That was the game-winner, scored by Colby Cohen in overtime to clinch the national title for the Boston University hockey team.
Via the New York Times, the Terriers were on a mission. Underneath their uniforms and padding they wore t-shirts that said "Burn the boats" - a reference to Hernando Cortes, a Spanish explorer from the 1500s who found gold in Mexico (a controversial discovery) and whose expedition led to the fall of the Aztec Empire. (an even more controversial downfall)
When he reached the Yucatan Peninsula from Cuba, Cortes destroyed his fleet. His rationale? If we're going back, we're taking the boats of our enemies. Seems as if "win at all costs" is a historic attitude.
Think about it. In two months, only one team has beaten the Terriers - Maine, which beat BU 6-3 in the second game of a Hockey East quarterfinal.
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In case you're driving in Boston on Tuesday, plan to detour around Commonwealth Ave. - BU's celebration parade route will go from Kenmore Square to BU's Marsh Plaza.
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The Rochester Americans finished the regular season Saturday with a 4-2 loss at Syracuse, and former Maine defenseman Matt Duffy finished with two goals and four assists in nine games.
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Could Paul Kariya be back in uniform soon?
Over the weekend, the St. Louis Blues qualified for the NHL playoffs and then, as a result of some shifting in the standings, earned the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. The Blues open the playoffs Wednesday at No. 3 Vancouver, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Blues are weighing whether or not they should bring Kariya, a former Maine standout, back for the playoffs. Kariya hasn't played since November, as he underwent surgery after suffering a hip injury.
Thanks Rachel for a great season's worth of articles. Also, thank you for pointing out that the one coach to beat the National Champions over the past two months was none other than the General, Coach Whitehead.
Rachel is in her fifth year as a sports reporter at the Portland Press
Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. A former college soccer and softball player,
she covered sports at newspapers in Pennsylvania, Texas and Colorado before
joining the Press Herald/Sunday Telegram staff in June of 2004.
Rachel takes over coverage of the University of Maine hockey team and was
introduced to Maine hockey as a seventh-grader in Annapolis, Maryland, after
reading a 1988 Sports Illustrated story about Shawn Walsh's impact on the
program. Nearly 20 years later, she still has the four-page article in her
possession.
She and her husband, Tommy (who also works for MaineToday Media, Inc.)
are avid sports fans who root for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh
Penguins and Kansas Jayhawks. After a year of marriage, their next step in
life is to find a bigger house!
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