It was the Summer of ’91 and my aunt called me while I was working at Mini Farms in Westboro. She told me she and my cousin Katie were going on a tour of Boston College and was wondering if I wanted to go along. I hadn’t given much thought to where I wanted to go to college, but I figured I’d see what BC was like – even though I had grown up rooting for Holy Cross to beat Boston College in football (this was when Doug Flutie played for BC so you can imagine the scores).
So we arrived at Chestnut Hill, and I thought the campus was impressive. All of the old buildings looked really nice, and so did all of the female students that were on campus for the summer. Then, the tour took us into Conte Forum. Instantly, my decision of where I wanted to go to college was made. I had an image of myself watching hockey games, and knew I wanted to make it a reality. I wasn’t sure how my dad (a Holy Cross grad) was going to take it, but I was hoping he’d understand. Less than six months later, I got my acceptance letter from BC – I was going to be an Eagle…
The BC Hockey program wasn’t that successful when I was there. Still, my friend Patrick and I went to every single game. The biggest highlight for BC hockey while I was a student was their 1994 Beanpot Championship against Haaahvad in OT. I screamed quite a bit in my Roncalli room, and still have the headline from the Boston Globe article. My junior year was Jerry York’s first as coach, and BC hockey started to turn around.
I went to a lot of games for the 1997-1998 season because my roommate was a member of the Pike’s Peak Club. He also covered the games on his own website (which I think was bchockey.com or goeagles.com), so I got to be in the post-game press coverage with him…pretty cool stuff! We also were chosen as the chaperones for a trip to an away game against UNH that was the first game BC Superfan t-shirts were worn. It was an unbelievable season that would end with BC playing the championship game in Boston against Michigan. You can read more about my Superfan shirt and the 97-98 season here or watch the video I made last year (I hope Jamie doesn’t mind me mentioning him!):
After 1998, BC hockey continued its success and made it to the Frozen Four the next three years. They lost in OT to Maine in the 1999 semi-finals and lost to North Dakota in the 2000 Championship game. Then in 2001, they did something I think no other team in any sport has ever done. They beat Michigan, Maine, and North Dakota (the teams that had eliminated them the three previous seasons) and won the Championship game. It wasn’t easy, though. The Eagles were ahead 2-0 with four minutes left in the game, and North Dakota tied it to force overtime. Thanks again, Krys Kolanos and the rest of the Eagles team! 2001 was the first time that one of my favorite teams won a championship, and I’m glad to say it hasn’t been the last with the Patriots, Red Sox, and BC hockey all winning more than one championships (seriously though, who thought it would be my Beloved B’s that I would be waiting on for a title? This is the year though…BC repeat, Bruins Stanley Cup, AND another Sox World Series championship!).
Last night, I enjoyed watching another BC hockey game with my friend Patrick. The Eagles have come quite a long way since our days at The Heights, and I’ve enjoyed it tremendously. Some of the players that I have watched over these years have agreed to skate with me at my Skating for Hope event, and it’s really going to be unbelievable for me. I can’t believe it right now, let alone how I’m going to feel when it’s actually happening! Looking forward to BC repeating as Frozen Four champs and can’t wait for July 30th…
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