Well, here it is. The final C-Note$ you will ever have to endure. I promised the reading public several weeks ago that I would go through the best moments of the last five years of Northeastern sports. I received many e-mails from people who have read this column and I have collected and analyzed, as scientifically as I possibly can, the top five nominees.
5) February 1, 1999: Jim Fahey finds Brian Cummings on a lob pass that sails across the blue line and onto the junior’s stick and he beats Harvard goaltender J.R. Prestifilppo in overtime to lead Northeastern to a 4-3 victory in the first round of the Beanpot championship. The Huskies would go on to lose to Boston University (who else?) in the championship game but the game was very close until midway through the third period. Fahey’s assist would become one of many great memories the current San Jose Sharks defensemen would give the Husky faithful.
4) September 21, 2002: Don Brown’s team was magical this season, compiling nine wins on its way to an Atlantic-10 Championship. It was tough to pass over the kick heard ’round the A-10 when Miro Kesic hit his 57-yarder to win it, but the more defining moment was the team’s early season victory over UMass. For those that weren’t here three years ago, that same UMass team obliterated NU 77-0 in Amherst to which my buddy from Florida asked, “How do you sugar coat that one?” Well, you can’t … but you can get even. That’s exactly what NU beating the Minutemen 42-16 in front of a packed Parsons Field crowd. NU’s defense was incredible, stuffing the Amherst offense in its tracks. The two-time national champions were unable to get anything on the ground and the NU offense was able to get down the field and scored some points. The win marked the end of a 19-year drought against the usually strong Minutemen. UMass went on to finish third in the A-10 behind NU and Maine.
3) March 3, 2001: Marcus Blossom hits one of the greatest shots I’ve ever seen in basketball to defeat Drexel, 74-73 in Dover, Delaware, at the America East Basketball Championship. Blossom got the inbound pass with 14 seconds left and dribbled until the clock reached seven. He dribbled once to his left and once to his right, faded back from about the free throw line with a defender in his grill and buried the shot as time expired. NU wasn’t supposed to go anywhere in the tournament and were subsequently beaten by 44 in the next round. But Blossom, who had struggled the entire game, brought their former coach, Rudy Keeling, one more moment of glory.
2) February 11, 2002: Yeah, I know, the Huskies didn’t win the Beanpot in the five years I was here, but this moment really gave me chills when it happened and, even though NU ultimately lost the game and came home empty handed, I felt a strong bond to this team. Trailing 2-0 in the second period, the Huskies battled back behind two goals by Chris Lynch and spectacular goaltending by Keni Gibson. Then, as the period is about to come to a close, Fahey rips a slap shot by Sean Fields from the blue line, giving NU a 3-2 lead with 10 seconds left in the second. The period ends and the NU faithful is 20 minutes away from giving their team the biggest celebration in the history of the university. I remember walking through the press box and getting chills. My friend, former WRBB hockey announcer Dan Weiss, and I went on the air and just couldn’t talk about it. I know they lost the game, but it was my Beanpot moment. It was the one time during my five years that I truly thought they were going to win it.
1) February 15, 2002: Four days after ripping that slapshot that gave NU a lead, Jim Fahey made his magic happen again. The kid had the desire of a lion and he made his presence known against then No. 1 New Hampshire. The Huskies battled the Wildcats for almost three periods with some great goals and some good checking. But it appeared that, with a little less than a minute left, the Huskies were going to fall slightly short of victory on this night. Though the crowd was all still there, NU had lost Mike Ryan to a game misconduct and the rest of the team had a hard time solving UNH netminder Matt Carney. But, in the final seconds, NU got the puck and Fahey went behind the net. No UNH player went after him and he skated out in front. Eric Ortlip then went behind the net as NU had an extra attacker on the ice and slid a pass to Fahey, who took two whacks at it before it went in the net for the game tying goal. The clock read :01. The crowd went into a frenzy! Fahey made the second greatest play of the night two minutes into overtime when it seemed the Huskies would be satisfied with the tie. Fahey ripped a slapshot from the blue line that was deflected by then-freshman Jason Guerriero, who tipped it past Carney for the game winner. Fahey slid across the ice pretending he was swimming and the players piled on top of him. Fahey made so many moments for the Huskies, but that game defined him as a superstar in the making. He had led the Dogs for so many years through so many games. It was the moment that will last in NU history forever. I’m not a super sentimental guy, but that team meant a lot to me. It was the first year that I covered Bruce Crowder’s club and it was a great bunch of guys. I always sought out interviews from them and came to find the guys to have a really genuine personality. I enjoyed talking to them after every game because they really made each game fun and each interview important. To me, there was something special about covering sports at Northeastern. I know the teams annually would struggle compared to some other squads, but I felt a part of it. I learned something very valuable the first day I was ever given an assignment. I walked into Heather Linstad’s office and was offered a soda by the coach herself. She taught me, without saying anything, that I could be comfortable talking to her and that she wouldn’t blow smoke in my face. I really loved it here. I really loved watching Northeastern play sports. I know that former Director of Athletics Ian McCaw would be found cheering in the press box even though he wasn’t supposed to. I think I’m a lot like him. I wanted so hard for Northeastern to win in anything. I wanted nothing more than to see Don Brown beat every team in the Atlantic-10. I wanted Crowder to get every win he possibly could and for the crew teams to continually dominate this area. I wanted nothing more than to see the track teams succeed at Reggie Lewis and Swimming and Diving teams to do well at Barletta Natatorium. I just really loved writing for you all and hopefully, someday when you’re rich and famous and you pick up a newspaper, it might be my name you see on the sports page. Just know this; this school and this writing has meant a lot to me. I’ve loved it so much and have brought many wonderful memories along with me. Thank you very much for bringing me into your world week in and week out. Best of luck in your future endeavors and press on towards your goal. Never be afraid to stand higher than you are now and never be afraid to chase a dream.
In the locker room: Best of luck goes to the NU baseball team, who reached their dream by going to the college world series tournament. The Huskies will match up against LSU in the first round and, while LSU is a national powerhouse, the Huskies have played some serious ball lately … special thanks goes to all the coaches and players that I have had the fortunate experience to interview. Thanks for all your help and best of luck in the future.
Andy Cuneo can be reached at [email protected].
