BU season thread volume 3.1 cause board/priceless/tippycanoe deleted ours

[Bomber]

Re: BU season thread volume 3.1 cause board/priceless/tippycanoe deleted ours

My heart breaks for Hickey. That one’ll sting for awhile.

*sigh*

[chickod]

Re: BU season thread volume 3.1 cause board/priceless/tippycanoe deleted ours

Just to be fair. I just watched the 3rd period again. It wasn't a "giveaway" on the D to D pass by Hickey. Slaker got his stick in and tipped it away. And then the goal clearly hit Crotty's shin and changed direction. Oettinger had no chance.

They played hard. They were unbeaten for nine games and won every game down the stretch with their backs to the wall. They got a few breaks and they just didn't today. It's a game of inches. If that goal doesn't come off the boards (and when I saw it live - it was down the other end - I thought it bounced out the other side directly to Warren. In fact, it bounced OVER the top of the net to the front where he was just able to tap it in), who knows?

Of course it's disappointing to come that close to getting to the Frozen Four in our own back yard. The reality is we just don't play well in regional finals in Worcester (at least for the last 20 years or so).

I asked a couple of people why the ice is historically bad in Worcester. I could understand back in the 80s when there was no hockey played there so they only put the ice down a couple of days before the regionals and it never had a chance to settle. But in the past several years there has been the Ice Cats and now the Railers. But both people said apparently they melt the ice when all of the other "events" are held. I don't know if that's true, but I can NEVER remember the ice being good there. NOT an excuse...it's the same for everyone; on the other hand, everyone complains about it every year it seems

[joen05]

Re: BU season thread volume 3.1 cause board/priceless/tippycanoe deleted ours

Real proud of this team and how they responded to their poor first half. Wish it ended better for em.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[wysi]

Re: BU season thread volume 3.1 cause board/priceless/tippycanoe deleted ours

Scott was an unpaid assistant at Andover High this year. Sons Jake (Sr) and Shane (Fr) were on the team. And when the team had a coaching "issue", Grandpa Jack Parker stepped in to help.

I take it neither boy is quite up to the standard set by their father and uncle? I've never seen their names on anyone's scouting radar.

[chickod]

Re: BU season thread volume 3.1 cause board/priceless/tippycanoe deleted ours

I was expecting a bigger BU crowd than this. Chance to go to FF, haven't had this chance in Worcester since 2006.

Just wanted to give a more complete response to this than I was able to on my phone from the arena. There are basically three reasons for this:

1) BU (and BC, PC, etc) are private schools. They don't have the huge fan bases that the big state schools do. BC and PC both brought way fewer fans to the Garden and the NCAA regionals (well, Hockey East playoffs this year, since BC wasn't in the NCAAs). In the days when UNH and Maine were here regularly (for example), they brought HUGE fan bases. And we're not even talking about states where the schools are gigantic (like Texas, Ohio State, etc). New England per capita I believe has more colleges than anywhere else. So allegiances are split. No disrespect to a place like North Dakota, but that's basically all there is there. The entire state comes and fills the arena. We just don't have that and never will.

2) BC is "New England's School" when it comes to sports. Remember, they have been the only viable Division 1 football school for years. And they have visibility in basketball being in the ACC. BU, on the other hand, is in the Patriot League. People who didn't go to any school cheer for BC. My high school football coach was a BC nut (and he didn't even go near Boston). I have several friends who cheer for BC. One went to WPI. Also, (and especially in Worcester, who has St. John's, St. Peter-Marian and Holy Name) there is a HUGE catholic population here. MANY friends routinely say to me "I'm a BC fan because it's a catholic school (I'm not joking). Where the only people who cheer for BU are alumni. Not trying to stir up controversy, but that's the way it is. You were there yesterday. Did you hear the cheer from the Cornell fans aimed at the BU fans, "B-C re-jects?" That's the perception from everyone if you DIDN'T go to BU. We can't change that, and as a result, don't get the "neutral" fan. All we have is us. When BC plays you will get a lot of neutral fans to come out.

3) BU hasn't played in Worcester since 2006 (and we all remember that game). They don't have a lot of visibility here. In Worcester it's all about Holy Cross (and to a lesser extent, Assumption - both catholic, by the way). They aren't going to attract the "causal" fan.

But what's kind of funny about all this is that the BU crowd this weekend was as large as any I've seen since I have been going (which is since the early 70s).

I came in the other entrance (near the will call) and was standing next to a scout, who was at the box office window buying a ticket for today's game. This was the conversation: Scout: How much?" Attendant: "Fifty." Scout: "Five OH???" Attendant: "Yes." Scout: "For TODAY? For ONE GAME? Even for me? I'm a scout."

THERE'S your biggest problem...

[Jofa]

Just wanted to give a more complete response to this than I was able to on my phone from the arena. There are basically three reasons for this:

2) BC is "New England's School" when it comes to sports. Remember, they have been the only viable Division 1 football school for years. And they have visibility in basketball being in the ACC. BU, on the other hand, is in the Patriot League. People who didn't go to any school cheer for BC. My high school football coach was a BC nut (and he didn't even go near Boston). I have several friends who cheer for BC. One went to WPI. Also, (and especially in Worcester, who has St. John's, St. Peter-Marian and Holy Name) there is a HUGE catholic population here. MANY friends routinely say to me "I'm a BC fan because it's a catholic school (I'm not joking). Where the only people who cheer for BU are alumni. Not trying to stir up controversy, but that's the way it is.

THERE'S your biggest problem...

Yes a perfect example of that being “Westy” glauming onto BC Hockey

[Bomber]

Was not looking at the screen - so missed any graphics, but the announcers definitively stated it was the first time since '98 at one point...

From the Freep post game:

“This senior class was the first Terrier senior class since 1995 to make the NCAA tournament all four years.”

[BU Fan 84]

From the Freep post game:

“This senior class was the first Terrier senior class since 1995 to make the NCAA tournament all four years.”

They can't report it right, either. The 1995 freshman class was the last class to make it all four years.

[J.D.]

Yes a perfect example of that being “Westy” glauming onto BC Hockey

I was a BC fan when BU was kicking their *** for most of the 90s, well before college years. Climb back into your hole.

[J.D.]

Re: BU season thread volume 3.1 cause board/priceless/tippycanoe deleted ours

Not sure what Tkachuk's draft stock is right now but only 8 goals? Isn't he being touted as a top 10 pick? In the times I saw him this year, I just didn't see it.

Different position and body type but I see Quinn Hughes this weekend and say yep that is a top 10 talent.

[brassbonanza]

Re: BU season thread volume 3.1 cause board/priceless/tippycanoe deleted ours

They can't report it right, either. The 1995 freshman class was the last class to make it all four years.

I will not be sad to see these Freep reporters graduate, if they are indeed seniors.

[chickod]

Re: BU season thread volume 3.1 cause board/priceless/tippycanoe deleted ours

I was a BC fan when BU was kicking their *** for most of the 90s, well before college years. Climb back into your hole.

Just so you know I wasn't in any way implying or making any reference to you in that explanation. It wasn't personal. Just pointing out what I have observed over fifty years. It is what it is. In the "old" days, BU and BC used to play in football (in fact, that's one reason why the arena is named "Agganis"). But gradually BU de-emphasized football. My personal opinion is, even though it is a gargantuan expense, it can bring a lot of positive recognition to a school. But now we're sort of getting off track. I was just commenting on why the BU crowd today was about as good as it's going to get in today's day and age.

[J.D.]

Re: BU season thread volume 3.1 cause board/priceless/tippycanoe deleted ours

Ha, that was for Jofa.

[chickod]

Re: BU season thread volume 3.1 cause board/priceless/tippycanoe deleted ours

Ha, that was for Jofa.

I know but I was just saying to be clear. I don't care who anybody roots for..and for me to tell someone that they can't be a fan of anyone because they didn't "go there" is beyond arrogant. I wish we had more fans, whether they went to BU or not. It's a great school and hockey tradition. People that stayed home missed some great hockey this weekend.

[wysi]

Re: BU season thread volume 3.1 cause board/priceless/tippycanoe deleted ours

I know but I was just saying to be clear. I don't care who anybody roots for..and for me to tell someone that they can't be a fan of anyone because they didn't "go there" is beyond arrogant. I wish we had more fans, whether they went to BU or not. It's a great school and hockey tradition. People that stayed home missed some great hockey this weekend.

You're right about the casual fans. When I played senior hockey in Boston in the late 80s, just about all of my teammates were BC fans (and none of them had attended BC). The only guys who weren't were me (of course) and one of our defensemen who played for Mankato State (now Minnesota State) in the mid-80s.