Let's Forget Last Year

As the suddenly award-heavy Dutchmen take on the the Colgate Raiders in the ECAC Semifinals, they face more than just the best player in the ECAC (and perhaps in all of college hockey). Austin Smith's senior year has been one to remember. After securing the ECAC Player of the Year award last night, Smith is entrenched as a heavy Hobey Baker Award favorite. With an astounding 56 points in only 37 games (36g/20a), Smith leads a powerful, hungry Colgate crew.

Stored not especially deep in the collective memory of Dutchmen fans is last year's upset in the ECAC Quarterfinals. After the most successful season in their history--and on the heels of the program's first Cleary Cup--Union faced Colgate in a best of three series at Messa Rink. Colgate had been predicted to excel, but fell flat during the regular season, posting a meager 11-28-3 record overall. Much of that changed that weekend at Messa Rink.

My mind returns to that final game like a skipping record. It wasn't so much Colgate's overtime winner that deflated the crowd at Messa Rink. Nor was it shoddy officiating. It was Chris Wagner taunting the student section following Colgate's win. As the Colgate forward saluted Section Q, which had been loud all game, boos cascaded down. But even making veiled threats toward Wagner or official Bryan Hicks couldn't satisfy an altogether despondent campus. People told Union fans to "look for the silver lining." I couldn't get the bad taste out of my mouth.

Post-Colgate, the program continued to surpass expectations. Following the program's first Division I appearance in the NCAA tournament, a loss to the eventual champions, Minnesota-Duluth, Union hasn't looked back. Playing an outdoor game at Fenway Park, beating Michigan on their home ice, sweeping RPI in the ECAC quarterfinals, boasting a Hobey Baker Award finalist(!), 2011-2012 has been a remarkable campaign. But that bad taste still lingers. Colgate's tremendous upset--capped by Wagner's salute--is indelibly etched in the minds of the fans and the players.

On the flip side, the Raiders fulfilled the premonitions of regular-season success that last year's team should have. Buoyed by Smith and Wagner (17g/33a), Colgate's high powered offense amounts to exciting hockey. It also amounts to a great deal of consternation for Union fans.

Regardless of last year's results, today's contest has all the makings of a tremendous affair. This is a part of the beauty--and trickiness of hockey. As any goaltender will tell you, forgetting the past is paramount to success.

Remember, you can watch today's game online here for $9.95. I'd say it's worth it.