Hockey East Playoffs End... Anticlimactically
So there I was at the Hockey East Finals and my college roommate, seated next to me, raised an excellent point: "Jeez, this is like watching Merrimack play!"... I could not agree more sir, the better ticket was for the semifinal matchups..... but I'm not bitter...... Let's revisit all three games then, shall we?
Semifinals:
#1 UNH vs. #4 BC
Wow... UNH fans taste bitter defeat again... but hey, at least they will be a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats jumped out to a commanding 4-1 lead early, but the Eagles stormed back to tie it 4-4... they would play 3 OT... and roughly 5.5 hours by my count before BC's Benn Ferriero ended UNH's run with a PPG only a few minutes into the third overtime. To be honest, I could not be more shocked that 1) UNH lost this game and 2) UNH did not win the Hockey East Championship hardware (whoever won this matchup would have, I assure you)... Oy, where are Jason Krog, Ty Conklin, Michael Ayers, Steve Saviano and company when you need them? BC wins 5-4
#2 BU vs. #3 Vermont
Score one for the Catamounts! A huge upset and a marquee victory for the program. Congratulations and major kudos goes to the coach Kevin Sneddon, who has done wonders for this program and won Coach of the Year in the process. This is a disciplined hockey team that took down one of the perennial powerhouses in the Northeast, with relative ease I might add. On a personal note, it was fun to watch Jack Parker squirm a little in the final minutes (in spite of the fact that it was equally difficult for BSB's Manny Ortez, a Terrier fanatic and season ticket holder, to watch these events unfold)... mostly because he is not in that situation very much. UVM wins 3-1
Finals:
#4 BC vs. #3 Vermont
There was very little to write home about... as I mentioned earlier, BC essentially dominated the game on both ends of the ice, and their mascot dances better... trust me, I know. Anyways, UVM was floating all around the ice, but they could not get any shots away, and as a result they gave up the puck on a number of occasions, which led to a lot of play in their end. The most ardent hockey fans know that it never turns out well when you play the entire game in your own end. BC made this game look more like a charity game than a serious match... but hey, there's always next year, UVM... BC wins 4-0
That will be all on Hockey East for now, sports fans... looking forward to sharing another great season in 2008-2009 with you!
PitchMaster is a senior writer for Boston Sports Buzz.
Semifinals:
#1 UNH vs. #4 BC
Wow... UNH fans taste bitter defeat again... but hey, at least they will be a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats jumped out to a commanding 4-1 lead early, but the Eagles stormed back to tie it 4-4... they would play 3 OT... and roughly 5.5 hours by my count before BC's Benn Ferriero ended UNH's run with a PPG only a few minutes into the third overtime. To be honest, I could not be more shocked that 1) UNH lost this game and 2) UNH did not win the Hockey East Championship hardware (whoever won this matchup would have, I assure you)... Oy, where are Jason Krog, Ty Conklin, Michael Ayers, Steve Saviano and company when you need them? BC wins 5-4
#2 BU vs. #3 Vermont
Score one for the Catamounts! A huge upset and a marquee victory for the program. Congratulations and major kudos goes to the coach Kevin Sneddon, who has done wonders for this program and won Coach of the Year in the process. This is a disciplined hockey team that took down one of the perennial powerhouses in the Northeast, with relative ease I might add. On a personal note, it was fun to watch Jack Parker squirm a little in the final minutes (in spite of the fact that it was equally difficult for BSB's Manny Ortez, a Terrier fanatic and season ticket holder, to watch these events unfold)... mostly because he is not in that situation very much. UVM wins 3-1
Finals:
#4 BC vs. #3 Vermont
There was very little to write home about... as I mentioned earlier, BC essentially dominated the game on both ends of the ice, and their mascot dances better... trust me, I know. Anyways, UVM was floating all around the ice, but they could not get any shots away, and as a result they gave up the puck on a number of occasions, which led to a lot of play in their end. The most ardent hockey fans know that it never turns out well when you play the entire game in your own end. BC made this game look more like a charity game than a serious match... but hey, there's always next year, UVM... BC wins 4-0
That will be all on Hockey East for now, sports fans... looking forward to sharing another great season in 2008-2009 with you!
PitchMaster is a senior writer for Boston Sports Buzz.
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