People didn't expect much. I'm not sure the team expected much. But look how far we've come. After not making the NCAA tournament two years in a row, the boys were back in it. They faced some tough competition and despite the score, they certainly looked like they belonged. Belonged all the way out in Minnesota. In a sea of gold. In the "region of doom" (thanks Peters).

Now that's what heart does. All of us hockey fans know that and can see that. We've been calling it the whole time. The whole second half of the season we saw a change. From the little things like Ben Rosen giving up his spot in the exhibition game to help Parker find another center to the big things like Alex Chiasson turning down the penalty minutes to an almost undistinguishable amount. We were able to witness a team coming together right before our eyes.

But here's something you don't hear talked about every day - Team Dog Pound.

Like I've said, I've only been at this school for two years, seen two seasons of hockey from 118. But this season things have been miles ahead of where they were.

It took just a simple BC game to rally us all. A game when a few of us decided to take a T trip out and root on the boys in enemy territory. It exploded after that. We've all been a part of that and we've all contributed to that, we've all made this student section a force to be reckoned with.

This season may be over, but that doesn't mean jack for what we've established. It's not the end of an incredible upturn in The Dog Pound.

So to the new class of 2016 - get ready for this. Some of you know BU hockey like the back of your hand having grown up around the city. Some of you probably don't even know what hockey is. But I promise you, you will have the time of your life if you get in with The Dog Pound now. Trust me, just one game and you'll be hooked. Soon you'll want to experience what's beyond Agganis, what's beyond the Beanpot. Hell, you might even be one of those crazy kids that takes a trip to Minnesota one fine March weekend. Also remember that you are as vital to this group as any. You've got creativity and you can use it, you better use it. Whether you make the choice to sit in 118 or 108, this is going to be your new home.

To the soon to be sophomores, juniors, and seniors - don't stop here. Either this is all you know or this is the best of what you know. That infectious energy is here, don't lose it. This is a whole new ball game now. We're revamped and revitalized but we sure as hell aren't done. Take what we've got and run with it. Now that we know bus trips are possible (speaking of which, BU Athletics, the Dean of Students, and the BU Hockey organization have done so much for us this year - can't even express how grateful I am for that), let's keep it going. Let's keep using the commuter rail, zip cars, and whatever stupid ideas we come up with (let's take an RV to Maine, go undercover if you will). This is a turning point and it's us that are going to keep it going.

To the two months until graduation seniors - thank you, thank you, thank you. Couldn't say it enough. You've had the 2009 experience. But you wouldn't stop at anything to make sure everyone around you had the same chances at that experience.  You've seen the absolute highs and the absolute lows and you've used that as fuel to make your last year here your best. If you were in the band and spent extra time in the band room this year to play Go BU for literally the 8 millionth time just to make sure it was good as it could be - thank you. If you were one of those people that attended everything and supported BU until your throat was shot and your hands red from clapping - thank you. If you were one of those people that hadn't even seen the inside of Agganis until this year but found a new life in it - thank you. And if you were one of those rare people that gave up your time, your car, your money, whatever it was to make sure the rest of us could get to the games with you - thank you beyond belief. Now get the hell out of our sections and go find new ones. We're not kicking you out for good, but trust us - you've left this place in good hands.


One last one - thank you BU Men's Ice Hockey 2011-2012. I won't lie, I've always been the Mike Eurzione, Chris Drury, old school BU hockey lover. More recently, I wished I was here for Kevin Shattenkirk in the Scarlet and White, for Matt Gilroy becoming a BU hero. I could be disappointed with what I've gotten, but that's not it at all. I bet you no one expected to get what they got out of this team. The new freshmen who have so much potential and who now deserve to wear this program's uniform. The somewhat idiotic sophomore defensemen who we all love so dearly even though they may see the inside of the sin bin more than the ice. The junior class who has come out of nowhere to be the glue of this program this year and the hope for next year. And finally, the seniors. Kevin Gilroy, Ross Gaudet, Ryan Ruikka, Grant Rollheiser, Kieran Millan, and Chris Connolly - thank you. I'm so thankful I've had the chance to watch you all. Forget the past standouts, the individuals that "defined" BU hockey - we got a full-fledged Scarlet and White monster. And a special thanks to Chris Connolly for reminding us all why we go to this school, why we go to these games. Why we spend ridiculous amounts on jerseys, tickets, and transportation. Nothing can match the heart you, as a two year Captain, brought in with you from Duluth, MN in 2008. The fact that you wear the uniform always makes it easy to be a BU fan.


The season may be over, but here's to counting down the days until October 2012.
Bleed Scarlet.

Boston University Women's Ice Hockey

We've all heard the stories about Miami. About the comeback. About the 2009 National Championship. Some of us were there, some of us at home, some of us completely oblivious to the fact that our future school was dominating in the Division I Men's Ice Hockey world. Yesterday at the 2012 Women's Hockey East Championships, I was with two people that were in DC that night. And with 7.3 seconds left in the third period, they exploded. One of those people even said "I didn't even react like that in 2009."

For those of you living underneath a rock, yesterday the Boston University Women's Ice Hockey team captured their second Hockey East title and their third straight bid into the NCAA tournament. That's cool. Even cooler when you consider the program's only been a division I sport since the '05-'06 season.

But better than '09? Better than the two goal epic comeback, the overtime win? Can a conference title, one goal epic comeback, double overtime win really top that?

I can't fairly debate on that, but here's what I can fairly tell you: yesterday was the most gut wrenching and gratifying winning of college hockey hardware I've ever witnessed personally.


I've said this a million times before, but this team is the most emotional team I've ever watched. When it comes to hockey, you generally have 20 some odd guys using their strength and their senses to win games. In college, those 20 some odd guys are generally anywhere from 18 to 23 years old (unless you're Merrimack, which I just double checked - not a single guy born after '91, get those dudes some walkers). And when it comes to women, well, yeah. You've got an emotional as all hell group of people.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you women's college ice hockey. The most captivating games you'll ever see.

I don't want to discredit our men's team here, because I do get into those games. But not all of them. And when they lose, not often does my stomach drop and I fall silent. Most of the time I'm pointing out mistakes, a lack of focus, or the other's team's overwhelming desire to want it more. Yet every women's game I've been to - not just the Beanpot, not just the Frozen Four, every last one - I've been devastated after a loss. Think NHL playoff hockey heartbreak. Because without a doubt I can say those girls put every last ounce of energy into that game and put their wills through a rough three plus periods.

The other day I was reading a book about the 1980 Olympic team and I found this awesome quote from Mark Johnson on women's hockey and why he decided not to switch to coaching the men's team at Wisconsin when he had the chance:

"There was another, underlying part of it, too. I've coached two of the last four [men's] world championship teams, and NHL players. When a guy is making six, seven, eight million dollars a year, you can coach him, but are you teaching him, influencing him? On the men's side, if you're dealing with football, basketball, hockey, in the back of those kids' minds, they want to play for money one day. And that changes the parameters of a lot of things that we deal with, especially with the money that's out there now. On the women's side, their dreams are playing on the national team, in the Olympics. They're here for the right reasons. It's like when we played. Their dreams are similar to what ours were."

That literally sums it up perfectly and will carry more credibility than what I could ever say. But let me just add that I'm grateful I get to watch a team - a true team - remain intact and develop over four years. For most, this is as high up as they're going. And they aren't going to waste it.

And when these girls aren't laying it all on the line on ice, they're being great human beings off of it.

Today I went to offer my congratulations to a few players. I just wanted to give them the thumbs up and then walk away. But after they said thank you, they then went on a five minute spiel about how they wouldn't have won if it wasn't for the fan support, for people like me showing up. They talked about how much they genuinely appreciate noise and energy and how much that transfers. And let's not forget that yesterday after they won, they took their championship pictures along the boards - with the band in the back. They stick salute, win or lose. They honest to god love every last scarlet and white clad student that shows up to a game. And that's why it's incredibly easy to be a fan of this team.


But here's the thing - when I came back to Boston and came back on campus this morning, it was fairly lack luster in the spirit department. No, I'm not calling for the duck boats and I know our basketball teams had a tough weekend, but some people did not know the women's ice hockey team won yesterday. People that SHOULD know.

Here's the deal, we're at a point in the season where it's genuinely hard to make it to games and I get that. The next game is in Ithaca and then (knock on wood) the next two would be in Duluth. I doubt any of the usual hockey fan students can make it out to those, and I understand that.

But god damn, show some support back home. This team thrives off of it and they deserve it. If you aren't comprehending how legitimately good this team is, get your head checked. This semester all anyone can talk about that's hockey related is the men's team's drama. Guess what, the women have their own shit and have overcome it with flying colors. Try losing an Olympian for months to injury, a senior for the year due to a concussion, and a captain for a month while she's competing in Canada. They did that, they got over it. They've owned BC (something we can all get behind) all season. They've got players who have set records, scored hat tricks, and been honored as the best of the best. They just spent their Sunday beating a goaltender who made a record number of saves throughout a Hockey East tournament. Last year they were the first ever Hockey East team to make it to the National Championship title game.

Seriously, a little bit of spirit and a "good luck" is all it takes. They take everything to heart and they play with that. Without that goal on Sunday with 7.3 seconds left in the third, the game wouldn't have gone into over time, they wouldn't have won. Without the will power and heart of the team, that goal with 7.3 seconds left wouldn't have been scored. Without fan support, that will power would've been less - a lot less.

So get your act together. I know this season is coming to a close, but next year is right around the corner. And so is every damn year after that. This team has come from being a club team to being the best of the best in division I in such a short time. You've got to be able to appreciate that. And if you want a good game, all it takes is coming to one of the women's.


I know someone's going to try and tell me I'm going all feminist on them with this blog post, to which I say go ahead. Don't be hatin' because my women's team keeps melting your face off day in and day out.

Still Bleeding

Never would I have guessed that I'd be writing a follow up to a blog post I made back in December. Never would I have guessed that history, alarming history, would be repeating itself. Never would I have guessed that the school I take so much pride in would again be subject to...this.

But I was wrong on all accounts.

Regardless of the verdict in any cases involving any of the hockey team, I've got two things to say.


First, learn how to separate the personal from the professional.

Ignore what anybody else is going to say, ignore what they have already said. You continuing to go to the games and showing support for the team is NOT condoning the actions of individual players. Because we are supporting just that - the team. The long line of jerseys and skates cascading out of the locker room.

Last time I checked, all BU jerseys look pretty similar. All the people I see weekend after weekend have "Boston" sprawled across their chests. It doesn't matter if it's home or away, Bauer or Nike, customized or not. The "Boston", the "BU" - that's what's consistent. That is what you cheer for. That is what you take pride in. That is what you never give up faith on, no matter what.


Secondly, this extends far beyond hockey.

You cannot ignore the bigger implications surrounding all of this. Take the kid (who is innocent until proven guilty), take him off the team, and you've still got someone you don't want to support. But in particular, this kid is and always has been in the spotlight of our school. People want to associate our school with that. People want to ignore the amazing accomplishments that lie with this team, this school, the thousands of Terrier Nation and solely focus on the negative. Suddenly everyone around us is interested in knowing exactly what happens at our school.

And what exactly happens at our school?

Oh that's right, a community - a family - is made. Something that USCHO forum trollers will never understand.

This incident, these incidents, are not reflective of BU culture. These are actions that are wrong no matter what platform they are put onto. This stuff, unfortunately, happens. But it happens absolutely every where. And I for one am thankful I go to BU at this time. Yes, we have some serious accusations going on. But I see the administrating doing exactly what I'd want it to and expect it to. Our drama is on display, but at least it isn't currently being covered up or brushed off.


So on Friday night I'll be in StuVi 2 watching the Boston University Terriers take on the Catamounts of the University of Vermont. The Terriers. A group of 20 some odd skaters wearing the colors I hold in the highest regards.

In sports, personnel changes all the time. Good people leave, bad people come. But you never stop loving your team, your program. It's about the color flowing through your veins, not about the name and number you slap on your back.

Today, tomorrow, next year, forever - I still Bleed Scarlet. And I am incredibly honored to call myself a Boston University Terrier.

Why Terriers Rule and Eagles Drool

Up until like 10 minutes ago, I was literally in depression mode, as I'm sure most of us were. You take hockey fans of the winningest team in the most sentimental tournament and you make them suffer an absolutely heartbreaking loss...that ain't fun.

But as I was making my way home, I saw this: @Clenny5: Thanks to BU fans tonight for the support. Best fans in Hockey East.

To which I replied, well god damnit Adam, yes we are.

Okay, okay, I rag on us in a loving way. If I ever complain it's about petty stuff because we're so close to perfection it's killing me.

And not that I think any of you need this blog post to reaffirm your passions, I'm just gonna throw it out there anyways.

We are lunatics. I've sat next to my fair share of crazies at sporting events, but none are more raving than Terrier fans. The past few weeks, sitting around people in zubaz, BU football jerseys, and Kevin Shattenkirk Frozen Fenway jerseys (hey - if you get sick of that, I'll take it), I've learned three really important things: 1) we're loud, creative, and funny as all hell; 2) we know about hockey and we don't ever sit back and become mere spectators; 3) we bleed scarlet. And we bleed it hard.

Every game, we ride this thing out, unlike those Merrimack kids that peace out halfway through the third.  Every game, we keep cheering no matter what the score, unlike those wannabe rivals at Northeastern who find nothing wrong with shutting up if they're losing. We, without a doubt, love our teams and the games they play. And we feel every last emotion - euphoric or gut wrenching - with them.

Tonight was tough. We had to deal with women's Beanpot finals round two. Complete heart and dedication from the kids on the ice and the complete same from those in the stands. Play hard, cheer hard, lose hard. Yes, for the second time this year (these past few weeks) we lose in sudden death.  Yes, for the second time we have to watch someone else celebrate while our players skate doubled over. Yes, for the second time we can't raise a trophy and say we're worth all the beans in Boston.

Well screw that.

Ask anyone, senior, freshman, alumni, and this is a banner year in terms of our student section. Even I've only been sitting atop the 118 for two years and I notice a huge difference from last year. We have stepped up our game big time. We all want to go to the away games and we're all willing to fill 118 and 108 weekend after weekend.

We lost our first game of the season to St. Francis Xavier - nobody gave up. We lost to Holy Cross - but nobody gave up. UMass Lowell absolutely handed our asses to us - again, nobody gave up. Merrimack broke our hearts in over time - guess what, nobody gave up. We lost two centers, two top guys - still, nobody gave up. We went down in South Bend - and nobody freakin gave up.

We have been representing our team, our school, and ourselves like absolute ballers this entire year. What started out as mere BC away games turned into far distance travel games, fan buses, commuter rails, and any other form of transportation you could think off. Road wins, home wins, all loud wins. The Dog Pound has been rocking the hell out of any house we've been to - including the Garden tonight.

By the way, BC fans still suck. There wasn't a single time tonight their team was down but they just sat quiet all night. Didn't even try to mess with us. Most creative chant was BU sucks. Superfans at their finest.

Seriously Dog Pound - we are so much better than that it's hysterical. Bordering on sad for the little Eagles.

So anyways, while I'm in some weird emotional state between depression and optimism, just thought I'd throw it out there that BU students are the best fans in Hockey East right now and have been all year. And it's seriously noted.

BC Sucks. Once a Terrier, always a Terrier. Bleed Scarlet.

Why you should be disowned if you don't take the trip to Lowell on Friday night

Now, first of all, let me say that you should also be going to the Beanpot on Monday night. It's the late game (don't give me that class/work excuse), vs. BC (you know you love it), we're looking to rebound after a funk on Friday, and BC is looking to try and prove that the mass amount of goals they've scored lately has nothing to do with playing crap ass teams, but their supposedly good offense.

If you aren't going to the Beanpot, literally you have no life. And I don't even understand why you're reading my blog, go away.

Alright, well, that's that.


For real though, I'm looking ahead to next weekend NOT because the Beanpot doesn't mean anything (playing for pride is beyond important to me anyways, so this is never a game I'd overlook) but because I'm going to attempt to get it through everyone's heads that they need to spend a couple of bucks and make it to Lowell on Friday night.

For those of you who are little bit less hockey oriented, there's something you need to know: Lowell is like the underdog right now. You know the UVM team you've been ragging on all season?  Yeah, last year that was Lowell. But at the end of the weekend, they're up on us in Hockey East standings. So, yeah, they're doing pretty well for themselves amongst the conference. But it doesn't stop there.

Lowell is currently in a three way tie for 4th place in the PairWise rankings. For anyone with a brain, you know that's the only ranking/stat/whatever that actually matters nationally. Sure BU is still in second, but the PairWise is a fickle SOB. One game, played by anyone, and the whole thing shifts up and down like crazy. That being said, every single game is important.

This is where you come in. This is where you, if you don't already have a ticket, reach into your pocket, get out a couple bucks, get your ass a ticket, and then commit yourself to the commuter rail group heading down on Friday.

This weekend series is going to be huge for both teams. I fully expect a showing at home on Saturday night, but we have to show up in flocks to Tsongas on Friday. The away games is where our team has really been making a killing lately and there's a lot of that that can be contributed to fan support.

Let's take a look at this season in fan support at away games.

First, BU vs. BC on November 13th. There was a lot of people there. I'm sorry, a lot is an understatement. For the away team, we had an entire following. We could be heard throughout the entirety of Conte and we didn't let up, not once. Our team won 5-0 that night (yeah, we shut out the Eagles in their own domain). For those of you that weren't there, our team even came over and stick saluted us, something that Jerry York would later have a little hissy fit over.

But, that was the least of it. We played BC at Conte again less than a month later on December 2nd. That time, there was probably double the fans, double the ticket switching, and double the volume. We had a combination of the DOS/Parker getting us fan buses to drive us down the street. Do you understand what that means? We could've gotten there by T, by taxi, even by walking, but because we were so god damn huge they got us buses. That night, we won again 5-3. The team couldn't stick salute us (wah someone get Jerry York a decaf) but walking through that campus singing oh when BU while cops escorted us and little Eagle children yelled from their windows is a memory none of us will forget.

Now, I'm going to skip a couple games. There were a lot of people up in Maine and UNH and a ton of people watching back home. We got two wins in those games as well. But then there was Notre Dame, a task we're going to have to start dealing with in a few short years. Because of the distance, I don't recall seeing or hearing of any of the Scarlet and White heading down. That was our first test since, well, everything went down, and we lost that game. That was an absolute heartbreaker for everyone in Terrier Nation and everyone started to write us off.

But then the New Year came and how sweet it has been.

We started off with a little Northeastern road trip where we had a great group of people travel back to school before break was up. We took the fricken BUS there and had the time of our lives. We saw Vinny again, some kids tried to bring up the other Puckstar, and we made NESN and their viewers either really happy or afraid of the consequences for not showing us on TV so many times. Our team had a come from behind win that night and despite the fact that the team still wasn't allowed to stick salute, I remember a lot of the boys casually lifting up their sticks and dropping them in our general direction.

The next night we didn't stop. The same kids, plus even more, made a trip across the river to go Harvard. We sat right behind the BU bench and showed the team what was up. With our chanting and cheering ChrisCo got his first two beauties of the season and we eventually were able to tie that thing up. That night the Garrett Noonan fan club was founded (what's up) and in OT he was able to get the GWG and all was right with the world. We all blew up that night and so did the boys. Seriously, picture the 50 or so fans jumping on the seats and screaming our heads off right above the team who was screaming right back. It was one of the most gratifying games we had been to. Those two wins, coupled with the home win against Merrimack, proved to all the haters that we were for real.

That was the weekend Parker wrote that note, and that was the weekend I think we proved to the team that we're in this for the long haul.

Of course, there's been Providence away and Merrimack away since then (where we absolutely dominated in attendance, too). We got two wins in those games. And I'm not even going to talk about how absolutely ridiculous that Northeastern away game will be (Dog Pound, I love you). But we've got one other away game in there, and it's the biggest one yet.

If you could read all that crap about how amazing away games have been and how much the boys (yeah I call the team the boys, don't care) have appreciated it, I think you might be pretty screwed up. If you're not itching to go face our biggest competition currently, you seriously must not be a Terrier. If you aren't willing to spend $9 on a ticket and another $10 on a commuter rail ticket, find a friend who will do it for you. Missing out on this would be one of the biggest mistakes you could make as a hockey fan, no, as a BU student.

It's a Friday night. Give up one night of getting shwasted (do it at midnight when we get back) or studying (who does that) to go hang out with 100 of the most ballistic kids on campus and cheer for a team that needs that atmosphere. I really don't know if you people understand this, but we're making a playoff run right now. And it's not just a Hockey East playoff run.

If Lowell is the underdogs, we're the comeback kids. We don't have new coach who turned the program around, but we've got one who's been the backbone of this program for longer than you think. No we don't have any crazy superstars anymore, but in the goaltending situation that is Hockey East, you gotta give huge recognition to the things Kieran has done. We lost two centers but have you seen Rosen grind it out, shift after shift, doing whatever he's asked? Have you seen the 5 (with Nicastro back in and not 100%, 5 and a half) defenseman working their asses off? Have you seen how every last skater on that ice is contributing to this team, in multiple ways?

Parker said it best when he said that the team knows they aren't a number one team. But the team part is more important than number one. If you can't see the emotion seeping out of the boys every game, you're blind. Better yet, if you can't see how the fans are contributing to that emotion, you're blind AND stupid.

We, as students, have a chance to be a part of a huge series right now. We can make another house our house and we can prove it to this team that they're good enough. That we aren't like some of the other haters and fair weather fans that leave after one loss. We're behind them a million percent, from Lowell to Agganis to the Garden and beyond. We can show them that this is our team, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

So seriously, if you don't already have a ticket for Lowell on Friday, what the hell are you waiting for?

Maine - MIH - 1/27/12 & 1/28/12

BU vs. Maine Men's Ice Hockey, 1/27/12 and 1/28/12 - Agganis Arena, Boston, MA


Bottom Line: Maine beats BU 4-2 / Maine beats BU 3-1

The Memories: The two hottest teams in Hockey East (if not the nation) met after a weekend of sweeps / Officiating might actually have had an impact on the games / All around lots of crazy stuff


First of all, I'm going to go a little bit sports journalist for a second. I have never, will never blame the outcome of a game on the refs. I know that all that matters is what they see and I've learned to let it go. Teams should be able to bounce back from a bad call or two. But on Saturday night, the officiating was just straight up terrible. I'm not saying BU would've won the games otherwise, but I definitely think at the time the calls were messing with momentum, which in turn could have changed the outcome.

But I digress. Time for the stuff I always write about.

Attendance wise, I loved these two games. Sure, maybe not a lot of those "regular" fans showed up, but they don't do anything anyways. Both nights, the 108 and 118 were filled to capacity and on Saturday for the first time in a long time I feel like the sections filled up before the starting line-ups were announced.

But those damn Maine-iacs made noise in our house. I don't care if they were winning. The inbreds made noise in the place where we reside, where we take care of business. For that I am pissed.

So for this week I decided rather than get super game specific, I'd offer general comments on where I think we can improve. Take it for what you will. But here are things that bug me every home game and that are so simple to fix.

Oh, and while I'm on it - just because I offer "improvements" doesn't mean I don't think we're the best fan base in Hockey East. At times I complain about the home atmosphere, but c'mon, we're absolute beauties. We wear jerseys. Expensive jerseys. And lots of us own more than one. Our fans actually understand the game. A big shut up to anyone else who reads this that doesn't go to BU - talk to us about a game and we can admit where BU sucked and where we didn't. And no Parker doesn't pays refs or whatever else stupid crap you come up with night in and night out. We show up to away games. Don't know what I'm talking about? Must not have gone to your own home games this year because I guarantee if you were playing us you saw a lot more Scarlet and White than you were anticipating. We know how to get behind this team. Call us crazy but it doesn't matter if we lost those other guys or if Privitera's gone for a bit or if Clendening has a bad game (bad GAME - not season, anyone who thinks differently feel free to never talk to me ever, ever, ever, ever, ever again), we are behind the boys 2009% (don't read into that percentage, I just wanted a high number).

Okay so back to what I was saying.

First of all, I urge everyone who chants to listen. Guess what, you can watch the game, chant, clap, and listen all at the same time. Everyone speeds up everything and it just sounds like absolute bull. It's not that hard. Everyone simultaneously complains about ole speeding up. So honestly take five seconds to get out of your own head and listen. And a little sound lesson for you all - if you listen behind you, you'll all stay on tempo (big fancy word for "together"). Trust me, the band has the tempo thing down so if you listen to those gems, you're fine. (Seriously, they're so good looking). Even the wheels on your house and the if you can't get into college chants speed up. Just stop thinking you're right and listen around. We all know the words but we sound like crap if we don't pay attention.

Secondly, if the other team scores, don't let them even think about celebrating. Do the post goal "go BU" chant. If we were all doing it, it would change everything. First of all, we'd drown out any other opposing fans who try and sit in our seats. Then, we would remind the other team that it's just one goal, act like you've done it before and get the hell off the ice. Finally, we'd remind our team that, yeah, it's one damn goal. Goals happen in less than a second. Don't mope, take your minus ones, sit down, get revenge next shift. But it only happens if the fans are absolutely making the building rattle. So us, as fans, can't act down and out from one freaking thing. Scream "go BU" or get the hell out of the building and go crochet some doilies (seriously though, I know a guy).

Thirdly, no dead air. I'm not saying fill every little bit of space with a new chant (that just gets annoying). But throw out a single "let's go white" or whatever you want and just keep the crowd into it. Trust me, it happens a lot at basketball games. If one of us spits off an individual cheer, then at least another three people spit out their own right afterwards. It's a simple way to keep up the energy without pissing everyone off saying the same two things over and over again. Speaking of that last tidbit, please pay attention to the cheer we just did. I don't want to cheer "let's go terriers" four times in a row before throwing in a "go BU".

Fourth do not. Under any circumstances. Insult your own team at the game. I do not care how badly we are messing things up. Keep it in your mouth and complain to someone else later. If I see another person throw their arms up when a dman takes a dumb penalty, I will come down and rip your face off. Not kidding. If we're getting on our own team's case we just look pathetic. No crap they make dumb plays. We wouldn't have lost a game yet if we were perfect. But save it for later.

And fifth. I should not even be writing this, but I will. Don't leave the game until it's over. I don't care if there's 4.6 seconds left, we're down by two, and Parker just got tossed. Stay in your seat. Way to waste your own money and your own time by not sticking it out. There are some many instances where games get turned around in the last 5 seconds, NCAA and NHL. How much would you hate yourself if you missed that? Also, don't do that to the team. The boys chose the right route. They chose to play for the love of the game, to get stronger, to try and win for the pride, and for each other. That is way more exciting than those Canadian junior slimeballs who play on a team they use as a catalyst to promote themselves. Not to say that last part doesn't happen in college hockey, but for the most part these people play for the Boston sprawled on the front of their chests. They play for us. Don't insult them by making them think you give up. It makes them give up.

Okay, so good. General ranting done. I know we had a tough weekend but I fully expect in two weeks for us all to go back to Agganis with more heart than ever. I want revenge too, as I'm sure do the players. Can't believe those hillbillies came to our home with their baby blue accent color and their banner. Won't let it happen again with the Minutemen. This is our house.

Why You Should Go Watch WIH vs. BC on Wednesday

First things first, I'm always a fan for getting more people to the women's ice hockey games. I think they deserve support just as much, if not more, than some of the other teams on campus. Yes, I do get frustrated when the attendance is more than just lacking, it's non-existant. But that being said, I'm completely pragmatic. I know men's ice hockey is the best way to get students out of their dorm and wearing Scarlet and White, ready to scream their heads off and show their pride on their sleeves. But with that in mind, if there's going to be a single women's ice hockey game that you attend all year, it needs to be this one.

This game is big for the team and for the school. So far the team has split the season series with BC. BC women's hockey (contrary to the men) is doing superb right now while we are faltering. But that doesn't mean we can't absolutely own this team. We've already done it once and we're hot coming off the weekend win against Vermont. For those of you clueless to the women's team, let me introduce you to some ridiculously hard workers. Jenn Wakefield. She's getting hattys and setting Hockey East records. Leading the team in shots by a mile. She's an elite athlete and spent part of last semester repping Canada. Kayla Tutino. She's got three SHG (that's more than Wade Megan, people) and three GWG (which is tied with Wade Megan who has the most for the men, currently). Oh yeah, and did I mention she's a freshman? Kerrin Sperry. Girl eats, sleeps, breathes hockey. She's keeping the net away from every body and really stepping up. Did I mention her name is Kerrin? That's pronounced KIER-AN. Kerrin *clap clap* Kerrin *clap clap* Kerrin *clap clap*. See it works here, too. And of course, I'm going to throw a shout out to the whole D in general. Boucher, Watchorn, Carly Warren, Fratkin, Miller. Girls are ridiculous and I love watching them all.

As for the school and the students - this is just another chance to prove we win at life. We all know we've absolutely killed Boston College this year. Not just in men's ice hockey, but in everything else. This is the last remaining "big team" game against the Eagles this year and it's our last chance to prove the Eagles suck. That's a cause we can all get behind.

And then there's this rink called Walter Brown Arena. It doesn't have padded seats like Agganis and you can't sit behind the goals. It doesn't fit our normal crowd and it's always freaking cold. But seriously, this place is historic. You know the men used to play here, right? If you don't you're literally an idiot. This place has seen more National Championship teams than Agganis. It's the site of the most unbelievable 11 seconds in Boston University Hockey history.

And we can make it loud.

It doesn't absorb sound. That place echoes like no other with no one in it, so if you pack it full of the 3,800 it can take it's going to explode. The glass is lower which means the players can literally internalize everything you say. It's homey there and it feels like hockey. If you've never been, what are you waiting for?

As much as I could try and spit off stats and logical reasons to go to the game (it's a Wednesday night, take a mid week break - it's more hockey before a massive weekend of the sport - you already paid for a sports pass so use it), the real reason you should go has nothing to do with that.

Of all the teams on this campus (and believe me, I really truly support them all) I have always felt the most emotionally attached to the women's ice hockey team.

Maybe it's because they stick salute us no matter how little of fans show up, maybe it's because they were in the national title game last year, maybe it's just because they have Boston sprawled across their chests, but I can't help but to truly get into every women's ice hockey game I go to.

Despite the fact that they often have afternoon games and we're all sleepy and lazy, those girls play with heart all the time. Not to take away from the rest of the teams, but I want this team to win more than anything. I see constant effort from them, even in the losses. Even when they aren't at their physical peak and aren't playing up to their potential, I still see hustle. Whether their up or down, they demonstrate team work and perseverance through every thing they do.

That being said - they're having a rough go of it right now. Look, I'm completely pro-Poulin and know we're hurting without her, but I know the problems run deeper than that. But I am not giving up on this team just yet. I've seen them play in the Frozen Four. I've seen them prove themselves over and over again to every team they've faced. This program is so young, but they're just so god damn good at what they do. But right now what they need is a push. Some energy. A reason to keep fighting.

And call me emotional when it comes to sports, but holy hell do I know the fans can be the motivation to relight that flame. Those girls feed off energy more so than most teams I've seen, collegiate or not, contenders or not. If they see that they're worth it, meaning if the crowds show up to prove their worth it, I fear for BC's life. No, I'm not kidding around. I have a feeling that they will absolutely unleash everything should more than the usual suspects show up to Walter Brown. And I'll be selfish here - I want to see that.

So, seriously. Stop kidding yourself. You won't be doing homework on Wednesday night and hey you don't actually have to go to class all the time. Spend one freaking night, less than three god damn hours, to trek to Agganis plus five minutes to see a Battle Royale. I want to kick the crap out of BC one last time before the seasons are over and I know you do, too. Give that jersey just one more wear this week. Get yourself some pre Maine weekend energy. Scream your ass off because what the hell else would you rather be doing? I don't care if you're a freshman, a senior, or anyone else, this game could be huge for all those involved. The team deserves this one, and we can give it to them.

Go crazy for the team and I promise you the team will go crazy for you.

Providence - MIH - 1/21/12

BU vs. Providence Men's Ice Hockey, 1/21/12 - Schneider Arena, Providence, RI


Bottom Line: BU beats Providence 8-0

The Memories: Goals from six different Terriers, seven Terriers recorded multi-point nights, along with a PP that seems unimaginable after last year's / Kieran Millan earns his 8th career shut out / PC Hockey has absolutely zero fans aside from that one real life Friar and the two 10 year olds in our section


Truth be told I have absolutely no idea why I am writing this at all. I have nothing to complain about BU wise. But considering I went to the game I might as well talk about it.

Here's a break down of what the day looked like -
BU fan cars show up an hour before the game: BU fans 25 - PC fans 0
BU commuter rail group shows up 45 minutes before the game: BU fans 40 - PC fans 0
BU alumni, friends, and generally older crowd shows up 30 minutes before the game: BU fans 50 - PC fans 0
BU fans collectively stare at the clock in the dark since Schneider can't pay for electricity. They keep staring until 15 minutes before the game. 10 minutes before the game. 5 minutes before the game. Game time. And for anyone keeping score, it's still BU fans 50 PC fans 0.

Literally Schneider Arena is the saddest looking place on the face of the earth, people or not. The entire place is black and silver. And here's the thing. I know there was a basketball game that night, but you're telling me that of all the kids that go to PC, there aren't ANY hockey fans? I know kids here then when given the choice between hockey and basketball, they'd pick basketball hands down even if it isn't the school's token sport. There's none of that at PC? That's absolutely pathetic.

Things that aren't pathetic - the two 10 year old kids that sat in our section and chirped at us all night. Congratulations, young ones. You made more noise than the rest of the other PC fans combined last night. One thing, though. Kids' gonna tell us we have no swag? Last time I looked in the mirror I'm pretty sure the Dog Pound didn't look like Cason Hohmann.

Here's where I thank Garrett Noonan and Bay State Road Sports for making that joke possible.

Okay okay, so for real though. When there's no opposing fans, it's so easy to shut up and just watch the game. But the Dog Pound didn't. Aside from the usuals (like telling Beaudry and Gates over...and over...and over...and over again that they suck), we pulled out some fun ones. Of course, the sieve/back-up sieve made a reappearance. But we also got the anti-semite cheer in as well as you're a racist. Even chanted about BU football and what not. All in all, we were loud, sure as hell creative, and we kept it going. Through 3-0. 6-0. 8-0.

Also, since I knocked the Dog Pound for this last night I'm going to take the time to praise it for singing the Matt Nieto song perfectly last night. Sure, the Sahir one could use some work, but whatever, it's not as easy as Glory, Glory Matt Nieto.

As short and as unnecessary as this blog post is, I'm going to stop here. Because if I kept talking I'd probably start insulting the guy in front of us who told us to stop swearing since his kids were there. And then proceeded to leave his children unattended for 20 minutes while trying to tell any and all security guards about us. Or about the Friar who told us that of all our chants (all. of. them.) the Beaudry you suck one was the worst, and that we should show some class. Or about the kid at the end of the game that asked us if we got paid to be there. Oh, I'm sorry, is that what they do at PC? No, kid. We were not paid to be there. Making the Parker thank you and the Justin Courtnall salute at the end of the game that much better.

All in all, for those who are awful at predictions and can't keep up, Schneider Arena is now our house. You're welcome.

Providence - MIH - 1/20/12

BU vs. Providence Men’s Ice Hockey, 1/20/12 - Agganis Arena, Boston, MA

Bottom Line: BU beats Providence 6-1

The Memories: Terriers get a 4 goal period for the first time in a long time / Millan blocks 36 of 37, giving up a single goal that was, yet again, a collegiate first / Students, students, students. Everywhere


I'm actually going to split up the two game weekend for a first time in a long time. It's because I'm probably going to have different, but hopefully great, things to say about both games.

I am proud to say that for the first time since I've started writing this blog, I actually feel like the crowd in Agganis was doing its job. I know I'll probably get some haters for this, but hey, we don't have the best atmosphere in our home arena. Which is ridiculous because it's the same kids that go to the away games and just dominate those home crowds. But some students (not all) have a tendency to just get bored. If I can EVER hear the players yelling to each other, it's just way too quiet and frankly embarrassing.

If I had to say what makes an atmosphere intimidating, I'd break it down into three things - volume, resilience, and creativity.

Which leads me to Friday night.

The volume, oh, it was there. First things first, sitting in 118 you sometimes have a hard time picking up on what the 108 is saying aside from the traditional cheers (to which I assume the 108 could say the same about us). But I could hear them. From start to finish I could hear them. When you break it down section by section, I still can't complain. There usually comes a point in games when there's only one guy starting cheers and there's only 50 kids joining in. That point never came last night. Cheers were starting to the left of me, in front of me, and hell even behind me. And when one cheer started, I could hear it all around me. Oh, and we did the sieve/back-up sieve chant. Couldn't tell you why, but aside from school-specific ones, that is my hands down favorite. There were also times when we were trying to win battles down low. Rather than sitting there and gasping, ooo-ing, awe-ing, and what not, some kids started chants. I whole heartedly approve that method. If you're as anxious as the guys on the ice, don't let that affect the atmosphere. Those of us in the stands have the ability to harness that, spin it around, and absolutely dominate the noise. Which in turn gets into the players' heads, Terriers or not, and can affect the outcome.

Secondly - resilience. No, that wasn't the best second period from the Terriers by any means. Especially coming after a huge first period, it'd be easy to get lazy and quiet. But that didn't happen. I'm sure if you compared the quantity of cheers in the second versus the first and the third, it would be a lot less. But I can't really say the quality was any worse. Still loud, still full, still going.

Third is creativity. This is probably the only aspect where I could I knock us at this point, and it's not by much. Of course, creativity is harder to come by in a home atmosphere when no opposing team fans show up. That is unbelievably easy to feed off of. I get that, I know on Friday night we couldn't be battling ourselves. But the one thing that bothered me - the post goal cheers. No, not chanting names, but the songs. Both Sahir Gill and Matt Nieto scored last night. For real, do you guys read the Dirty Laundry List? The Dog Pound facebook group? I think I heard approximately 5 people do the Sahir Gill song and 15 doing the Matt Nieto one. That stuff is great. It's so much better than getting complacent with just chanting their names. But it only works if we all do it. Instead it sounded like the 5 of us got drunk and forgot the words to if you're happy and you know it.

But overall, wow. We might not only be number 1 in Hockey East, but I think the fans are making their way up the rankings, too. In some fictional arena atmosphere poll in my head, not the NESN poll we are currently in the process of rigging (bravo, boys and girls). I have to admit, I'm starting to think we can do it. If the Terriers manage to pull off home-ice advantage in HE, they might have more benefits than just the ice.

Look - these kids, Parker, the whole school administration basically has been ranting and raving about us recently. And I dare someone to try and tell me that the fan support hasn't helped drag us from the bottom up. I think there's a reason that we can't really put our finger on our top guy right now. Chiasson's leading in points, but Noonan - what the hell where did all this offense come from, and Santana just played leap frog with a goal-eeerr, sieve in his 4th game back. Wade Megan's still doing the greasiest of work, ChrisCo's getting it going finally, and Clendening is becoming an assist machine. We, the fans, we're making this fun for everybody. We're getting in everyone's heads, lately we're getting on everyone's TVs, and we sure as hell are coming soon to a Hockey East arena near you. But not without laughing, chanting, and cheering opponents out of Agganis first.

Thanks for coming, but our house, well god damnit I think it's finally our house.

Northeastern & Harvard - MIH - 1/13/12 & 1/14/12

BU vs. Northeastern Men's Ice Hockey, 1/13/12 - Matthews Arena, Boston, MA & BU vs. Harvard Men's Ice Hockey, 1/14/12 - Bright Hockey Center, Boston, MA

Bottom Line: BU beats Northeastern 4-3 / BU beats Harvard 4-3 (OT)

The Memories: Two huge come from behind wins for the Terriers / Chris Connolly finally finds the back of the net (twice) versus Harvard / The Dog Pound steals another Hockey East arena and makes it our house, and then doesn't even need to try at the ECAC arena

New year, new games, and what seems like a new team.  That Notre Dame game was rough. Even just watching it on TV I was feeling it.

But onto 2012, the year without Trivino or Coyle. And my oh my, what a sweet year it may be.

This weekend all the little Terriers were still on break but kids that find Boston more exciting than home and own a BU jersey decided to show up to two big road games.

The first was Friday night at Matthews Arena versus Northeastern and Vinny. Oh Vinny. Anyways, the Northeastern students were loud as usual until, oh wait, we started winning and then they shut right up as usual.  I can say that the good ol' Dog Pound was not letting up on the chants and the Vinny cheers even when we ended the first down by two. Our chants, as per usual, were more creative (Parker sucks...that's cute NU, anything else you'd like to share with the class?) and our resilience was there. So even though those Northeastern kids had fun with their vuvuzelas, bullhorns, D Fence sign (what the), and had approximately 300% more penguins than we did, I'm pretty sure we still came out on top.

That's ridiculous, by the way. Matthews (in my small scope of what I've seen of HE arenas in person) has just a great hockey atmosphere. Aside from the fact that I just hate the North - Eastern chant, those kids can get loud. For the most part they stay loud and antagonizing until, like I said, they start losing. But even then there's still a handful of kids who don't give up. And as stupid as their signs are (I'm glad you love Dongara and Bitetto, I do, but really?) at least they've got some. Overall that can be a damn intimidating place to play, but thanks to the Dog Pound keeping up with the volume and the creativity (and giving Rawlings a warm welcome every time he came to visit) I'm pretty sure we showed the Huskies that they can just shut the hell up.

Now Harvard, by contrast, is not really that scary to play at, if at all. Aside from the fact that it's another "Boston" team which almost always makes for a fun game, Bright Hockey Center really isn't bright after all. I don't care if your students are on break. So are ours. And those 4 screaming chicks you brought don't count. I'm sorry, but the Harvard "fans" were literally pathetic.

Dog Pound 23423534526234 million, Harvard -12 on this one.

And despite the fact that we had no competition from the stands, it was good to see us keep the energy up. Almost worse than getting beat is losing steam halfway through the game. I feel like that's what happens to us at home in Agganis, which is also pretty lame but whatever. If we didn't keep cheering,  the team couldn't have made a comeback and Garrett Noonan wouldn't have scored the game winning goal in OT. Yeah. That's right. I'm pretty sure hockey skills had nothing to do with the last three goals. That was straight Dog Pound adrenaline. You're welcome, boys.

Overall, a solid weekend for a team that really needed it. I'm glad I got back to school early to take a two night trip across the street and then over the river. I'm glad that 30 some odd kids did that as well. We get to say we saw Vinny first and that we are missing nothing and then we saw ChrisCo shake off the demons and get not one, but two beauties.


Basically, next year, the year after that, and all years after that, if you're at this school, give up your last weekend of Winter Break and come to some games. Also consider giving Spring Break the middle finger and taking a road (flight?) trip to see your team. You won't regret it. I'm pretty sure your homeland is nothing compared to what we got to see this weekend.

And for the rest of us - still plenty more road trips (BUs trips? T trips?) to go around. If you don't go to an away game by the end of the year, I'm pretty sure you lose. At life. Hope you don't get too jealous of our memories.

What's This Blog/Who am I/Why does it Matter

So, I kind of came out of nowhere with this blog. And not that I really give a crap whether people want to trash talk it or not, I figured I might as well given an explanation as to what this is all about.

First of all, I pretty much am never going to talk about the teams in general, the plays in general, recapping the game, etc. etc. If I wanted to do that I'd be a sports journalist. Stop right now if that's what you expect.

Lately I've heard a little bit of crap about my last post - the "letter" to Terriers (cough cough kid still in high school cough cough) and I figured I might as well clear up the whole anonymous vs. me thing. The blog itself is anonymous, but if you're not stupid you can find out who I am (cough cough twitter cough cough) and I honestly don't give a crap either way. Don't need to take credit for anything I write, but I'd never deny it either.

So why do I have the right to write what it is I do anyways? First of all, I am in no way associated with any of the teams and I can guarantee you I've had no more than a 2 minute conversation with (almost) any athlete at this school. I don't write this for them. I'm a student that's been to almost every men's and women's ice hockey games and men's and women's basketball games since I've started coming to this school. And I'm a student that night in and night out screams, bad or good, for those teams. I've been a Boston sports fan all my life and I've never been into half-assing anything. Maybe by writing this I can rub off a little bit of passion and scarlet for some of the brain dead people at this school. (By brain dead I mean I seriously met a kid the other day that didn't know we had a hockey team.)

In short - read this or don't. Keep my identity anonymous or don't. Hate on this or don't. I write this because god honest I have close to no life outside of BU Athletics.