Negativity Not in O’Neill’s Repertoire

Salem State's overtime loss in the MASCAC Championship game on Saturday, March 5, was ironic in the sense that they failed to successfully defend their title against the Fitchburg State Falcons--the same Falcons they beat last season to claim the title in the first place. But Head Coach Bill O'Neill refuses to feel bad for himself or his team.

"We had a terrific year," O'Neill said. "We've got a great bunch of players, really good people, and it was a fun year.  And I guess the reflection at the end is … you try to maybe put that in perspective."

The loss was rife with irony even beyond the fact that they lost to the same team they beat last season. As you consider the parallels between last year's championship game and this one, you can almost hear the Twilight Zone theme song playing in the distance. Last season, the Vikings traveled to Fitchburg as the second seed and the underdog, and won in overtime. This time around, the Vikings were the second seed again but were favored … and they lost to Fitchburg, at Rockett Arena, in overtime.

But as O'Neill sat at the desk in his O'Keefe Center office on a blustery Wednesday afternoon, he described an overwhelmingly positive experience for everyone involved with the team. He spoke of players establishing "lifelong friendships" throughout the season, and having the opportunity to play for a great program—surprising words, as honest and true as they are, to hear from a coach barely four days  removed from a devastating championship loss.

Salem State may have been due for this loss after winning eight of their previous 10 games.  Fitchburg was definitely playing with a bee under their collective bonnet after the way last season ended, and in the playoffs pure intensity can decide the outcome of a game. Maybe the Vikings were still feeling the physical and mental effects of their semifinal game against Westfield State, which went to overtime when the Owls silenced the raucous Salem State crowd by scoring a 5-on-3 shorthanded goal with 17 seconds left in regulation.

Whatever the reason for the Vikings suffering only their second home loss of the season and relinquishing their title, Coach O'Neill refuses to use any of it as an excuse. He readily admits that his team did not play as well as they could have, and the players seem to share that feeling.

"I don't think it was our best game," said sophomore center Derek Crocker. "We didn't start out very well, we gave up two goals right away. We started down right away so it was kind of tough to come back."

No one could argue that the Vikings had a tremendous regular season.  They finished second in the conference after staying at or near the top of the standings since their first game last November. They had a +41 goal differential for the season, and three of their players finished in the top 10 for scoring in the conference (including Giancarlo Capodanno, who also finished tied for 17th in the nation with 36 points). They posted an impressive 13-1-1 record at home, and only lost to one conference rival (Worcester State) more than once.

Some people might be inclined to say the season was all for nothing because they came up short, but Coach O'Neill does not see it that way. He sees it as a learning experience for his squad.

"[The players] had a great opportunity to play here and to be a part of a really good program and to draw from that for the rest of their lives. It was a great experience for everybody involved.

"It could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in a championship game. For the younger guys … it's a great thing that they're going to remember this and this will be something that they're going to strive to do … to be able to get back to that game and win. For the older guys, they've had an opportunity to do it, they had an opportunity this year to play in it and, like I said, it's a positive experience, it's a life lesson and it's something they will never forget. As a team it will always be a part of them."