We have a story this morning not so much about history being made after a win, but about history continuing to be made by a girls' high school basketball team that seems to have forgotten how to lose. The Champlain Valley Union Redhawks won the girls' Division one state title last night, defeating BFA-St. Albans 40-28 for CVU's fourth consecutive Division one championship and fourth straight undefeated season. If you're keeping count at home, that's ninety-five consecutive games without a loss.
I spoke earlier this morning with CVU head coach Ute Otley about the Redhawk's incredible winning streak, and they key to winning last night's game for the state title. Here's part of our conversation.
In other sports, in the NHL last night, the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning played a game reminiscent of one of the greatest playoff hockey contests of all time, the classic 2011 Game seven between the two that decided the eastern conference finals. That game was a scoreless affair late into the third period until Nathan Horton scored the only goal of the game to send the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals. Last night in Tampa the two teams stayed scoreless through the entire sixty minutes of regulation, but like 2011, there were chances aplenty for both sides and it was only stellar goaltending by Tampa's Ben Bishop and Bruins back-up Jonas Gustavsson that kept the goose eggs on the Jumbotron. Gustavsson in fact turned in his best performance since joining Boston, and perhaps the best of his career, stopping all 42 shots thrown his way, and those 42 saves mark a career high. So while sixty minutes of regulation couldn't produce a winner, it took a mere ten seconds of overtime for the Bruins to score a 1-0 victory when Patrice Bergeron won the face off at center ice, winning the puck to defenseman Torey Krug, who sent a pass off the boards to Bergeron streaking into the Tampa zone, and with Brad Marchand driving to the net, Bergeron sent a perfect pass through the crease that Marchand redirected into the net for the win.
The win puts Boston into a tie for first place in the Atlantic division with the Lightning, although Tampa is technically still in first because they have one game in hand on Boston.
The Montreal Canadiens would need some kind of miracle to make the playoffs this year, but give them credit for not phoning in the remaining games of the season. The Habs beat one of the best of the west last night, topping the Dallas Stars in overtime on Alex Galchenyuk's second goal of the night. The Habs snapped a four game losing skid with the win. The newly acquired Phillip Danault also scored for Montreal in the win.
The New York Rangers were also in action last night, building up a 3-0 lead on the Buffalo Sabres before holding on for a 4-2 win. Mats Zuccarello had a goal and two assists for the Rangers who had to lean heavily on their back up goalie Antti Raanta, who made thirty-six saves against an improving Sabres team.
And finally, the NCAA ski championships begin this morning in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The UVM ski team heads out west with some confidence after capturing its sixth straight EISA league crown two weeks ago. UVM is looking for its first NCAA title since 2012.
