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
Marie-Philip Poulin doesn't just play women's ice hockey. Marie-Philip Poulin makes women's ice hockey.
From the first time I saw Poulin, I knew we had an absolute steal. Not say that the Terriers didn't deserve her, not by any means, but I almost can't believe she's allowed to play on any college hockey team. People have referred to her as the female version of Sidney Crosby, but I'd say she's even better.
See, Poulin was making waves even before she graced the ice in Walter Brown Arena. Poulin's a household name in Canada. This girl has competed for her country multiple times with the biggest feat coming in 2010. It ended in a gold medal and both goals scored by Canada came from Poulin's stick. Sure, she knocked out the Red, White, and Blue, but if anyone was going to do it, at least it was a Terrier. And the on ice celebration after? That was epic. Okay, maybe it was a little much for the Olympic games, but at the same time - girls just won the OLYMPICS. Let 'em do what they want.
Anyways. Poulin at BU.
Poulin is a player I want on my team. It's not just that she's good (nay, great), it's that she elevates everyone around her. Jenelle Kohanchuk has been solid during her time at BU, but the line with the two of them and freshman Sarah Lefort is just downright scary. I would not under any circumstances want to face that. Granted, I love the rest of my team, but you cannot deny Poulin is something special. I've chanted "Hattrick Poulin" multiple times in my time here. MULTIPLE. TIMES. That's just on-ice. She was also named a Co-Captain this year, so I'm sure she's well respected in the locker room, too.
And this is all after an...interesting sophomore campaign. Poulin ended up missing more games than she played due to injury and international competition. That was a huge blow. But guess what? She came back and absolutely crushed it. She was player of the month in March, she was named to the all tournament team, she had two assists in the Hockey East Championship game, and she had two goals and two assists in the NCAA tourney game against Cornell. While still serving as an A and winning gold with Canada in IIHF play. Um, excuse me? Is she human?
But beyond all that, even if she wasn't a dangerously good forward, I'd still want Poulin on my team. Sure, I don't mind lending her to Canada once in a while because I know when she comes back the Terriers are her team. This is her home, her family, and she will stop at nothing to see them succeed.
Poulin, if she wanted to, could play the role of the superstar. She certainly has every right to. But I've never seen that. Every game, despite the fact that she probably hasn't seen the fourth line since she was 8, she just grinds and grinds. It doesn't matter if she already has two goals, she wants another. It doesn't matter if BU's up by twenty, she wants to keep a shut out. Every loose puck, every last battle, I see her give it her all. Her head is always down and she is just working and working and working. Girl is just always on.
I don't know about you, but that's someone I'm more than happy to have wear our jersey. She could do whatever she wants, be whereever she wants, but she's here. With us. Breaking records may be her forte, but she's doing it for the name on the front. Poulin just gets it. She's seen international competition, she's seen the Olympics, she knows what it's like to fight for something. From the first game of the season to the last, Poulin fights for her family to get to those championship matches with her. That's the kind of spirit I want on my team.
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