team crowned champions

had at [BU] since I’ve been here.”

The club entered the national tournament after finishing their regular season campaign with a 15-5-1 regular season record. Being slotted into the AAU National D pool for the initial tournament round, the Bearcats won out and advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament. From there, the Bearcats continued their winning ways on their path to the finals and then the national championship.

Chris Simak, a forward for the team and a senior majoring in computer science, recalled the team’s victory over the University of Tampa — who entered the matchup with a 30- game winning steak — as the moment where a championship started to feel real.

“At one point we were up four to nothing in the third period,” Simac said. “And seeing that score on the scoreboard really was just kind of like, mind-boggling to all of us, because we knew that it was gonna be a tough opponent. They were [30-0] and they were undefeated, so we knew it was gonna be a tough game, but seeing that on the scoreboard really proved to us and that was a set in sight tell for us that we had what it takes.”

The victory had extra meaning for many of the team’s senior players, as they were freshmen in 2020 when COVID-19 shut the tournament down, with many of those players missing their chance for a title, according to Simak and O’Bryan.

“We had so many of those former players reaching out to us and giving us support the whole way, and they were so excited after the championship,” O’Bryan said. “I think in a way they felt that it was carrying on what it started which definitely made it even sweeter for us to that we can do that for them.”

At the end of the event, O’Bryan left the trophy at the administration building, where it is planned to stay for the next couple of weeks.

Adam Bloodgood, the squad’s goaltender and a senior majoring in computer science, also gave acknowledgment and thanks to the team’s practice squad and backups. “They still helped grow the club, and they mean just as much,” Bloodgood said. “They push us every single practice, and they’re just as important than as the guys on the roster. There’s so much interest in so many guys who don’t get enough recognition that could probably make any roster in any other school. And that’s so much talent and we’re just blessed that we have so many great hockey players coming in.”