BC Interruption - BC Interruption’s Best Boston College Sports Moments of the DecadeA Boston College Eagles Community.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47285/bci-fave.png2019-12-31T08:00:00-05:00http://www.bcinterruption.com/rss/stream/207984392019-12-31T08:00:00-05:002019-12-31T08:00:00-05:00The #1 Boston College Sports Moment of the 2010s is Johnny Gaudreau’s Goal To Clinch The 2012 NCAA Title
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<p>Who among you hasn’t been watching this on a permanent loop</p> <p id="Y6achj">We hope you’ve enjoyed our decade-ending series of the Top Ten Boston College Sports Moments of the 2010s! There’s been a nice mix of sports in here, showing that even though there have been a few dry years here and there, there’s usually something to celebrate at the Heights. If you’d like to check out the full list of top ten moments of the decade (plus some honorable mentions), <a href="https://www.bcinterruption.com/2019/12/22/21034398/bc-interruptions-best-boston-college-sports-moments-of-the-decade">click here</a>.</p>
<p id="VAqRjm">And so, here on the last day of the 2010s, we have reached the number one moment of the decade. And could there be any doubt? Our top Boston College moment of the last ten years is Johnny Gaudreau’s goal to seal <a href="http://www.hockeyeastonline.com/men/boxes12.php?mbc_fsu1.a07">the 2012 NCAA Men’s Hockey championship</a>.</p>
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<p id="cwPNaI">Part of what made this moment so exceptional was the way the game had gone. BC was riding high on an 18 game winning streak, and who did we get in the NCAA championship game? Ferris State?? That’s not even a real state! The Eagles were expected to roll!</p>
<p id="6QfQly">But roll they did not. BC scored in the opening few minutes and things looked pretty good, but the Bulldogs scored just two minutes later to tie it up. Steven Whitney re-took the lead a few minutes later... and then things just sort of went stagnant.</p>
<p id="lCUHZx">Neither team scored for the rest of the first period, and neither team scored in the second (though BC took plenty of penalties), and so it started to feel like 2007, when Michigan State hung around long enough to take the game late. So the tension was crazy-thick, and just built with each passing minute. And then, man oh man... you will only see a few moments of pure individual brilliance like this a few times in your lifetime.</p>
<p id="LP81iH">Let’s watch it again, just for a few more of those good feels.</p>
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<p id="DGs9s6">I mean damn.</p>
<p id="4zmqYd">Stephen Whitney would put a topper on the game with an empty netter in the final minute, but until Gaudreau took over with three minutes to play, the game was on a razor’s edge.</p>
<p id="ymqUH4">It’ll be hard to top this moment in the next decade of Boston College sports — it’s won our GIF of the Year tournament’s “Best of the Best” matchup every year since its inception for a reason — but there will be plenty of opportunities for all of BC’s teams to take their shot. When, not if, Boston College reaches the top again, the moment will have some good company in our memories.</p>
<p id="fSyXUj">Happy New Year to all you Eagles! Here’s to some great moments next year and beyond on the Heights.</p>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/boston-college-bc-eagles-mens-hockey/2019/12/31/21038534/boston-college-bc-eagles-sports-moment-of-the-2010s-johnny-gaudreau-goal-2012-ncaa-frozen-four-titleGrant Salzano2019-12-30T08:00:00-05:002019-12-30T08:00:00-05:00The #2 Moment of the BC 2010s: BC Upsets No. 9 USC in the First Red Bandana Game
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<img alt="USC v Boston College" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QIxr8wWDXQ0lN78lRxNMpDVqPmo=/57x0:4097x2693/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65993102/455408932.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="jp9Mbe">Welles Crowther! Will Ferrell! Winning! What a game.</p>
<p id="sndA8y">BC’s incredible 37-31 upset win over the #9 USC on September 14, 2014 is our number two moment of the decade. </p>
<p id="D9Y0nk">This game had it all for BC; 400 yards on the ground, 54 yards in the air, and to top it all off a missed extra point. It was so quintessential BC, and it felt so right. Most importantly, this was the inaugural Red Bandana Game and it delivered tenfold. The atmosphere was absolutely electric and fitting for the memory of Welles Crowther. The moment the Crowther family stepped onto the field was chilling and truly set the tone for Red Bandana Games to come.</p>
<p id="ZTx7Lx">The Eagles had not beaten a team in the Top 25 since 2008 [and have yet to beat one since @Cincinnati]. Steve Addazio in his second year on the job was taking on Steve Sarkisian in his first year at USC.</p>
<p id="Mr3dnl">Tyler Murphy was undoubtedly the star of the show. 191 yards on the ground, including a 66-yard game sealing touchdown sprint, was the start of a magical year. Only <em>five</em> passes were completed and no player had more than one catch for the Eagles. On the other side, the Eagle defense held USC to 0.7 yards rushing. You read that correctly. The added 16 tackles for loss and five sacks. They gave up some points to some real NFL talent on the other end, but Don Brown’s unit delivered.</p>
<p id="baXj92">The Eagles were down 10-0 early in the second quarter before things started going our way. Tyler Rouse opened up the scoring on a pitch to make it a four point game. A missed kick on the ensuing extra point would haunt the Eagles for years to come. BC put on a show that night with five touchdowns all on the ground, and delivered a legit field-storming moment we would remember for years to come. There are even those who still claim to see the occasional “We beat USC” post on YikYak to this day.</p>
<p id="kgRXTM">This game meant so much. After a quick turnaround season in Daz-year one, year two wasn’t off to the best start. A beatdown at the hands of Pittsburgh in the home opener, gave many pause and produced major doubt that BC could build on the success and prove year one wasn’t a fluke. The nationally televised game showed everyone the kind of atmosphere a 41,000+ strong Alumni Stadium was capable of producing. And beyond that, this moment transcended the game, and honored a true hero of our community. This game gave us a memory we shan’t forget.</p>
<p id="AZHkIn"><strong>Food for thought:</strong></p>
<p id="gsi7Xi">Did this game end up causing more harm than good? This was the biggest win of the entire Addazio-era and it happened so early on in his tenure. But did it give him years of goodwill that he otherwise wouldn’t have garnered? Was the win too good?</p>
<p id="Crkt5i">People forget, Chip Kelly was actually in attendance at this game on the BC sideline as well. While he and Ryan Day were already close, could this have been the final nail in the coffin for him leaving BC to follow Kelly to the professional Eagles? Oh what could have been.</p>
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https://www.bcinterruption.com/2019/12/30/21042151/the-number-2-moment-of-the-bc-2010s-boston-college-upsets-no-9-usc-first-red-bandana-gameNiraj Patel2019-12-28T08:00:00-05:002019-12-28T08:00:00-05:00The No. 4 Moment from the Boston College Decade is Men’s Basketball’s 2017 Upset of No. 1 Duke
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<img alt="COLLEGE BASKETBALL: DEC 09 Duke at Boston College" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7L77ub-8mNfdbPY-0uipZCmVnm4=/0x0:3900x2600/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65979679/890776610.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="Ls770S">In so many ways, the 2017 upset of No. 1 Duke is a story of a game that took place on a snowy afternoon in Chestnut Hill. But we already <a href="https://www.bcinterruption.com/2017/12/9/16756494/boston-college-eagles-mens-basketball-topples-no-1-duke-blue-devils">wrote a recap</a> about that game, and we also mentioned why that game <a href="https://www.bcinterruption.com/2018/6/10/17441394/bcs-upset-over-duke-is-our-game-of-the-year-bowman-robinson-chatman">in the context of the season was pretty awesome.</a> But what makes this game remarkable in the history of this decade is what surrounded this game– the lead up into the game– essentially what surrounded it. So, in order to tell this story properly, I’m going to backtrack a little bit.</p>
<h1 id="TN0pw4">A Dark Era</h1>
<p id="Z01GYB">I started writing for BC Interruption leading into the 2015-16 season. I wrote spot pieces here and there, but my main job was simple: cover the Boston College men’s basketball team.</p>
<p id="CaVk79">As luck would have it, that was the year where the Eagles set a mark in futility. After Olivier Hanlan left early for the Draft, the Eagles were left with a patchwork team. Dennis Clifford was the only legitimate big on the team, and there was not a lot of cohesion. Sure, Eli Carter, a transfer guard, had his moments, but he ruined so many others by his hero ball tendencies. Matt Milon had his moments too, but he was a freshman, and really only functioned, at best, as a sixth man in the Eagles’ rotation. Sammy Barnes-Thompkins also came into his own towards the latter of the season, but again only could be as good as his freshman version of himself could allow him to be.</p>
<p id="7nVtnT">The end result of all of that was a winless season in conference, a black mark on a proud program. Questions immediately surrounded the program, as would be expected after a year of abject futility. And to make matters worse, the Eagles lost Milon and Barnes-Thompkins to transfer, leaving a gap in the guard corps.</p>
<p id="lDoMvd">The recruiting class brought in some help. The Eagles brought in a heralded recruit in Ty Graves, who, along with a lesser known recruit named Ky Bowman, was expected to play a big role as the 1 guard immediately to complement a sophomore 2 guard by the name of Jerome Robinson, who had shown a lot of promise the year before he had his season cut short by injury. Nik Popovic, a forward who kind of flew under the radar, was also in the recruiting class. </p>
<p id="V5k9Xh">Immediately that team drew ire after a loss to lowly Nicholls State. Yeah, the team the year before didn’t win a game in conference, which was bad enough. But this was Nicholls freaking State. Sure the Eagles lost the previous year to UMass Lowell, but that was because of a <a href="https://www.bcinterruption.com/boston-college-basketball/2016/12/23/14071270/boston-college-basketballs-ty-graves-granted-release-to-leave-program">norovirus outbreak</a>. What was BC’s excuse this time? I’d put money on no one in the 3,122 person crowd at Conte Forum that November evening knowing where Nicholls State was located going into that game, and yet the Eagles lost to them. The Eagles rebounded before losing two games to formidable opponents, then split two games against Ivy League opponents. </p>
<p id="Opz0Ds">And then, the Hartford game.</p>
<p id="7e9cN2">If there were concerns about the team going into the Hartford game, they increased tenfold after the Eagles dropped a 65-63 result to Hartford at home. Coupled with the Nicholls State game, it appeared the program was in free fall.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="1azDtY">
<p id="SFH0oQ">Basketball is a game of runs, a game of momentum, a game where the slightest change in the pendulum swinging can mean the world. For a season and a half to this point, the Eagles has no momentum. They were a giant brought to their knees with little hope for the future.</p>
<p id="6Jc0yh">But that’s the weird thing about basketball– sometimes with a slight change not perceivable to the naked eye momentum could change, and a team could go on a run. </p>
<p id="LpCU0Y">For the Eagles, a shift in tide came with a Nik Popovic tip. At Madison Square Garden, the Eagles were taking on an Auburn team in a sort of opposite state compared to the Eagles. The Tigers had a coach familiar to Boston College fans named Bruce Pearl who was in the process of turning the program around. Pearl had just led the Tigers to an upset of Kentucky a year before and the Tigers were looking up as a program.</p>
<p id="PD6tpC">And yet, the Eagles and Tigers were neck and neck down the stretch, and with a made free throw by A.J. Turner, a player in the same class as Jerome Robinson, the Eagles took the lead. Yet Turner missed the back end, and Auburn got the rebound and immediately called timeout. Murmurs started amongst the BC faithful at the World’s Most Famous Arena. Auburn inbounded and a few seconds later Ky Bowman fouled Danjel Purifoy, who had been killing the Eagles all game. He made his two shots, giving the Tigers a 71-70 lead. Ky Bowman brought the ball up, took a shot, and the rest is left to the annals of history.</p>
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<img alt="Under Armour Reunion" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kEFqp9TGOhGqyIZaUIwkPk4XNQU=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9737375/629399892.jpg.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 12: Nik Popovic #21 of the Boston College Eagles reacts after hitting the game winning shot with .02 seconds remaining against the Auburn Tigers in the second half of the Under Armour Reunion at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)</figcaption>
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<p id="nyy1zB">The Eagles’ win catapulted them to a stretch where they won four out five games. The Eagles were humming. Sure, <a href="https://www.bcinterruption.com/boston-college-basketball/2016/12/23/14071270/boston-college-basketballs-ty-graves-granted-release-to-leave-program">Ty Graves leaving was a blow</a>, but Ky Bowman had proven to be a great option at the 1 guard himself, and things were looking up. The stretch culminated in a New Year’s Day upset of Syracuse, exorcising the demons from the previous year, giving the Eagles a much needed conference win. </p>
<p id="QsNKOw">But, as any basketball fan could tell you, just as quickly as you get a good run going, the basketball gods can just as quickly take it away. After the Syracuse game, the Eagles would only win one more game, and slid down the stretch, crashing out of the first round of the ACC Tournament. To make matters worse, <a href="https://www.bcinterruption.com/2017/3/7/14847844/recap-boston-college-men-basketballs-season-ends-at-2017-acc-tournament-eagles-fall-to-wake-forest">Ky Bowman left the game due to injury</a>.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="9fWxLJ">
<p id="bbPoyi">During my time on the basketball beat, there are certain stories that I remember hearing for the first time. The Chipotle story comes to mind. </p>
<p id="Anw3lt">I distinctly remember walking down Commonwealth Avenue from campus back to my apartment on April 10, 2017 when I got a message in the BC Interruption group chat. It wasn’t anything remarkable to get a message– we probably send about 100 messages a day in that thing– but for some reason I opened this one immediately. </p>
<p id="kVFxdP">In that message was a note that A.J. Turner was transferring. </p>
<p id="uGn350">Turner wasn’t anything special– at least he was not at the level of Bowman or Robinson– but he stood out in my mind because he was a regular starter on the team. When Matt Milon and Sammy Barnes-Thompkins left, it sucked to be sure, but they were at the sixth man level. They could have been something more, but Milon had not shown anything more than being a three point specialist and Barnes-Thompkins was a blow but replaceable. There was no getting around Turner being a big deal, and was more to the point a big problem. </p>
<h1 id="WdDwAy">A Glimmer of Hope</h1>
<p id="wm2GfE">The Eagles’ recruiting class was not remarkable in 2017– Luka Kraljević was really the only player coming in with any recruiting love. The big get for the Eagles was a transfer from Illinois State, Deontae “Teddy” Hawkins, who went back and forth on his commitment but ultimately came to the Heights to play for the Eagles. </p>
<p id="gSgpqG">This was kind of a put up or shut up kind of year for the Eagles. Ky Bowman and Jerome Robinson had turned into one of the best backcourts in the country, and Hawkins was formidable inside. If there was ever a chance for the Eagles to do something, this was the year. </p>
<p id="vUlQn8">The Eagles started off strong, picking up three wins before dropping a tough game against a very good Texas Tech team. Going to the Eagles’ game against Nebraska in late November, the Eagles were 5-2– not great, but certainly an improvement. It appeared the Eagles had some momentum behind them– certainly more than in recent memory. </p>
<p id="EkwSpr">But, eleven minutes into the game, the momentum was threatened. </p>
<p id="Qb6lDc">At 11:20 in the first half, Teddy Hawkins, the Eagles’ third leading scorer and top rebounder, was subbed out for Steffon Mitchell. Hawkins did not return in the game, or the season. Days later it was announced that he was <a href="https://www.bcinterruption.com/2017/12/6/16742552/teddy-hawkins-out-for-season-boston-college-basketball">sidelined with a knee injury</a>. The Eagles lost the game against Nebraska, but that along with the victory against Hartford days later seemed secondary.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="SzNGg3">
<h1 id="vuDYDq">A Cold Day in Boston</h1>
<p id="fzrfU7">December 9, 2017 was a busy day for Conte Forum. The arena first hosted a men’s basketball matchup against No. 1 Duke, and then the last men’s hockey game before the break. The Bruins were playing on the other side of town at 7 PM, and the Patriots were in the middle of yet another run to the Super Bowl. It was a crowded day in the Boston sports calendar. </p>
<p id="Tp7FYE">And it was snowing. And cold, very very cold. Given what happened that day, hell freezing over is probably not the world’s worst analogous cliché. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="VpK1u3">
<p id="hbHCLy">No one was expecting BC to win. If the 1,545 words that I have already written up to this points was not enough to convince you why that was, I’ll sum it up here: BC was bad for a long time, and while showing signs of life no reasonable person expected BC to compete with big, bad Duke. Here on BCI, no one picked BC to win, and the writer who wrote the preview (not me) even <a href="https://www.bcinterruption.com/2017/12/9/16748234/boston-college-mens-basketball-vs-duke-conte-forum-acc-basketball">went as far to say this:</a></p>
<p id="rVNWmd"> <em>Who gives a damn about food? After the loss of </em><span><em><strong>Hawkins</strong></em></span><em>, I’m ready to give up. First Anthony Brown’s knee, and now Hawkins. I have two healthy knees that I would love to give up to help them. They need them more than I do. I need them to have them more than I need me to have them.</em></p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="83TMFD">
<p id="RC7XNR">Ask most basketball fans what is necessary in order to pull of an upset, and you will probably get two requirements: keep it close throughout the game, and have a lead at halftime. </p>
<p id="wxnakW">For much of the first half, the game was close. The Blue Devils led by as much as six at one point in the half, but the game never felt out of reach for the Eagles. And down the stretch of the first half, the Eagles surged, pushing back, going on a run to get the Eagles to the locker room up 48-41.</p>
<p id="nKbAZ5">I was at The Fours down by The Garden watching the game with a friend. We had both decided not to go to the game because tickets were too expensive (who wants to spend $65 to see your team lose?), but we decided to stick around and watch the game at the bar. </p>
<p id="6hcEkH">We were (and are) both seasoned BC sports veterans, so we had seen this song and dance before. The Eagles were showing signs of life for sure, but this was a team that had just over a year ago lost to Nicholls State, and a year before that went winless. I had both facts fresh in my mind as I was only just recently moved from the men’s basketball beat to men’s hockey. To make a long story short, we weren’t hopeful.</p>
<p id="qplZMy">In the second half, the Blue Devils came back with a vengeance. Like a boxer taking punches from an opponent on the offensive, the Eagles stood as best they could but eventually with 7:06 left the Blue Devils took a very tenuous lead that stood until the last three minutes of the game.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="7AdYnw">
<p id="juf4Zq">Jerome Robinson was very much the leader of this 2017-18 team. He was introduced to the world of Division I basketball very much via trial by fire. His first season was the infamous winless season in-conference, and he was expected to immediately play a huge role on the team. He started with Eli Carter by his side and showed signs of brilliance before getting hurt to end his season. During the 2016-17 season, Robinson appeared to find his groove with Ky Bowman, and the duo eventually clicked and fed off each other.</p>
<p id="KU1k7M">Now in his junior year, Robinson was in somewhat a culmination of his time at BC. It was not unreasonable to think at this point that Robinson was thinking towards the NBA Draft, and there was speculation that this was the last year for Robinson. Conversely, this was the last opportunity for Robinson, the face of the rebuild, the guy who stayed, beloved by BC basketball fans everywhere, to make an impact on his program.</p>
<p id="PJPnU3">I highly doubt that was in his mind with 2:56 left in regulation when he came down with a defensive rebound off an attempted trey by Trevon Duval, but it was the start of an effort by Robinson that would make his mark on the program forever.</p>
<p id="lVaAZb">Robinson got that rebound and drove the length of the court, and nine seconds later made a three pointer off an assist from Ky Bowman to pull the Eagles within one. At the 1:32 mark, Gary Trent Jr. gave the ball up, and the Eagles had a chance for a go-ahead shot. Robinson did not disappoint, draining a three pointer, again assisted by Ky Bowman, giving the Eagles the lead, and the sell-out crowd something to cheer about.</p>
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<p id="4oyV8W">At that point, it was no longer a pipe dream. BC was in the driver’s seat, and just needed to work down the clock. Duke put up a fight, but after Ky Bowman pulled a rebound off a Gary Trent Jr. prayer that was of no consequence, the horn sounded, and the Eagles had sealed their biggest victory in a long, long time.</p>
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<p id="9clH5E">I remember the first time I went to a BC sporting event at Conte Forum. I was struck by the way the light covers would sometimes open and close for mood effect. I had been at arenas before with lights like that, but I never saw them open and close independently of one another for mood and atmosphere. </p>
<p id="IkA5aa">They did at the Duke game, and coupled with the students storming the court it lent itself to a party atmosphere. And why not? For the first time in a long time, the Boston College faithful had something to celebrate.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="COLLEGE BASKETBALL: DEC 09 Duke at Boston College" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_pmg3xi4MYRdJKZ6ky4k9dji75A=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19558256/890776588.jpg.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="jLzrY6">
<p id="SvsdBX">Beating a No. 1 team is special– the 2019-20 season has been an anomaly because it has happened so much. What made this game special was what surrounded it, what led the Eagles to this game. No one gave the Eagles a chance in this game. The program was left for dead. Because of the efforts of so many in the program, the Eagles emerged from the dark ages, and pulled a remarkable upset and reintroduced the Eagles to the national conversation, at least for a little while.</p>
<p id="fVVAbX">What made this game special was not the game itself, but what it took to get there.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="NCAA Basketball: Duke at Boston College" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DOcDG-87lbHkV7LdkNr7pSGHN1c=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9871635/usa_today_10468365.jpg">
<cite>Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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https://www.bcinterruption.com/2019/12/28/21036187/the-no-4-moment-from-the-boston-college-decade-is-mens-basketballs-2017-upset-of-no-1-dukeArthur Bailin2019-12-27T08:00:00-05:002019-12-27T08:00:00-05:00The No. 5 Boston College Moment of the Decade is Boston College Women’s Lacrosse’s 2019 Defeat Of North Carolina
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<img alt="2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship - Semifinals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HMXFaO4t4nDO82DdAD2Ct9qv6cw=/0x0:5472x3648/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65975027/1151496218.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="OCkIvz">The 2019 defeat of North Carolina by the Boston College Eagles in the 2019 NCAA Tournament semifinal is No. 5 on our list of Boston College sports moments in this decade. The moment, however, was about three years in the making.</p>
<h1 id="m4uq4n">The Emergence of a Titan</h1>
<p id="tpSQgc">Before the 2017 season everyone around Newton Campus knew BC had a strong women’s lacrosse program, but they hadn’t had much success on the national scale outside of an Elite Eight appearance in 2014.</p>
<p id="LkAtX6">The beginning of the success for the Eagles started with the addition of a women’s hockey player by the name of Kenzie Kent of Norwell, Mass. Kent played on the Eagles’ top line with Olympians Alex Carpenter and Haley Skarupa, and was a huge part of a women’s hockey team that made the Frozen Four. After the 2014-15 season Kent joined the team and led the Eagles to a No. 5 ranking going into the NCAA tournament before dropping against Loyola Maryland in the second round.</p>
<p id="SPiPOm">The 2017 season was different. The Eagles were good enough to earn the fifth seed in the ACC Tournament and got to the second round before losing to North Carolina in the second round. That effort was good enough for an NCAA Tournament berth. </p>
<p id="pK5qt3">The Eagles opened with a resounding 21-9 victory in Syracuse against Canisius. Next up were the hosts– Syracuse– in their own building. The end result was a trouncing of the Orange, giving the Eagles their first ever Final Four bid, a date with an upstart in their own right– the Naval Academy– at Gillette Stadium.</p>
<p id="Ti8spI">Thanks to a five goal effort by Kent and a solid effort by an emerging star named Sam Apuzzo, the Eagles came back from a halftime deficit to defeat Navy and set up a date with perennial queens-of-the-hill Maryland. Despite falling in the championship to Maryland, it was clear the Eagles had arrived on the national scene.</p>
<p id="kGxbnr">Then, a bombshell. Kent <a href="https://www.bcinterruption.com/2018/3/30/17182386/kenzie-kent-to-redshirt-in-lacrosse-for-the-2018-season">announced that she would redshirt her senior season </a>to preserve one year of eligibility for the 2019 season. The Eagles would be without one of their best pieces in 2018.</p>
<p id="u2G1t0">The Eagles didn’t miss a beat. Sam Apuzzo built on a fantastic sophomore year, and alongside a strong year from junior Dempsey Arsenault and reliable goaltending from Lauren Daly, the Eagles made their way back to the national championship before losing to upstart James Madison. </p>
<p id="DSbsTw">It was clear after years of being a sleeping giant, titans emerged from Newton Campus.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="1MLnGX">
<h1 id="wABquP">The Big, Bad Eagles</h1>
<p id="EPjYFn">The Eagles had emerged as perennial powers, and expectations were high. Sam Apuzzo was coming back for her senior year, and Kenzie Kent was coming back from her redshirt season to complete one of the best attacking corps in the country. Dempsey Arsenault was back, Cara Urbank was too, and if I were to list off all of the pieces the Eagles had returning we’d be here all day. </p>
<p id="fstmgf">The Big, Bad Eagles were ready to take on the world, and had the pieces to do it.</p>
<p id="0pnx8x">And take on the world they did. The Eagles blew through their regular season schedule, making a joke out of the nation’s best women’s lacrosse conference. The Eagles more than earned the No. 1 seeding in the ACC Tournament, coincidentally held on BC’s campus at Alumni Stadium.</p>
<p id="xYmhDi">The Eagles blew past Louisville in the first game before Syracuse took BC to the brink of defeat, but a comeback effort capped by a Taylor Walker goal with 17 seconds left preserved the Eagles’ chances in the ACC Tournament. The Eagles fell to North Carolina in the championship, but the Eagles had more than earned their place in the national conversation.</p>
<p id="vlTXbR">The Eagles were given the No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, and home field up until the Final Four. The Eagles blew past Colorado and took down Princeton, setting up a rematch against North Carolina.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="x2RBQV">
<h1 id="Zhe1CY">A War in Homewood</h1>
<p id="fuDLOq">The 2019 Final Four took place on the campus of Johns Hopkins, themselves a perennial power in the lacrosse world. It seemed as good a place as any for a grudge match.</p>
<p id="o8Gez1">The Eagles had taken the regular season matchup between the two teams in Chapel Hill, but Carolina took the ACC Championship game. It was clear this was a matchup between two very evenly matched teams.</p>
<p id="L4O2zR">It was a beautiful day in Homewood, and the Eagles and Tar Heels faced off at 5:05 PM.</p>
<p id="9uPP56">Fifteen minutes of game time later, the word was crashing down around the Eagles.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="xiMKX7">
<h1 id="Jjt9cq">Lauren Daly Saves the Day</h1>
<p id="f34sqn">It would be accurate to say that the 2019 season was a season of ups and downs for the senior goaltender from Shoreham, N.Y. Daly was the goaltender for the Eagles’ runs in 2017 and 2018, and she was named to the preseason All-ACC team.</p>
<p id="VpdoFw">That said, as the season went on Daly begun to fall out of the favor of Acacia Walker-Weinstein, and Abbey Ngai had begun to get starter minutes ahead of Daly, who had only seen the field in relief for most of the season.</p>
<p id="3kAHMb">Yet, eventually, Daly’s time came. In the ACC semifinal Abbey Ngai let in nine goals on eleven shots. For a team in a dogfight, that wouldn’t do, so Walker-Weinstein made the call to pull Ngai and replace her with Daly. Daly performed admirably, holding the Orange just enough for the Eagles to complete the comeback.</p>
<p id="cxoOsw">Ngai ended up back in net for the Eagles for the NCAA Tournament, and was the starter for the Eagles in Homewood.</p>
<p id="U5JKPi">Ngai was also the goaltender who let let in six goals on six shots to open the semifinal.</p>
<p id="Af1I1o">It was time for a change. Walker-Weinstein called Daly’s number.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="lQKjBW">
<p id="AsNLCF">With Daly in net, the ensuing draw-control went to Sam Apuzzo, and the Eagles went to work. Protected by four saves on six shots on goal by Daly, the Eagles powered back and went into the locker room at halftime just down by two.</p>
<p id="doUG9f">The Eagles came out swinging in the second half, and the Eagles had a lead down the stretch off a Jordan Lapin goal. But then Jamie Ortega scored for UNC, and the game went to overtime.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="TcyDoz">
<h1 id="n3lMWs">Overtime</h1>
<p id="NTqsly">BC won the draw control to open the overtime period, and the Eagles called timeout. Off the timeout, Dempsey Arsenault turned the ball over and the Tar Heels brought the ball down the field. Olivia Ferrucci sent a shot in that was turned aside by Daly, and the Eagles brought it back where Sam Apuzzo sent in a shot that went wide. </p>
<p id="8ArDXH">North Carolina got the ball with 1:05 left in the period. After a timeout, the Tar Heels set up a shot. With the tension mounting. Ferrucci sent in a shot and…</p>
<p id="RKlJwv"><em>ping.</em></p>
<p id="KZmUNB">The game required a second overtime.</p>
<p id="Pbnlz5">Kenzie Kent won the draw to start the second overtime and the Eagles brought the ball downfield. The Tar Heels would not get the ball back again. </p>
<p id="NVwi8F">After passing the ball around, Kenzie Kent sent the ball back to Apuzzo behind the net. Apuzzo emerged from behind the net with Emma Trechard guarding closely. Apuzzo made a move and switched to her left side and took a shot.</p>
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<img alt="2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship - Semifinals" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7Kjs5D9M-UYr28vJ_V-y7p0qwOE=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16323223/1151496201.jpg.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images</cite>
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<div id="XhxJXU"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xoaXANRIX-E?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media; accelerometer; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe></div></div>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/2019/12/27/21036891/no-5-boston-college-moment-of-the-decade-boston-college-womens-lacrosse-2019-defeat-north-carolinaArthur Bailin2019-12-26T08:00:00-05:002019-12-26T08:00:00-05:00Our #6 Best Boston College Sports Moments of the 2010’s: Baseball Advances to the 2016 Super Regional
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<img alt="NCAA Tournament: Boston College at Miami" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/y2VnLBle5YcWCjre5oM9pAe8R04=/185x0:2815x1753/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65969350/539306294.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A wild ride on the Frate Train</p> <p id="HvLSAk">Our sixth best BC sports moment of the 2010’s is the baseball team’s improbable trip to the Super Regional in 2016. The Eagles slipped into the tournament after a first round exit in the ACC tournament, but ran off three straight victories (7-2 over Tulane, 4-3 over Utah, 6-3 Tulane) to set up a three game series with Miami in Coral Gables.</p>
<p id="Eh1RZv">As a northern school in a predominantly southern conference, BC baseball will always have the odds stacked against them. Any amount of national success feels like an underdog story, and this story was made all the more special by the presence of Pete Frates.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Speechless...not cuz of stupid <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/als?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#als</a>. <a href="https://t.co/g0m9XEaf4Q">https://t.co/g0m9XEaf4Q</a></p>— Pete Frates (@PeteFrates3) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteFrates3/status/739642684332249088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2016</a>
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<p id="QRsvwy">Pete Frates and the Strike out ALS cause are inextricably linked to the Boston College baseball program. So when the Frate Train rolled through the Oxford Regional, Pete was watching every inning of the journey, even FaceTiming with the team as their bus headed to the stadium. How a person facing such tremendous challenges could maintain so much enthusiasm and support for his old ball team is beyond me, but it speaks to Pete’s ability to inspire people around the world.</p>
<p id="4YfAYr">Justin Dunn, the team’s ace and eventual 1st round pick by the Mets (before they moronically traded him to Seattle for an aging second baseman and disaster of a closer, but that’s a story for another day), said it best:</p>
<blockquote><p id="qSFz0r">“Pete is everything to not only this year’s team, but everybody who plays in a BC baseball uniform. He traveled with us our freshman year, and he sends Facebook messages. If we have a bad game he’ll say, ‘Hey, keep your head up.’ And that kind of puts things in perspective for all of us as a team. It’s like, this man’s dealing with a disease like ALS, and he’s taking the time out to just tell us to keep your head up. And we’re thinking that’s the worst thing in the world, but it’s really not. That’s kind of how Pete impacts us. He shows us that things are really not as big as they seem. If he can make the best out of a situation, then we can kind of deal with what we’re going through on our daily lives.”</p></blockquote>
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<p id="E8euU3">BC’s season may have ended with a 9-4 loss to Miami in the rubber game of the Super Regional, but the Frate Train roars on. His towering legacy will continue to resonate within the Boston College community and beyond for years to come.</p>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/2019/12/26/21035725/our-6-best-boston-college-sports-moments-of-the-2010s-baseball-advances-to-the-2016-super-regionalRich Rapp2019-12-25T08:00:00-05:002019-12-25T08:00:00-05:00The #7 Best Boston College Sports Moment of the 2010s is Women’s Hockey’s Overtime Win in the 2016 Frozen Four
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<img alt="2016 NCAA Division I Women’s Hockey Championships - Semifinals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/u20WrnRS5YrjTdUuJ5EMI9jK0ww=/74x0:2926x1901/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65967493/516404648.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The final win in a near-perfect season</p> <p id="1r9qa6">Our seventh best moment of the Boston College sports decade is the biggest win in the history of the BC Women’s Hockey program: the come-from-behind, overtime win in <a href="http://hockeyeastonline.com/women/boxes16.php?wbc_clk1.m18">the 2016 NCAA semifinals</a>.</p>
<p id="pfYrs6">Let’s set the scene: the women’s hockey team was on a run for the ages, perfect at 39-0-0 with the Beanpot, the Hockey East regular season title, and the Hockey East tournament title already in the bag. The Eagles were smoking everyone along the way, too — BC had won the Beanpot by a combined score of 15-0 (!) against Harvard and Northeastern, and walloped BU in the conference championship 5-0, putting the game away in the first period without even letting the Terriers get a shot in the opening frame.</p>
<p id="kLS8ZM">BC lit up Northeastern in the NCAA quarterfinals to the tune of a 5-1 win as well, setting up a Frozen Four matchup against #5 Clarkson, a former national champion. But the game did not go according to plan, and it looked like the Eagles were going to be one win shy of playing for a title yet again. The Golden Knights scored immediately in the first period and early in the second to make it 2-0, the first time BC trailed by two the entire season.</p>
<p id="hp7LvK">But BC was able to respond. Haley Skarupa scored before the end of the second period to put the game in reach, and Kaliya Johnson scored a miraculous greasy goal with just a few minutes left in regulation to send the game to overtime.</p>
<p id="HMD9qb">And under a minute into overtime — total euphoria.</p>
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<p id="fd920E">It was the first — and to this point, still only — time that BC Women’s Hockey has advanced to the NCAA finals. Unfortunately, the Eagles gave up a goal 13 seconds in against Minnesota in the championship game and couldn’t recover from there, ending the near-perfect run at 40-1-0. But on that night of the semifinals, it was the greatest moment the program had ever had, ending an 0-5 streak in the Frozen Four and giving us that shot at a title for the first time.</p>
<p id="AQDmlK">It’s unlikely that we’ll ever see a dominating run quite like the one the 2015-2016 team put up, even when the team does finally break through and win a title. But their final win of the year certainly put a worthy cap on a brilliant season.</p>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/boston-college-bc-eagles-womens-hockey/2019/12/25/21036903/boston-college-bc-eagles-womens-hockey-sports-moment-of-the-2010s-is-overtime-win-2016-frozen-fourGrant Salzano2019-12-24T08:00:00-05:002019-12-24T08:00:00-05:00The #8 Best Boston College Sports Moment of the 2010s is the 2012 Men’s Beanpot
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<img alt="Beanpot Hockey Tournament: BU Vs. BC" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pJw_i3cvAxwDW8_bSZpMD3hpxfM=/0x740:3115x2817/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65964701/138956585.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>An all-time classic</p> <p id="dlw0Vn">Our eighth best moment of the Boston College sports decade is one of the most thrilling finishes to a men’s hockey game in recent memory: <a href="https://bceagles.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/stats/2011-12/boston-university/boxscore/4543">the 2012 Men’s Beanpot</a>.</p>
<p id="tbel9E">This obviously won’t be the last time the 2012 men’s hockey season features in our top ten list of best BC sports moments of the 2010s, but this game was a special one. The 2012 men’s hockey roster was jam-packed with talent — Johnny Gaudreau, Chris Kreider, and Brian Dumoulin say hello, among others — and the Eagles were toward the beginning of one of the most impressive runs in the history of the program leading up to the Beanpot final. </p>
<p id="TfNNWt">On the heels of an awful sweep in Orono, BC rattled off four straight (including a 7-1 demolition of Northeastern in the Beanpot semifinals the week before) to face off against — of course — Boston University for the final. Those of us in attendance bore witness to one of the all-time thrillers in Beanpot history.</p>
<p id="nbTsrT">The two teams traded goals in regulation, with BC going ahead early, the Terriers tying it in the second, BC responding almost right away, and BU forcing overtime with a goal midway through the third period. But the game was just getting started.</p>
<p id="ep2gpU">Overtime was just crazy-good hockey. The two teams went back and forth with great chances and the extra period just flew by. Finally, with just 6.4 seconds to play in the first overtime, Steven Whitney found Bill Arnold for just a beauty of a shot blasted into the back of the net for the win.</p>
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<p id="Y0f8gs">My personal memory of the winning goal features three specific things. First, Bill Arnold’s swim-move celebration is one of my all-time favorites. Second, the period flew by so quickly that I didn’t even realize there were only 6 seconds left on the clock until well after the goal was scored (I would have thought there were several minutes to go). But most of all, the best part of the moment was the streamers coming down from the BC student section corner of the balcony. Somehow several of us organized bringing in dozens of maroon and gold streamers by giving out a couple each to a whole bunch of students to sneak in — you know, just in case. </p>
<p id="uYX0o4">It was pretty disorganized given that most of us were in shock from winning the game out of nowhere, but it was still a cool sight... and it gave everyone practice for a bigger moment (spoiler alert!) later in the year.</p>
<p id="EnQONT"></p>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/2019/12/24/21035962/the-9-best-boston-college-bc-eagles-mens-hockey-sports-moment-of-the-2010s-is-the-2012-mens-beanpotGrant Salzano2019-12-23T08:00:00-05:002019-12-23T08:00:00-05:00The #9 Best Boston College Sports Moment of the 2010s is Jerry York Breaking the NCAA Hockey All-Time Wins Record/Hitting 1,000 Career Wins
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<img alt="Boston College v Massachusetts-Lowell" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3bdVmzxijLMBII_DAih4QAv8z2o=/34x0:2787x1835/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65958636/1089944934.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A Legend</p> <p id="1nfG9u">Our ninth best moment in BC sports during the 2010s is more of a series of moments of Jerry York winning a heck of a lot of hockey games. During this decade, Coach York hit a pair of major milestones: he became the winningest coach in NCAA hockey history with win #925 in 2012 and he reached 1,000 career wins in 2016. Watching a legendary head coach crush previous coaching records has been a fun running thread through the decade.</p>
<p id="ZIvIdR">#York925 happened on the road as BC <a href="https://www.bcinterruption.com/boston-college-hockey-2012-2013-season/2012/12/29/3815786/jerry-york-becomes-college-hockeys-winningest-coach">defeated Alabama Huntsville 5-2</a> in the first round of the Mariucci Classic in Minnesota on December 29, 2012. The Eagles took an early lead in this one, scoring 4 unanswered goals to start the game (3 in the first period alone). Cam Spiro started the scoring for the Eagles, picking up 1 of his 6 career goals as an Eagle. Bill Arnold, Danny Linnell (the game-winner), and Pat Mullane would score the next 3 goals giving BC a 4-0 lead before Alabama Huntsville got on the board with a powerplay goal 5 minutes into the second. Each team scored once in the third (with Steve Whitney getting the BC tally), and the Eagles came away with a 5-2 victory to earn their coach his record breaking win.</p>
<p id="4yxTG4">Just over 4 years later, Coach York earned his 1,000th career victory as a head coach with another road win, this time at UMass. The Eagles completely dominated the Minutemen in <a href="https://www.bcinterruption.com/boston-college-hockey/2016/1/22/10812204/history-boston-college-bc-eagles-head-coach-jerry-york-first-ncaa-hockey-coach-1000-wins">an 8-0 blowout</a> to help Coach York reach this amazing milestone. Ian McCoshen opened the scoring just under 4 minutes into the game, and BC ran with it from there. 14 different Eagles recorded points in their coach’s big game: McCoshen (1 G), Alex Tuch (1 G, 1 A), Chris Calnan (1 G, 1 A), Colin White (1 G, 1 A), Miles Wood, (1 G, 1 A), Austin Cangelosi (1 G), Teddy Doherty (1 G, 1 A), Ryan Fitzgerald (1 G, 1 A), Matthew Gaudreau (2 A), Josh Couturier (1 A), Steve Santini (1 A), Zach Sanford (1 A), Scott Savage (1 A), and Michael Kim (1 A). Thatcher Demko recorded a 20 save shutout to secure the victory.</p>
<p id="b2elFM">As of today, Coach York has a 1067-650-120 overall record, with a 125–87–3 record at Clarkson, a 342–248–31 record from his time at Bowling Green and a 600–315–86 record since joining BC in 1994. He has won 5 NCAA Championships (4 at BC), 10 Hockey East regular season titles, 9 Hockey East Tournament Championships, and 9 Beanpot Championships. </p>
<p id="vjIzVR">Here’s to many more wins in the next decade!</p>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/2019/12/23/21030442/boston-college-sports-moment-of-the-2010s-jerry-york-breaking-the-ncaa-hockey-all-time-wins-recordLaura Berestecki