{"id":31306,"date":"2022-05-19T14:19:16","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T18:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=31306"},"modified":"2022-05-19T16:21:50","modified_gmt":"2022-05-19T20:21:50","slug":"patrick-donnelly-signs-off-as-wtbu-sports-co-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2022\/05\/19\/patrick-donnelly-signs-off-as-wtbu-sports-co-director\/","title":{"rendered":"Patrick Donnelly signs off as WTBU Sports Co-Director"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: On the ice at TD Garden after the 2022 national championship. Right: Calling the 2022 Patriot League Softball Championship with Daniel Multz.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Patrick Donnelly<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been dreading writing this as much as I\u2019ve been looking forward to it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m thrilled to be able to share some stories and acknowledge a number of people who have meant a lot to me during my time as a part of student media at BU. On the other hand, there\u2019s something very final about all of it. It signals the end of four amazing years on Comm. Ave., and I\u2019m very much reminded that it\u2019s time to enter the \u201creal world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There are too many memories and folks to mention, but I\u2019ll do my best to highlight some.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Recording a podcast with Brady in COM freshman year.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m proud to call Brady Gardner and Ethan Fuller not only roommates and colleagues, but also two of my best friends. From late night Mario Super Sluggers, Rocket League and \u2018Ones\u2019 in NHL 20 to bouncing article ideas off each other, heated debates about which quarterback the Patriots should draft or money in baseball, and well over 250 podcast episodes together, they\u2019ve always been in my corner. We pushed each other to get better, and had a ton of fun at the same time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Andrew Mason and Matt Doherty encouraged me to join the WTBU hockey beat my freshman year, and Brian Lombardo showed me the ropes and what it took to produce quality coverage for BU\u2019s biggest teams. Even though I had little experience on a beat, Brian made me feel comfortable and confident that I could handle the responsibilities. Fellow co-directors Daniel Multz and Ethan, in addition to others like Joe Pohoryles, made it a blast heading up WTBU\u2019s sports department.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Shooting a Women’s game at Wally B last season.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kevin Edelson made life incredibly easy as a beat reporter around both hockey teams, between access to players and coaches, getting credentials to games, and more. I\u2019ll always be appreciative of his patience when I didn\u2019t really have a clue as I started out as a freshman and sophomore. He works so hard, and has been a great resource. I always looked forward to our chats in the press box and in the hallway at Walter Brown Arena while we waited for Brian Durocher and players after Women\u2019s practices when midweek availability was still in person.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Media scrum with Albie O’Connell during the Hockey East media day luncheon at TD Garden sophomore year.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Durocher was a beat reporter\u2019s dream as a coach. He\u2019s one of the nicest people on the planet, and is very easy to talk to, which was helpful for a nervous underclassman stumbling through his questions during his first press conference. Albie O\u2019Connell was also a great guy. Few are better at attracting talent on the ice. I miss the weekly 1-on-1\u2019s with him and Durocher during pre-pandemic times. We truly had some great access to the teams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I also owe Brian Kelley a great deal of thanks for his help while he was still the Men\u2019s Hockey SID before Kevin stepped into that role. When BU made the national tournament in 2021, the university\u2019s COVID travel policy would have prevented us from getting credentials to cover the regional in Albany. I spent a couple long days on phone calls and email chains with him and others, and we made it work and were cleared to travel. He didn\u2019t have to go through all that trouble to help us, but he did. Men\u2019s Hockey got smoked by St. Cloud State, but it was an awesome experience nonetheless.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I was lucky enough to start off four years with a Women\u2019s Beanpot title in 2019, their first since 1981 and first as a varsity program, in one of my first real tastes of covering games. I remember picking my head up from typing just in time to see Sammy Davis bury a one-timer from Jesse Compher to win it in overtime against Harvard, while Brian Lombardo delivered an <\/span>exceptional call<\/span><\/a> to my right.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Red Hot Hockey against Cornell at Madison Square Garden last November.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Women\u2019s teams my freshman and sophomore year should have made a national tournament. From Davis and Compher, to in my opinion the program\u2019s greatest goaltender in Corinne Schroeder, and some aces on the backend like Abby Cook and Regan Rust, those were some stacked teams. <\/span><\/p>\n

Although they lost to Northeastern, <\/span>calling the 2020 Women\u2019s Beanpot final<\/span><\/a> is still one the most thrilling experiences I\u2019ve had <\/span>behind the microphone<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Right up there with it is the <\/span>2020 Men\u2019s Beanpot semifinal<\/span><\/a> between BU and BC, which is by far one of the craziest Beanpot games I\u2019ve ever seen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Topping that list is undoubtedly this year\u2019s Men\u2019s Beanpot. Covering games as a photographer at TD Garden is a completely different animal as opposed to writing or broadcasting. Few things compare to the atmosphere of the Beanpot, and you\u2019re in the thick of it as a photographer. Capturing moments like Matt Brown\u2019s <\/span>emotional celebration<\/span><\/a> in the <\/span>semifinals<\/span><\/a>, or <\/span>documenting the program\u2019s 31st title<\/span><\/a> in a nail-biting 1-0 win against Northeastern, thanks to Dylan Peterson, are some of the most rewarding memories from covering the Men\u2019s team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Brady and I with the Beanpot.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What made that Beanpot win even better was exorcising the demons from the 2020 loss to Northeastern, and finally seeing Men\u2019s Hockey take home a trophy after a lot of ups and downs covering the team the last four seasons. There were some fun players and teams over the years that were equally as frustrating as they were entertaining. The Beanpot victory amid a dominant second semester run felt like a release valve for the senior class. <\/span><\/p>\n

What a night that was. I\u2019m glad I got to share that experience with Brady before we graduate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, I can\u2019t forget about <\/span>#TheBangorFour<\/span><\/a>. I\u2019ve covered games at every Hockey East arena, except for Gutterson at Vermont, and Alfond Arena in Maine takes the cake. That road trip to Orono and Bangor with Brady, Owen Gund and James Garrison was a ton of fun, and Alfond lived up to the hype. <\/span><\/p>\n

That trip was one of many great times on the road covering BU and Hockey East, from big wins at the Mullins Center in Amherst this year, an entire day at Providence College in 2019 that ended with a raucous 8-6 loss to the Friars, some quick trips to Northeastern and BC, the 2021 Albany Regional and 2022 Worcester Regional (even though BU wasn\u2019t in it), Red Hot Hockey at Madison Square Garden, to my last game as part of student media at the XL Center in Hartford.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Bangor Four: Brady, me, Owen and James.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s still a bummer the 2020 Women\u2019s Frozen Four at Agganis Arena never happened, but getting to cover this year\u2019s Men\u2019s Frozen Four at the Garden was an unforgettable experience in itself, again, even if BU wasn\u2019t in it.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been incredibly fortunate to cover and get to know some exceptional athletes during my time as a Terrier. The pandemic definitely hurt a big part of building those connections, with interviews forced to take place on Zoom or over the phone for the better part of the last two years, but we made do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from general day-to-day things like game stories, previews, and more, there were a lot of unique pieces I was pleased to put out on some remarkable people, who were willing to open up and share their stories. I caught up with <\/span>Cam Crotty<\/span><\/a> for over an hour about his experience transitioning to professional hockey and playing in Norway. Compher, her teammates, her brother J.T. of the Colorado Avalanche and the entire Compher family were more than willing to take time to talk to me for a <\/span>feature on Jesse<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Davis<\/span><\/a> relived her <\/span>triumphant run<\/span><\/a> as a Terrier with me upon her graduation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Interviewing Jay O’Brien after a win against UConn at the XL Center in January.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was <\/span>Trevor Zegras<\/span><\/a>, then a kid oozing with skill, and now one of the NHL\u2019s brightest young stars, as well as <\/span>Ty Amonte<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Alex Allan<\/span><\/a>, Robert Mastrosimone<\/a>, <\/span>Julia Nearis<\/span><\/a> and of course, <\/span>David Farrance<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Vinny Duplessis<\/span><\/a> has so far had one of the most intriguing careers among BU\u2019s goaltenders. And who could forget about <\/span>Patrick Curry<\/span><\/a>, a gritty role player turned clutch captain? Aside from hockey, there was Women\u2019s Basketball assistant coach Darren Bennett, who <\/span>opened up<\/span><\/a> about the team and athletic department celebrating Black History Month and playing \u201cLift Every Voice and Sing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The more I think about it, the more I realize how cool it was to cover a search<\/a> for a new men’s hockey head coach, which led<\/a> BU to Jay Pandolfo<\/a>. Only a handful of classes of student media have had that unique storyline, considering Jack Parker had the job for 40 years.<\/p>\n

Beyond my own work, I\u2019ve got to commend everyone I worked with around WTBU Sports. <\/span><\/p>\n

Daniel <\/span>crushed it<\/span><\/a> on game broadcasts, and ran the radio show like a well-oiled machine. Ethan made us the go-to source for BU Basketball coverage without a doubt, and Hannah Yoshinaga did a great job continuing that. On the hockey beat in particular, Joe, Owen, Carolyn Mooney, and more helped make our coverage the best around over the last few seasons, in my humble opinion. James, Caroline Fernandez and Belle Fraser of the <\/span>Daily Free Press <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Boston Hockey Blog <\/span><\/i>put out some great work of their own, and pushed our content at WTBU to continue to get better. I\u2019m extremely proud of where we were able to take WTBU while I\u2019ve been here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Shooting warmups on the bench at Alfond Arena before Game 2 against Maine during #TheBangorFour trip.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I know WTBU Sports is in great hands with Joe and Hannah taking the reins next year as the new Directors, in addition to a bunch of returners, like Owen, ready to keep grinding and putting out good work. I’ve been beyond lucky to be part of such a great team with so many passionate and hardworking people. <\/span><\/p>\n

Fewer places on campus offer as many different opportunities to learn and get better as we do, and that’s what helps set us apart.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>After four years of seeing it all, my time with WTBU has given me memories I’ll cherish forever.<\/p>\n

For a little while now, I\u2019ve been saying that I\u2019m cautiously optimistic about graduating. Even though it\u2019s sad to be done at BU, on one hand it\u2019s an exciting time to move on to something new. At the same time, it\u2019s pretty scary to move on to something new, especially with so many unknowns these days.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who knows what\u2019s next, but one thing is for sure, we\u2019ll always have that Beanpot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Patrick Donnelly I\u2019ve been dreading writing this as much as I\u2019ve been looking forward to it.\u00a0 I\u2019m thrilled to be able to share some stories and acknowledge a number of people who have meant a lot to me during my time as a part of student media at BU. On the other hand, there\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17459,"featured_media":31860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1024,1032,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31306"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31306"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31880,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31306\/revisions\/31880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}