One day you’re a college student playing in the NCAA tournament. 24 hours later you sign an entry-level contract and you’re in the show.
That’s exactly what happened to former North Dakota forward Brock Boeser. Friday night North Dakota lost in double overtime to Boston University in the first round of the West Regional. Saturday morning he signed with the Vancouver Canucks, who drafted him in the first round of the 2015 draft. How convenient the Canucks happened to have a game Saturday afternoon across the state line (and in Brock’s hometown) against the Minnesota Wild.
He received a warm welcome from his new team, including a visit from his parents Duke and Laurie to the dressing room. They read the lineup card and read that Brock would be in the starting lineup.
When it came time to hit the ice for warm-ups, it was only fitting to let the rookie take the ice in his hometown first. The thing is, the rest of the team didn’t follow.
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┻┳| •.•) WHERE IS EVERYONE?
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┻┳| pic.twitter.com/Iadht9t4j5— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 25, 2017
As for what happened on the ice during the game, he took advantage of a rebound following a breakaway from Bo Horvat that was originally stopped by Darcy Kuemper but Boeser was there to pick up the garbage and score when Kuemper failed to locate the puck. His goal midway through the second period game them a 3-0 lead. The Wild did attempt a comeback in the third period with two goals in the final three minutes, losing the contest 4-2. Boeser’s goal turned out to be the game-winning goal. He was also named the first star of the game. Not a bad first day on the new job.
With the Canucks all but eliminated from playoff contention, seeing the play of Boeser gives them a brief look at what they have to look forward to in the future.
