Now before all of you look at the fact that it was an L not a W on the board, take into account where we stand and what we need. We currently stand tied for 8th place with Vermont. We win the tie breaker over Vermont, but they do have a game in hand over us. We need Vermont to go down in their game against BU to have a shot at playoffs. We are also going to want to put some numbers on the board against Maine next weekend in order to help secure our (last place?) spot.
Also This:
Now onto the game. Where has this UMass team been the entire second half of the season? Let’s just say they figured out how to play defense, Learned how to stay out of the box (No Embellishment calls!), and even learned to shoot the puck past all of the opposing defensemen, past that sieve goalie, and into the net (some might call this a goal). But all joking aside, UMass played hard and it should show that we held the number one offense in hockey east to 1 goal through regulation. Both BC goals were great-well deserved goals especially the last one where a 2-on-1 breakaway resulted in a good goal. UMass’ lone goal was scored by Captain Brett Watson, finally getting a much deserved and long overdue goal.
Dainton played well all night making some amazing saves and even stopping a goal that most of the BC crowd thought went in at the end of the 3rd period, giving UMass a chance during the overtime frame.
Now onto the BC bashing (because we all love to do it). Their fans (or lack thereof) were so quiet. The only times the crowd would get loud were: Both BC goals, when the screen said “Noise Time,” or when between periods, they were rolling burritos on center ice or running around in fat-person sumo suits.
The BC student section was about double what the UMass student section was (40 vs. 20 give or take) and I guess I don’t understand how a school on a roll with so much history, wins a beanpot, is trying to secure first place in Hockey East, and yet no one shows up? I will give it to the students who were there, they didn’t stop cheering even though we couldn’t here what they were saying, it still showed that the ones who did show up cared.
The rest of the crowd is the BC bandwagon fans, the families of the area, and the gingers. Yes, that’s right, gingers, I don’t think I have ever seen so many ginger kids anywhere. They were surrounding me. I guess that’s the thing at BC, graduate, get rich when Daddy dies and gives you his money, and then have some ginger kids. There were half-naked ginger kids swinging their shirts and all that I could think was “This is a religious school, and this must be a priest’s wet dream.” Not to mention that they were serving and advertising meaty concessions during Lent (bad Catholics?).
Now onto the BC Pep band. This was my first time hearing them, and it started with them marching around the stadium playing the classic fight song “For Boston”, of which I like the Dropkick Murphys version better. What was funny is that they were marching around, but not roll-stepping, just like strolling. I don’t get how you are going to march as a group, and yet not have proper form. I guess thats the UMass Marching Band member of me.
During the game, the Pep Band had a microphone so that they could be heard in the stadium. But they left it on all the time, so we could hear their cheers magnified over the PA. I don’t know how this doesn’t count as an artificial noisemaker maybe the NCAA could step in? And then don’t even get me started on the Lowell-like playing of music and instruments during the gameplay. I think that they had to play something every time they play was happening, whether it be starting a cheer with Cowbells, playing trumpets, or having the sound people start music while UMass was on a drive. Talk about annoying. I really wish the NCAA enforced things like that more, or omitted them from the rulebook so that everyone could cheat like Lowell.
On top of that they kept playing the dumbest videos. Like say, Star Wars, for no purpose. And then 300, trying to pump up the crowd, and worst of all Miracle. Now I like that movie, but isn’t the whole theme of Miracle that they worse team triumphs over the better team? and according to all of the stats and polls, UMass was by far an underdog in that competition.
Overall, it was a great game to be at, despite the L. UMass still remains the only team in all of D1 hockey that has 0 ties on the season. Each overtime game has been decided, for better or for worse. It would be nice if we used the 3 point system (3 points for a regular win, 2 points for an OT win, 1 point for an OT loss, and shootouts to decide winners past the overtime period), so that UMass could have gotten a point out of the game, but I guess not.
We now turn our attention to Maine, who lost to Merrimack (you remember them right? they swept us last weekend as we could only get 1 point to their 7) 6-3. The Mass Attack Will be traveling to the middle of nowhere Orono, Maine, where they will play two games to finish out the regular season. If it looks like we cant pull off a W and won’t make playoffs, we should at least try to hospitalize another Maine player like when they visited UMass. Orono is about a 5 hour drive from Amherst. The favorite past-time up there is marrying your cousin or your sister and chopping down trees. I’m not sure that there’s much else. So people tend to come out to hockey to get away from their incest-ridden families for some time. Expect some redneck hicks to be there missing many teeth and chewing on straw (pine?) while saying Y’all in their overalls and flannel. So I will leave you with this photo, and Go UMass!
The Maine Blackbears are rednecks
