B Team Makes Cinderella Run
Tigers Finish 2nd at ECRHA Regionals, Earn NCT Bid
ECRHA March 8th, 2005 at 7:19AM March 8th, 2005 8:09PM"There's a reason games are played out on the floor rather than on
paper - the B guys proved it this weekend, and we couldn't be any
happier for them," said Division I goaltender Mike Burke. Despite
coming into the 2005 ECRHA Regional Championships as a #6 seed, the
Tigers clawed their way through a tough double-elimination bracket and
six-game weekend schedule. ECRHA Commissioner Antone Lawrence
summed up the surprise felt by many after Towson's performance at
regionals: "No one gave them much of a chance, but they gritted their
way to the final and earned their bid to nationals."
Grit and heart are certainly two words that aptly describe the
Tigers' effort, as TU required overtime on multiple occasions to stay
alive in the tournament, repeatedly fighting back from deficits.
After upsetting #3 University of Delaware 7-6 (OT) in their first game
of the weekend, TU dropped their quarterfinal matchup against #2
Suffolk County CC, 6-3. With one loss to their record, Towson
knocked off Delaware in the loser's bracket, 6-5, staving off
elimination once again. Overtime was necessary again in their
next matchup vs. #8 Drexel, with freshman phenom Keith Huffman
(Secane, PA) propelling the Tigers to a 4-3 win and the
semifinals. A win over #1 Penn State earned the
Tigers a rematch against Suffolk in the winner-take-all B Division
Final.
Despite their best efforts and a late
comeback, the Tigers fell short in their bid for a first-ever B
Division championship, 5-4. With NCRHA Selection Monday
only a day later, the Tigers managed to secure one of only eight bids
to the 2005 Collegiate Roller Hockey National Championships, held April
13-17 in Fort Collins, Colorado. Check
http://www.ncrha.org/championships for details.