But there were intangibles, including Roy, whose presence at the first game symbolized a triumph of the human spirit to his teammates. He sent them on their way with a poignant message. I was glad for the seniors that were playing that Travis felt a part of the team and felt a part of it,'' said O'Connell yesterday. He gave a speech before the third period and before the BC game. It was inspirational.
Statistics are a cold way to tell a story, but they are impressive nevertheless.
The Terriers have beaten the Huskies seven straight times and the Eagles 11 consecutive times in this tournament, and they have 21 titles since 1966. O'Connell, whose family lives in Watertown, grew up dreaming about the Beanpot and came to BU because of the tradition, following the same path as Mike Grier and Chris Kelleher out of St. Sebastian's. His first Beanpot experience was an 11-4 victory over the Huskies in his freshman year. The latest one is a triumph to savor. There's been a lot of ups and downs as a team.