Category Archives: Hockey East

At That Rate, I’m Surprised They Didn’t Give the Arena Away

Darlings, if you haven’t moved over or changed your RSS feeds to my blog’s new home – www.sportsgirlkat.com – you are missing some awesome stuff, like the following post on my annual BU-UNH adventure. I’ll post it over here, but only if you promise to come over to http://www.sportsgirlkat.com at some point. Agreed?

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Before I get to the body of this post, I would like to take the opportunity to let you know that this is a Unitel Power Post, sponsored by Jewelry Creations of Dover and with special thanks to Margarita’s. We’d also like to thank our local fishery for providing our first goal fish, and take this opportunity to give away a 10 percent off coupon to the Tea Times Inn in Conway to everyone sitting in sections 120, 121, and 122. And students, if you’re sitting in section 112, row H, seat 10, you have just won a piece of pizza from Wildcat Pizza. Wildcat Pizza, where wildcats eat.

Oh, the University of New Hampshire. I’ve been attending hockey games at the “Whit” (UNH’s Whittemore Center) for just about four years, and they always make for an amusing evening. Saturday evening’s BU-UNH tilt, however, had to be the most amusing of them all.

Maybe it was the constant giveaways and sponsorship of every aspect of the game. Every ten seconds, the announcer was giving out something, anything, be it a coupon to an entire section, Timberland gift certificates, a trivia giveaway for a computer – it never ended. They broke the bank with this game.  At one point, someone among my trusty seatmates – which included Pin Lady, who is like, my fandom idol – exclaimed, “At this rate, no one will leave empty handed.” In addition, every single power play was sponsored by Unitel, and involved a spiel by the announcer that lasted half of the power play.

Or maybe it was the Mexican Blanket Race, sponsored by a restaurant appropriately named “Margarita’s.” Students dragged each other in “Mexican” colored blankets, wearing sombreros, around the ice, while the Mexican Hat Dance played.  I don’t know if it was so much offensive as it was…horribly misguided? A train wreck? I just stared at the race, which took place during the first intermission, in awe.  Who the heck came up with this idea?

Or maybe it was the announcer asking the student section if they “bleed blue.” I turned to my partner-in-crime (the fiance) and said, “Isn’t that a serious medical condition? Like, you aren’t getting enough oxygen?”

Or maybe it was the DogPound members behind me in the long line to get up the narrow, steep concrete steps to go over the bridge to get to the narrow, steep concrete steps to the parking lot who changed the lyrics to Hey Baby to, “Heeeey, hey baby/I wanna know/why you don’t make wider stairs.”

Or maybe it was that we all watched Kieran Milan turn into Johnny Curry. For one of the first times since March 2006, the Terriers one a game solely due to goaltending. Was it the win that I was happy about as we shivered in the car as we waited in the long line waiting to get out of the parking lot? No, it was that, like the first time I came up to Durham with my then friend from work and his 16 year old brother back in March 2005, BU had a great goaltender that could save them when they were being covered by defenders like black ice on in the parking lot and penalized like a jailbird. And as my now fiance, future brother-in-law and I huddled in the car and waited for the line to move and the car to warm up enough to turn on the heat, the goaltending was all we spoke about, just like that first time.

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Filed under Boston University hockey, BU Terriers, college hockey, hockey, Hockey East

Goalies, Goalies Everywhere.

This weekend, I posted a nice little piece at the HLOG (Hockey’s Ladies of Greatness) titled, Dear Hockey East; Thanks for the goalies. Love, The NHL. It covers the NHL callups of Maine’s Ben Bishop, Boston College’s Cory Schneider and Everyone’s Favorite Goalie, Boston University’s John Curry.  In it, I actually give Schneider props (please don’t take away my Terrier Fan card!)

There are times where I write a piece and think, “Hmmm, maybe I should have kept with that Sports Information and Communication major I had early on in college.”  This HLOG piece is one of those times.  I hope you all enjoy it.

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Filed under college hockey, hockey, Hockey East, John Curry, NHL

“He’s Like a Saturn. You May Dent Him, But He Pops Right Back Up.” BU 3 – BC 1

I devote this entry to all of the hockey moms in the world.  Because I have no idea how you all don’t have multiple heart attacks every time you watch your child play, no matter how old they are.

Prior to last night, I had never said the F-bomb.  I had gone nearly twenty-seven years of existence without saying that word.  No one around me really ever swore.  The only person in my family growing up that was a big swearer was my Great-Grandmother, but if you were 90, your maiden name was Hooker and you couldn’t get your National Enquirer in the nursing home, you’d have some spicy language too.

Then, last night, around 8pm in Conte Forum, at Boston College (a Catholic school, mind you – my CCD teacher would be screaming at me for this), I said the F-word for the first time.  No one heard it – not even my partner-in-crime, who was next to me. But I said it, and didn’t realize it until the k was leaving my mouth.

However, if there was anytime for me to involuntarily say the F-word, that was it, for I had just witnessed just about the worst hit I had ever seen live in a hockey game. On my favorite player, no less.

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Filed under Boston University hockey, BU Terriers, college hockey, hockey, Hockey East, Uncategorized

Tonight, I Venture Into Dangerous Territory: Conte Forum

I am a glutton for punishment. Last year, the partner-in-crime and I thought it would be a great idea to venture out to UMass Amherst to see the Boston University men’s hockey team face off against the Minutemen.  We wore our BU jerseys and all, and I was nearly jumped on my way to the ladies room.

Well, this year, the partner-in-crime and I have decided to join a few colleagues of mine at tonight’s BU – BC matchup at Conte Forum, one of the few Hockey East arenas that I haven’t been to at this point.  Heaven help us.

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Filed under Boston University hockey, BU Terriers, college hockey, hockey, Hockey East, NHL, Rochester NY, Western New York

Forgiving Rian Lindell, Finding Fun Balance Beam Mounts, and a Successful Phil Kessel: What I’m Thankful for This Thanksgiving

Two of my three stars of the Bills-Seahawks game - Brian Moorman and Rian Lindell.

Don't worry, Rian Lindell - I'm still thankful for you.

This Thanksgiving day, I have a lot to be thankful for. In the spirit of many blogs today, I will now provide a laundry list of all the things – sports related, that is – that I am thankful for:

I am thankful that the Buffalo Bills are still in Buffalo.

I am thankful that Dick Jauron has resisted the urge to throw in JP Losman when Trent Edwards has gone through his growing pains.

Reluctantly, I am thankful for Rian Lindell, because for every 47 yarder to win the game he misses, he blasts 50 other field goals and extra points through the uprights. (And I still don’t understand why more people are not naming their sons Rian with an i.)

I am thankful for the Buffalo Sabres’ third jerseys, because they remind me of my childhood. Continue reading

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Filed under baseball, Boston Bruins, Boston MA, Boston Red Sox, Boston University hockey, BU Terriers, Buffalo Bills, Buffalo New York, Buffalo Sabres, college hockey, football, gymnastics, hockey, Hockey East, NFL, NHL, Rochester Americans, Rochester NY, Steve Young