The 16-degree temperature with 20+ mile per hour winds was not ideal for a hockey game at Fenway. However, it was nothing short of perfect for the Beacons, who came away from their match with a hard-fought win.
The Men’s Hockey team was given the chance of their lifetime when they skated on the rink located in the infield of the Major League’s oldest ball park. On January 7, the Beacons handed Salem State a 4-2 loss.
While freezing temperatures felt like piercing needles to fans, players, coaches, and reporters, the hard-to-handle weather didn’t seem to affect Beacons’ leading goal scorer Peter MacIntyre.
In the midst of the brutal conditions, the sophomore forward emerged as one of the key players in the game for the Beacons. In a tied game early in the final period at the 4:04 mark, MacIntyre connected on a pass from Travis Daniel for his second goal of the game, 14th of the season and the game winner for the Beacons.
“We had the puck down low; me and Travis. He always finds me so I just tried to get to the front of the net; he made a good pass coming around. You know [how poor the ice was] and the puck was just jumping everywhere so I just tried to get a good stick on it,” MacIntyre said.
After the goal, the Beacons managed to hold off a late surge from the Vikings to escape with the win.
It was a historic day for the Beacons. Not only were they playing at Fenway for the first time, but they also helped coached Peter Belisle defeat the Vikings for the first time in his eight-year tenure. With two goals on the day, MacIntyre led the Beacons to their first victory over the Vikings since 1999.
The feeling and adrenaline running through the veins for the players were expected. But for players like MacIntyre, who are from the Boston area, it was an unimaginable feeling.
“It was definitely a surreal feeling. You know being kid from Boston, you know, playing in this, it was amazing,” MacIntyre said.