Northeastern Huskies Battle on the Ice and Through the Snow in Boston

Happy February all! I hope everyone is staying warm throughout this crazy snowfall. In my four years in Boston I have never seen this much snow, or gotten this many snow days. Crazy!

So, we left off with our game against Boston rival, Boston University, on Sunday January 18th. The Terriers beat the Huskies by a score of 3-4. The next day was Martin Luther King day, so that was a nice day off from practice and classes.

We practiced that next week, and left for Maine on Friday. Everyone was able to go to her Friday classes, and then the bus departed at 3:30. We got stuck in a lot of traffic, so we did not arrive until 9pm. The bus stopped to pick up our dinner, and then we took it back to the hotel. After a nice meal, the pups went back to the rooms to get a good nights sleep for the long weekend ahead. This was an important league weekend for us. The next day we had team breakfast, time for a nap, a team walk before our pregame meal, and then we were off to the game. After a battle, the Huskies defeated the Black Bears 5-2. We were back at it on Sunday, so we knew that there was no time to be satisfied. Sunday was another morning filled with meals, naps, and a round of charades before we departed for the arena on January 25th. Another great game between these two Hockey East teams, but this time the final was 2-4 UMaine. Overall, not a bad weekend split, but it was quite the drive back to the city.

We had Monday off from practice, but we were back in morning classes. Whoever had night classes lucked out as the University canceled all classes past a certain time do to the snowstorm. The snow started falling, and classes were then canceled through Tuesday and Wednesday as well. This was a nice break from school, and a nice chance to get caught up on sleep and homework. There was no time off from hockey, however, as we arrived to the arena for lift and a captains practice. We had to start preparing for our next league weekend up in Vermont. The bus departed on Thursday after classes. Our game was played on Friday, January 30th. This was a grind until the final buzzer, but the Huskies were able to defeat the Catamounts 4-3. It’s always nice to have a happy bus back to beantown. We arrived home late that night, had Saturday completely off, and were back at it on Sunday.

The Patriots won the super bowl somewhere in between, so some of us who did not have class at the time were able to head down to Boylston Street and check out the Parade. That was pretty cool!

The snow did not want to let up, so once again we were given another snow day on Monday. Although classes were canceled, we still trekked to the rink for a nice morning practice. This was a huge practice for us, as we had to prepare for Beanpot Tuesday. This is an exciting time for Boston teams. For those who are not aware of what the Beanpot tournament is, it’s a two-week span of games for all of the Boston teams to compete against each other. The men’s games are played on the first two Mondays in February at the TD Garden, and the women’s games are played on the first two Tuesdays of the month at a different teams arena each year. This year all games were played at Harvard. Our first round was against Boston College. In my opinion, this was such an exciting game for us. This was one of the best games we had played all year. Even though the pups lost to the Eagles 1-3, we still gave it our all against the number one team in the nation. A much-needed Wednesday off was given to us to rejuvenate our bodies. We practiced again on Thursday and then faced off against the Friars on Friday, January 6th, at Matthews Arena. It was nice to be back at home for a game. Three periods of play wasn’t enough, as we beat Providence 2-1 with an overtime win. Our next game was played on Tuesday against Boston University. This was the consolation round of Beanpot, but still an important game for everyone. After 60 minutes of play, the Terries defeated the Huskies 1-3.

This has definitely been a long tough stretch for the pups. Weekday games can be rough just because they are out of routine for us. With the last few weeks of season, it’s time to really focus, and get our minds right for playoff season. Another snow day was given to us after Beanpot. Classes continued, and so did our practices and lifts. Our last road trip of the year was this past weekend. On Saturday, we were off to the University of Connecticut for two games. Our first one was played on the 14th. Our bus actually got stuck in the snow after the first game, so that was quite an adventure in itself. The battle of the Huskies continued on Sunday, February 15th. This was UCONNs senior day, and another two points were on the line, so this was a huge game for both teams. After three periods of play, and an additional overtime period, the score remained a 2-2 tie. We drove back to the city that night, and had Monday off from classes for Presidents Day. The pups will be back in classes and on the ice on Tuesday preparing for the last weekend of regular season games against New Hampshire. We play at UNH on Saturday February 21st and come back home for senior day, against the Wild Cats, on Sunday, February 22nd. Being a senior myself, this will be an emotional weekend for all of us. The parents will be in town as well, which is super exciting. This is the time to come together and play for senior class, but to also empty the tank for the last regular season game.

That is it from me for now, and I will talk to all you again in a few weeks!

All the best, and remember to keep on smiling!

Chels