BC Interruption’s Female Fan Favorite is Erin Connolly

We are nearing the end of the 2019-2020 BC Interruption Awards (the BCI-y’s!), which means we’re getting to some of the most coveted trophies of the series. Today we move on to my personal favorite award.

Boston College Women’s Hockey senior Erin Connolly is BC Interruption’s 2019-2020 Female Fan Favorite, beating out a slew of other favorite Eagles for this most prestigious award. Also receiving votes for Female Fan Favorite were Jewel Strawberry of Volleyball, Marnelle Garraud of Women’s Basketball, Taylor Soule of Women’s Basketball, Charlotte North of Lacrosse, and Margo Carlin of Field Hockey.

Erin Connolly. Oh man. I am so honored to get to write this blurb. Those of us who follow the women’s hockey team know that this Queen of Queens is going to be impossible to replace for entertainment value.

This is a unique trophy presentation for two reasons. First, it’s because Erin is actually one of the only (and possibly *the* only) back-to-back winners of the Fan Favorite BCI-y. But second off, it’s because Erin only played half the season this year. Connolly’s last game as an Eagle came in a 2-2 tie against #1 Minnesota halfway through her senior campaign, before missing the rest of the year due to a lower body injury.

But she did not fade into oblivion. Erin instead went behind the bench for the rest of the season as an acting assistant coach to help out. It was a great consolation for those of us who missed seeing Erin on the ice.

Here is a list of all the things I will remember most about Erin Connolly:

• The Erin Connolly Hat Trick, which is to say taking 3 (or maybe 6, or maybe 12) penalties in a game. ERIN NO
• The time I put up a donation to the BC Women’s Hockey fund if she could stay out of the box for an entire game, and not only did she do that, the ENTIRE TEAM did for the first time since the 2014-2015 season.

• The time she snowed the goalie, got a penalty, and snowed the goalie again the very next day and put her hands to her head in a WHAT HAVE A DONE?! moment before the referee (again) sent her to the box. A true Snow Queen.
• She time she buried BU to advance to the Hockey East championship game right after I screamed ERIN YES from the stands.
• The time she very intentionally and very obviously threw the puck into the net with her hand and celebrated the goal anyway.
• And, obviously, more than anything else, The Notebook.

Damn it. We are going to miss you, Erin Connolly. Don’t be a stranger.