Boston College Athletics
Fenway A Special Hockey Experience In All Weather Conditions
January 12, 2017 | Men's Hockey, Women's Hockey, #ForBoston Files
For players and coaches, Frozen Fenway remains a unique experience.
Every hockey player remembers skating on frozen ponds and lakes growing up. They remember lacing up their skates, stepping out for those first strides, and playing until long after the sun went down. They remember how the elements weren't always ideal, but they would still play because they simply wanted to play.
This past week, Boston College's men's and women's ice hockey teams laced up skates and lived their childhood memories in Massachusetts' most hallowed cathedral when they played games at Fenway Park. Playing games against Providence and Harvard, respectively, they created lifelong stories while enjoying unique elements that proved both challenging and memorable in their own right.
"Having grown up a Red Sox fan in the area, this is was an amazing opportunity of a lifetime," women's hockey head coach Katie Crowley said. "I know it was the same for our players and a landmark day for our program. It was really cool for our practice day to see our players all walk around with Big Papi (David Ortiz) shirts, walk around the stadium, take it all in, and take pictures."
"It's a unique experience," men's head coach Jerry York said. "The first time was very special, against BU, in a one-game shot, and the place was jammed in excess of 30,000 people with the Bruins playing the Winter Classic. It was our fourth time coaching at Fenway Park (this season), and I get some juice every time we get to go there."
For both teams, inclement and crazy weather compounded what was a unique experience. Originally scheduled for Saturday against Providence, the men's team and Friars found themselves staring at the face of 2017's first significant snowfall. Winter Storm Helena forced the postponement to Sunday, when bitter cold temperatures settled in over the region.
With breath visible through their masks, the Eagles saw the Friars take a 1-0 lead four minutes into the second period with a power-play strike. Michael Kim tied it, however, four minutes later to send the game into the third at 1-1. With the sun setting and the Fenway lights turned on, David Cotton scored with just over three minutes remaining to give BC their first lead. Austin Cangelosi added an empty-netter, and the Eagles picked up two big Hockey East points with a 3-1 victory before almost 20,000 fans.
"There was no real problem with me in delaying the game due to the snow, and it was the right thing to do," York said. "We had our practice day, and then the weather came. Our players never complained about the weather or the cold, however. It wasn't a factor for them; it was just for the coach behind the bench. The ice conditions, which are never going to be perfect outside, were as expected. But it's a unique experience, and I was very happy we responded."
Two days later, the women's team took to the ice against Harvard in the renewal of a historic New England rivalry. On a day where Denna Laing dropped a ceremonial puck, the Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the second period. But it was after that period when the real story kicked in. A light drizzle and rain fell as BC headed into the locker room for the second intermission, but the skies opened while they were in there. By the time they came out to start the third, a downpour had turned Frozen Fenway into a flooded pond, with water pooling up in waves on the ice.
"I had probably been checking weather conditions since December," Crowley joked. "We saw that there was a chance for rain, then it went away, then came back (in the week before the game). I kept telling our team to expect anything and to prepare for an adversity that we really can't control. Once we knew that the rain was coming, I was glad that we didn't have the game canceled since we probably wouldn't have another chance to play with Fenway's schedule.
"We didn't feel that our players were going to be in danger (with the rain on the ice)," she continued, "We really wanted this experience. In some ways, the rain is going to make that more memorable because it made us work together in different and unique ways. There was no icing really because the puck was playing dead, and we knew the passing would be really hard because the puck would just die. But besides the water, the ice was good for the game, and it's something that we'll remember forever."
Games at Fenway Park have become more commonplace since the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers played the Winter Classic in 2010. While it's become a more regular experience for fans, players are getting unique memory since for many, it's their first and only time they'll be able to soak in games at special venues, including one as historic as Fenway Park.
"The practices are really special," York said. "We had a good, late afternoon with sunshine, and it was an unbelievable experience. Our seniors were the only ones who had played there before, so it was really fun for the younger guys. Leading up to it, they would ask the older guys what it was like, and then to see them on the ice having that fun is really a unique experience.
"You see the NHL, and they're at four or five games every year," he continued, "The outdoor game is really a magnet, even at that level. For our new players, the guys who haven't played there before, it was very, very special. It's hard to give up a home game, so I can understand the home team giving up the advantage to neutral ice, but I think we would do it again three or four years down the road. We can't do it every year, but with the right space, it can be very nice."
"Even with the rain, it's a special day," Crowley said. "We've had some great games with Harvard over the past 10-15 years, and we've built up a good rivalry with them. Both teams have Boston ties, and they know each other very well. And then to have Denna Laing involved made it that much more special. Everyone knows Denna, and we know that her sisters (Brianna and Lexie) play for Harvard, so it was also an emotional day for everyone. Games at Fenway Park are really unbelievable, and it's something everyone, myself included, will remember for the rest of our lives."
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This past week, Boston College's men's and women's ice hockey teams laced up skates and lived their childhood memories in Massachusetts' most hallowed cathedral when they played games at Fenway Park. Playing games against Providence and Harvard, respectively, they created lifelong stories while enjoying unique elements that proved both challenging and memorable in their own right.
"Having grown up a Red Sox fan in the area, this is was an amazing opportunity of a lifetime," women's hockey head coach Katie Crowley said. "I know it was the same for our players and a landmark day for our program. It was really cool for our practice day to see our players all walk around with Big Papi (David Ortiz) shirts, walk around the stadium, take it all in, and take pictures."
"It's a unique experience," men's head coach Jerry York said. "The first time was very special, against BU, in a one-game shot, and the place was jammed in excess of 30,000 people with the Bruins playing the Winter Classic. It was our fourth time coaching at Fenway Park (this season), and I get some juice every time we get to go there."
For both teams, inclement and crazy weather compounded what was a unique experience. Originally scheduled for Saturday against Providence, the men's team and Friars found themselves staring at the face of 2017's first significant snowfall. Winter Storm Helena forced the postponement to Sunday, when bitter cold temperatures settled in over the region.
With breath visible through their masks, the Eagles saw the Friars take a 1-0 lead four minutes into the second period with a power-play strike. Michael Kim tied it, however, four minutes later to send the game into the third at 1-1. With the sun setting and the Fenway lights turned on, David Cotton scored with just over three minutes remaining to give BC their first lead. Austin Cangelosi added an empty-netter, and the Eagles picked up two big Hockey East points with a 3-1 victory before almost 20,000 fans.
"There was no real problem with me in delaying the game due to the snow, and it was the right thing to do," York said. "We had our practice day, and then the weather came. Our players never complained about the weather or the cold, however. It wasn't a factor for them; it was just for the coach behind the bench. The ice conditions, which are never going to be perfect outside, were as expected. But it's a unique experience, and I was very happy we responded."
Two days later, the women's team took to the ice against Harvard in the renewal of a historic New England rivalry. On a day where Denna Laing dropped a ceremonial puck, the Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the second period. But it was after that period when the real story kicked in. A light drizzle and rain fell as BC headed into the locker room for the second intermission, but the skies opened while they were in there. By the time they came out to start the third, a downpour had turned Frozen Fenway into a flooded pond, with water pooling up in waves on the ice.
"I had probably been checking weather conditions since December," Crowley joked. "We saw that there was a chance for rain, then it went away, then came back (in the week before the game). I kept telling our team to expect anything and to prepare for an adversity that we really can't control. Once we knew that the rain was coming, I was glad that we didn't have the game canceled since we probably wouldn't have another chance to play with Fenway's schedule.
"We didn't feel that our players were going to be in danger (with the rain on the ice)," she continued, "We really wanted this experience. In some ways, the rain is going to make that more memorable because it made us work together in different and unique ways. There was no icing really because the puck was playing dead, and we knew the passing would be really hard because the puck would just die. But besides the water, the ice was good for the game, and it's something that we'll remember forever."
Games at Fenway Park have become more commonplace since the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers played the Winter Classic in 2010. While it's become a more regular experience for fans, players are getting unique memory since for many, it's their first and only time they'll be able to soak in games at special venues, including one as historic as Fenway Park.
"The practices are really special," York said. "We had a good, late afternoon with sunshine, and it was an unbelievable experience. Our seniors were the only ones who had played there before, so it was really fun for the younger guys. Leading up to it, they would ask the older guys what it was like, and then to see them on the ice having that fun is really a unique experience.
"You see the NHL, and they're at four or five games every year," he continued, "The outdoor game is really a magnet, even at that level. For our new players, the guys who haven't played there before, it was very, very special. It's hard to give up a home game, so I can understand the home team giving up the advantage to neutral ice, but I think we would do it again three or four years down the road. We can't do it every year, but with the right space, it can be very nice."
"Even with the rain, it's a special day," Crowley said. "We've had some great games with Harvard over the past 10-15 years, and we've built up a good rivalry with them. Both teams have Boston ties, and they know each other very well. And then to have Denna Laing involved made it that much more special. Everyone knows Denna, and we know that her sisters (Brianna and Lexie) play for Harvard, so it was also an emotional day for everyone. Games at Fenway Park are really unbelievable, and it's something everyone, myself included, will remember for the rest of our lives."
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