Despite choosing my graduate school choice on solely two qualifications – it being in Boston and having a Division I hockey team – it took me until January 8, 2005 to actually attend my first Boston University hockey game. My graduate internship in the Student Activities Office had me working late most nights there was a hockey game going on, so I had to wait till a game during winter break to attend.
I dragged my then-roommate to the game, an exhibition against the USA Under-18 Team. My roommate was perplexed. “We’re not even going to see them play against another college?” I hadn’t been able to get tickets at the first game ever at Agganis – a sell out the week before – and this was the only game I knew for certain I could attend, so I told her that I had to take whatever I could get. I just wanted to get to a game.
So we settled into the sparkling new confines of the Agganis Arena, our seats right behind the BU zone and then-backup goalie Karson Gillespie, and set to watch what we both figured would be a blow out of these 17 and 18 year olds against this reportedly dominant college team.
This year’s graduating class from the Boston University men’s hockey team is quite familiar with ESPN’s Sportscenter, because members of the class have been featured on it four times so far in their four years. College hockey does not get a lot of Sportscenter love (even when John Buccigross is involved), so for members of a single graduating class to appear on the iconic show multiple times is quite a feat.