Action Packed!

My seat along the blue line at Washington DC’s Verizon center at last night’s NCAA college hockey national championships provided a fantastic vantage point from which to witness one of the best sporting moments the sport has hosted in recent years: a David and Goliath battle of #1 ranked Boston University Terriers vs. unheralded #13 seed Miami (Ohio) University Red Hawks.

BU had a 1-0 lead after one period. At the completion of the second frame, the underdog had tied it up 1-1. With just six minutes to go the Red Hawks had a 3-1 lead and all the momentum was headed to the BU net.

The Terriers third period play lacked cohesion while Miami applied sharp passing and aggressive play to keep the lead. Then, with the season on the line, along with several college hockey careers, BU pulled their freshman goalie with three and a half minutes left in the game and scored with the man advantage with 59.5 seconds remaining in the game to reduce the deficit to one.  Shortly thereafter the BU netminder was back in position while his team was tested with another of the opposition’s quality opportunities - with the puck sitting freely near the goal line and the Miami faithful practically willing it over the line. The Boston team thwarted each Miami attempt and one could feel the momentous shift of energy from one side of the ice to the other. With a minute left in the battle, the BU ‘tender was back on the bench while their sixth skater provided an effective advantage to help net the game tying strike with 17.4 seconds remaining in regulation.

An anxious crowd awaited the return of the teams during the 15-minute break leading up to the fourth period; sure and sudden death waiting in the wings for the unlucky. And unlucky were the ‘Hawks when a BU defenseman’s slap shot was deflected skyward off a body-sacrificing Miami player’s prone left leg and lobbed out of the Miami goalie’s sight, over his right shoulder to find the back of the net.

The goal scorer skated wildly to the other end of the ice and threw himself up against the glass in front of his team’s throng of school supporters sporting the red and white sweaters of their team. His teammates followed suit and flung helmets, gloves and sticks upward on their way to piling on the BU’s latest sports hero.

This time Goliath prevailed on a not-so-mythical sheet of ice and sent David back to the Ohio Valley, licking his wounds and undoubtedly fueling the fire for next year’s return to battle.