Ahhh… Boston, you’re my home. A year into my Midwestern beat covering the WCHA for FloHockey, I got an assignment back to my roots in Boston—the Hub of Hockey—for a three-day bender for support coverage of the Hockey East quarterfinals. That, my friends, is puck love. The cherry on the sundae was the venue for opening night as Maine took on Northeastern: Matthews Arena, the oldest hockey rink in… the… world. This is where you turn up the volume on the 1966 hit by the Standells, Boston’s ultimate sports anthem. 

Known to old-timers as Boston Arena, this venerable barn opened in 1910, two years before the construction of Fenway Park and the sinking of the Titanic. It was the premier showcase for Princeton superstar Hobey Baker in his epic games versus Harvard a century ago. The Boston Arena nearly burned to the ground in 1918, but was rapidly rebuilt. Its balconies have the best sightlines in hockey, and the maniacal student section known as the Dog House is the most colorful in the sport. And purists be damned, it’s got the best indoor video board in college sports.

Go Figure: College Hockey's biggest video board in its oldest rink. pic.twitter.com/gujwM4gE01

— Tim Rappleye (@teeraps) March 16, 2019

For the first time in Hockey East history, neither Boston College nor Boston University hosted a quarterfinal, but Northeastern—the Hub’s new heavyweight of college puck—provided a familiar landing spot for all of Boston’s puck illuminati, the Arena. Prior to puck drop, the dean of hockey newspapermen John Connolly held forth in the press box; USA Hockey personnel man and former Huskies coach Ben Smith shared insights with scouts; Dorchester’s Chris O’Sullivan, the 1995 Frozen Four hero, schmoozed with agent Lewis Gross in the North End; and college hockey’s premier pundit Dave Starman perched up high in the south balcony, wearing his other hat as a Canadiens scout. Starman and O’Sullivan were both opining if and when Northeastern’s much decorated goalie Cayden Primeau would jump to the pros. Liam Pecararo’s junior hockey buddies were reveling in his Division I renaissance after a three-year gap. Every accent exuded “Baaston.” Pure hockey chowder.

It was a college hockey convention, ushering in the second season inside a barn that has no peer. And the game inside the glass matched the gravitas of setting.

There were no shortage of characters in this drama: two wily coaches, Red Gendron of Maine and Jim Madigan of Northeastern; a couple of the country’s best goalies locked in a gripping duel; a passionate fan base. One hard-earned goal per squad through regulation, and lengthy video reviews from teams that gave no quarter. Underdog Maine, the sixth seed with no NCAA bid to cushion a series loss, was playing for its life and it showed, as the Black Bears carried the action throughout the scoreless first period. 

Beanpot hero Tyler Madden opened the scoring for the Huskies in the second, only to have Maine’s Brady Keeper rip a slapper past Primeau eight minutes later. Those two goals stood through regulation and beyond, each team taking turns carrying the play, but unable to solve the unflappable men behind the mask.

Finally, it was the previously anonymous Austin Goldstein, dashing in alone with the game on his stick in sudden death, converting his first goal of the season to ignite the crowd. An unscripted ending to a gripping drama, with roaring approval from the Doug House. 

The exquisite drama of Sudden Death, from the NU Dog House!! pic.twitter.com/ATKCtr6jSC

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) March 16, 2019

Sage “Jocko” Connolly steered the press conferences, making sure no one missed the significance of the young hero’s first overtime goal since high school. Coach Gendron shared that his troops had just the “right amount of anger” to steel them for Saturday’s rematch.

Collecting my notes, I exited into the heart of Boston’s cultural district as a light rain fell. Fans, coaches and media were soon absorbed by a bustling metropolis on a Friday night. There were no parking issues, the Green line subway was just a block away and trains would be running for another 90 minutes.

Fans in North Dakota, Hamden and the Twin Cities might argue that they possess the premier experience in college hockey. Not a chance; I’m with the Standells—Love That Dirty Water.

Author Tim Rappleye just released his latest book: Hobey Baker, Upon Further Review (Mission Point Press, 2018). He can be reached on Twitter @TeeRaps.