Thursday, March 3, 2016

Flashback to 2006 - UNO Hockey in Desperate Need


(This was originally posted in the Mavpuck group on Facebook.)

By Jon Brooks

A little Sunday pep talk here…

A decade ago, UNO was in need of points to secure home ice throughout the early rounds of the CCHA playoffs. That was a team that rattled off an 11-game "unbeaten" streak at one point in the season.

Bridget was leading our bus trip that weekend to Kalamazoo. We were certain we'd lock things up.

Krutov, the MavBoni driver, came up to me before Saturday's game and promised a win (after falling to the Broncos on Friday night). He was so sure of this, he said, he'd streak around the bus in the WMU parking lot after the game if we didn't grab at least a point.

Suffice it to say, Krutov is a man of his word, and the people of Kalamazoo got to see more than they bargained for under the mercury-vapor lights that night.

Two weeks later, we were in Marquette, Mich., for the second round of the CCHA playoffs. We suffered a sweep at the hands of Northern Michigan, and had to do the proverbial "walk of fan shame" past the NMU party bus as their fans danced on the roof with flaming brooms in hand.

We thought we were done for. We didn't know that we would eventually make the NCAA tournament (our first appearance ever, in Worcester, Mass.) by a whisker, and I'd get to see an ocean for the first time in my life.

I realize the guys need some wins, and need to get some things figured out in a hurry.

But I've seen way too many weird things happen to count them out…

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