A little over two weeks ago, I sat in my living room and watched the Miami hockey team win the NCAA West Regional final to advance to college hockey's version of the Final Four, the Frozen Four. I was elated and excited but it never even crossed my mind that I might be able to go. Then the next morning, I had my last training run before my half-marathon, and you know what? There's a lot of time to think when you're running 10 miles. And then I took a nice long shower after my run, and I kept thinking. And the more I thought, the more I thought maybe, just maybe, I might be able to go. So I did some preliminary investigation, and within an hour, the stars had aligned for me. I had a free place to stay, an in on game tickets, and Brian agreed to use some of his miles to get me a plane ticket. I was going to Washington D.C. for the Frozen Four!
So last Wednesday afternoon, I boarded a plane for our nation's capital and the experience of a lifetime. Well, if you're a hockey fan, anyway! :-p And ok, so I actually flew to Baltimore, but close enough! My "free lodging" came in the form of my best friend growing up, Loni, and she and her kids were at the airport to pick me up. I hadn't seen them in two years, so it was a fantastic way to start the weekend. Loni and I spent the evening catching up, which was great, since most of you know how much I like to talk!
Thursday was game day, so Loni and the kids dropped me off at the metro station for the short trip down to D.C. Once in the city, I met up with a friend from Miami, Mary Lynne, and we headed to the pregame alumni gathering at Penn Quarter. We got there early enough to score the last table and the last free t-shirts and rally towels. As we sat there, we watched the place fill up with Miami fans, and the vibe was incredible. We had the pleasure of meeting Miami's president, Dr. David Hodge, and chatting with him for a few minutes. I was really impressed by him and his obvious passion for all things Miami. He even gave each of us a scarf made by his wife since we had come so far (me from Denver, Mary Lynne from San Diego).
Me and President Hodge
We also met some rather odd, but entertaining, fans from Northern Michigan. They came in with a one man band, the lyrics to our fight song printed out (which they used to lead the bar in a couple rounds), and tons of enthusiasm...they were awesome!
After the pregame, it was time for the big show. We made a stop-over to meet up with Becky from the miamihawktalk message board (who is an incredible woman...hooked us up with tickets and hotel rooms for after the games) and pick up our game tickets and then it was over to the Verizon Center to watch the first-ever team from Miami play in a national semifinal game. Miami was very well-represented but our opponent, Bemidji State, was wearing the Cinderella crown and therefore every unaffiliated fan in the building was cheering for them. Fortunately, we only really had to hear them cheering one time, as we dominated the game. Honestly, most of the game is a blur to me. I remember seeing the puck in the back of the net, with little memory of how it got there. All I know is that it was absolutely incredible to be in the middle of the Miami section, screaming my head off as we sent the Bemidji Beavers back to Minnesota.
Me and Swoop (who I must admit is a better mascot than the old and worn Tom-O-Hawk we had back in the day)
After not-nearly-enough sleep, I got up the next morning to take advantage of being in D.C. and go for a really memorable run. Our hotel was less than half a mile from the Capitol building, so I ran out the front door, past the Capitol, along the Mall, around the Washington Monument, and back. I had really hoped to go down past the Lincoln Memorial and out around the Tidal Basin (under the cherry trees) past the Jefferson Memorial as well, but the cherry blossoms were well past their prime and I just couldn't get myself out of bed early enough to have time for a longer run. It was still an incredible run, though!
Next up was a trip on the Metro back up to Maryland, where Loni and Rachel and Garrett picked me up. I had asked if we could go somewhere with some good crab for lunch (seeing as how we're land-locked and all here in Colorado), so Loni got a recommendation for a restaurant, and we had a delicious meal. Mmm...crabcakes. Next up, we headed to Ellicott City to walk around and take advantage of the beautiful day and do some window shopping.
Loni and I in Ellicott City (as taken by Rachel, age 5...not bad, huh?!)
I had great plans to go for a nice run through Loni's neighborhood on Saturday morning, but it was pouring rain so I wussed out. Luckily the rain was letting up by the time I was on the Metro heading back down for the game. I dropped my suitcase at our hotel for the night, and Mary Lynne and I headed over to the unofficial pre-game gathering at a local Irish pub. It was amazing. It had been organized just that morning, and advertised through the hawktalk message board and by word of mouth only, and it was jam-packed wall-to-wall with Miami fans. I talked to tons of hawktalkers, and met lots of people who had just gotten into town after driving in from Cincinnati or other locales. The vibe was incredible. There was cheering, fight-song singing, and (in true Miami fashion) a good bit of drinking. :-p
From the pre-pre-game gathering, it was on to the "official" alumni gathering in the Verizon Center. We met back up with Becky (who had just flown back from Providence and her oldest son's college lacrosse game) and got fired up some more. Before I knew it, it was game time!
Mary Lynne and I were approached by an usher just after getting to our seats. He told us that they wanted one of US to go out on the ice at intermission for a race. I kind of wanted to do it, and we couldn't decide who should, so we rock/paper/scissor'd for it. Mary Lynne totally cheated, but I'm glad she did. I am SO glad I lost that one. She ended up missing over half of the second period! Not to mention that she kind of got her butt kicked in the race! :-)
Mary Lynne (in yellow) gets smoked in the puck race
Most of you may know what happened in the game, but I guess I should sum it up for those who don't. In a nutshell, we were up two goals with less than a minute to go. An insurmountable lead, right? Well, not in hockey. There's a saying that a two goal lead is the worst lead in hockey, and it certainly proved true for us.
BU pulled their goalie and scored with just under a minute to go. We still had a one goal lead, so all was well. Then they scored again with 17.4 seconds left. We were 17.4 seconds from a national championship.
The rest of the game is history. Overtime was a very back and forth affair, with opportunities for both teams. It ended on a totally fluke-y goal that went off our diving defenseman and knuckleballed over our goalie's shoulder. Game over. We lose.
I think I'm still stunned at the turn of events. We were so close, but yet so far away. In a lot of ways, it would have hurt less to get blown out. Nobody really gave us a chance against BU, so to not only be IN the game, but in control of it for most of the game, was a surprise.
I am incredibly proud to be a Miami alum, and a Miami hockey fan. Our team did an amazing thing last weekend. A little over a month ago, we weren't even expecting to be in the tournament. To be so close to winning the whole darn thing...
After the loss, it was a short night before heading back up to Maryland once again. Loni and her husband are very active in their church, which was putting on a huge Easter celebration in a local park, so I got the opportunity to earn my keep a little by helping out. It was a crazy and busy day, but fun. Keeping so busy actually kept me from totally crashing, I think. It was a beautiful day, although a little cold and windy, and nice to get to spend a last little bit of time with my good friend and her family.
What a great experience. I wouldn't have missed Miami's first Frozen Four appearance for anything, and the fact that I got to spend some time with Loni was a huge bonus. The only problem is that now that I've been there once, I think I *have* to go back. At the VERY least, I have to be there when (yes, WHEN) Miami wins their first national championship. Luckily, next year's Frozen Four is in Detroit so it could definitely be feasible!
Huge thanks to the Penners for allowing me to stay in their home and shuttling me back and forth to and from the airport and the metro station, all while organizing a massive community Easter celebration. Also, huge thanks to Becky, encourager of road trips, purveyor of game tickets and hotel rooms, and all-around awesome new friend!
Many more pictures from the weekend are in my Frozen Four album, so check them out!