Northeastern Falls to Boston University in Hockey East Semi-Finals

Happy March hockey fans!

We did, in fact, continue to get more snow here in Boston. Too much of it to be exact. As we approached the last few weeks of the 2014-15 season, here’s what happened:

Continuing where we left off, we practiced all week long. Our game on Saturday, February 21st was played at UNH. This marked the Wildcats’ senior game, so congratulations to all of those seniors on their careers. The pups ended up defeating the cats by a score of 5-1 that evening. The weekend was not over yet, however. A quick turnaround on Sunday and UNH was now visiting us at Matthews Arena. This, too, was a special day for the seniors, teammates, so many others, and myself. This was our Senior Day. The five seniors Chloe Desjardins, Chelsiea Goll, Colleen Murphy, Lucie Povova, and myself were honored in front of our family and friends. We were congratulated on our own careers, and it was a nice time for our brothers, sisters, moms, and dads to get to see us play our last regular season game at Matthews Arena. We ended up beating the University of New Hampshire 3-1, which also meant that we clinched home ice in the first round of playoffs. Not just that, but the Wildcats would travel back to Boston for the best of a three games series against us that following weekend.

After a great weekend, we were given Monday off, and practiced the rest of the week to prepare for the Quarterfinals. The first game was played on Friday, February 27th. UNH came out with a 1-2 win over the Huskies. After a good nights rest, we were back at it the next day. We knew we had to win this game for our season to continue. That mentality was taken onto the ice, and we ended up tying the series at 1-1 after a 3-2 win. Game three was played on Sunday, March 1st. Both teams played their hearts out until the final buzzer. After 60 minutes of play, the pups won 4-3. This advanced us to the next round, which happened to be in the Cape Cod.            

Monday was off, and then we had the whole week to practice, get our schoolwork done, and prepare for the upcoming weekend. We departed from Matthews Arena on Friday, and practiced at the Hyannis Youth & Community Center that evening. We were on the ice for a quick skate to get a feel for this different sheet of ice, and then back to the hotel. It was time to fancy up and get ready for the Hockey East Banquet that is awarded to the four teams in attendance. It’s definitely an honor to make it to Hyannis, so congratulations to Boston University, Boston College, and University of Connecticut for advancing into this next round of play. Each year, a speaker from each team is required to speak. This year, coach Flint asked if I would represent Northeastern up on the podium. As the time to speak was approaching, my nerves were kicking in. I knew that I had written a good speech, so the next thing to do was to just speak loud and clear, and everything would be fine. It was also comforting knowing that three others had to do this as well. Well, sure enough, I spoke extra loud and clear into the mic (sorry to all those whose ears I may have hurt) and then in the blink of an eye I was back in my seat. It was not as nerve racking as I thought it would be, and everyone did an excellent job! So, claps go out to Erin Kickham from Boston College, Kayla Tutino from Boston University, and Sarah MacDonnell from University of Connecticut. I would also like to congratulate all of the award winners at the banquet, and thanks again to Joe Bertagna and the rest of the Hockey East Staff for making that event and dinner possible. It is always great sharing that space with friends on other teams, and making it a memory to remember.

The rest of that weekend consisted of the Huskies facing off against the Terriers, and BC battling UCONN. We had to the second game on Saturday, and after regulation time, our cross-town rivals defeated us by a score of 1-6. This meant that our season came to an end. Personally, it has been fours years that I will never forget. Thank you to all who have supported my hockey adventure for the past 14 years, and I know my other seniors feel the same. I could not imagine life without hockey, so it was tough to accept the fact that my career came to an end. Aside from that, the Eagles and the Huskies played in the game before ours. This was quite the battle to watch, but after 60 minutes, BC beat UCONN. The Championship game was played on Sunday. BC and BU battled for the title, and the Terriers ended up taking it all. Congratulations to Boston University and Boston College for the advancements into the Frozen Four, and best of luck to all teams! It’s always fun to see a couple of teams representing Hockey East in the final rounds.

Enough from me, but I hope you all had a wonderful Spring Break, and I’d like to wish everyone an early happy St. Patrick’s Day!

All the best,

Chels