Reflecting on Disappointment

I doubt there is a single UAA fan walking out of the arena or shutting down their webcast tonight that didn't experience disappointment. The promise showed by a reasonably quality win vs. Wayne State; the happiness at coming back against an NHL draft heavy BU squad for a tie; the elation that always accompanies a sweep of hated rival UAF; the gratification of the polls (regardless if we knew ... and told ourselves ... they didn't matter); the rarity of seeing players we love amongst the nations leaders; and finally the hope that we all share ... that somehow the team we most want to suceeed was somehow immune from performing like mere mortals. Isn't part of being a fan the belief that sneaks out from our unconscious that somehow "our guys" are (as the great Howard Cosell would say) "indifatigable". We saw it with our own eyes didn't we? We saw character in action; we saw heroic efforts; we saw creativity and even poetry on the ice; we saw "our guys" gave us all that and more in just a few games. The games this weekend had to have surprised all of us that have been so infected already this season. So ... What are we to make of it?

We saw some different things this weekend. We saw the best competition we've faced this season. The Mavericks weren't the rebuilding UAF squad in its first games with a new coach. The Mavericks weren't a young team filled with alleged NHL-caliber talent who haven't gelled (and are still likely to be a nightmare for anyone that plays them after they've found their identity). The Mavericks weren't a team in its last season playing on and for individual merit. The Mavericks were a team that came off a pair of really disappointing efforts and results on a long road trip Houghton. They followed that long road trip with another long one and they mostly got their shit together. It seemed that at every step Mankato disrupted UAA's efforts to get anything going. It would be apt to correct yesterdays "disjointed" with the word disrupted. A Seawolf on the puck tonight almost always was challenged. That was a new thing and a lesson to be learned. The WCHA isn't composed of teams that don't put forth that sort of effort every weekend regardless of their circumstances. It's a big factor in the WCHA's out of conference record being 20-5-4 so far this season. And UAA did it's share going 3-0-1.

What we are to make of it is that the disappoint we are collectively sharing regarding last nights game is a product of our own hopes. Big news eh? You already know the definition of disappointment. But I (and I imagine you) have allowed myself to become twitter-pated with the potential I've seen. That has suddenly changed, and having that rug pulled out isn't a simple thing to deal with. You look to things that were surely factors; but were they really responsible? You look to the unfortunate bounce, the blown call and to the near miss; you remember the "almost's", all in hope of finding an some self-satisfying explanation. In the end though we all know there are complexities and indefinable circumstances called (and again credit to Howard Cosell) "intangibles" whose surfaces we can barely grasp. When two groups of young men meet on the field of competition (especially amateur) there are hundreds of factors that contribute to the outcome. And young men in new circumstances playing hockey at a high level (that quite frankly is at least ECHL quality: yes I'm saying WCHA teams would do well versus ECHL competition) will be at times less than perfect. Of our disappointment then I say, we must therefore feel it (we can't avoid it) but not let not it temper our optimism or belief. Whether fan, player or coach we must remind ourselves that it just didn't go "our way" this weekend. And in the end, another WCHA weekend awaits.