Yet, no one can commit to the pressing matter at hand, choosing to hold fast with Swiss-like neutrality. Boston College senior forwards Matt Price and Matt Lombardi have had some epic video-game battles in NHL 10, but it’s impossible to nail down which one is better with the sticks.
"There is a constant battle to see who is the best NHL 2010 player," said BC senior forward Ben Smith, who has roomed with Price and Lombardi for three years. "Sometimes, it’s Matt Price. Sometimes, it’s Matt Lombardi. It’s usually never me."
Each party boasts their own campaign like a blue-collar politician. Throw objectivity out the window. It’s got no home in this debate.
"I’m biased," Price said on Friday afternoon. "I’d have to say I’m better than him. I think lately, I’ve had him pretty steadily."
Lombardi begs to differ.
"I’m sure he probably told you he was [better], but that’s definitely debatable," he said a few minutes later. "We have some pretty intense matches that go way back to freshman year. Whoever wins, no matter what happens, we usually don’t talk. We just kind of end the night with that. We don’t play a ton of video games, but when we do, it’s pretty intense. But I definitely think I have the edge on him."
The investigation was fruitless, but there’s no question about a more important matter at hand. If BC takes down Wisconsin on Saturday to win the national championship, BC’s senior class will be the first in program history to win two crowns.
Price, Lombardi, Smith and defenseman Carl Sneep are the only seniors on the team, and it’s a wide-ranging group. Price and Lombardi are gritty forwards who are asked to play tough and make life difficult on opposing players; Smith is a scorer and a playmaker, earning national recognition earlier in his career while thriving alongside Nathan Gerbe; and Sneep, a hulking blue liner, has successfully handled the task of leading the Eagles’ extremely young defensive corps.
They complement each other greatly, and their leadership has helped the team’s young talent rise up and excel throughout the last two months.
"We’ve been through a lot together, especially this year," Price said."We’ve gotten really close, having to come together and take it upon ourselves to get back to this stage after missing out last year. I think we’ve got a good dynamic."
BC’s senior class improved its four-year record to 100-47-17 with Thursday’s victory against Miami in the Frozen Four. They’re also 24-2 in the postseason, including a 10-1 mark in the NCAA Tournament, where the class has reached three national championship games. The quartet has won three Hockey East tournament championships and two Beanpots, completing quite the cycle.
Even with all of that history in stock, there’s one more challenge left that would completely change the eternal complexion of the four-man class. Sure, reaching the century mark in victories was nice, but as Smith said, they’d “like to get 101, too.”
Sneep added, “One more national championship would make a great statement as just a great class overall. It would be very special to all of us to go down in the books as the first class who won two national championships.”
Price is the team captain, and Lombardi and Smith are the two assistant captains. Price’s classmates said he’s an easy person to look up to, with a colorful personality that combines hard work and good times. Smith is similar in that sense, although Price couldn’t really put a specific label on him. “I don’t really know what kind of guy Smitty is,” Price laughed.
Lombardi and Sneep are quieter by comparison. Smith threw Sneep under the bus, calling him the messy one of the group. And when Lombardi isn’t mucking it up with Price in NHL 10, he is doing everything he can to improve himself and the team. Lombardi studies other hockey games and reads an assortment of books — he recommends The Energy Bus and The Noticer — detailing leadership, self-perspective, success in adverse situations and keeping a positive attitude.
"Every second of the day, [Lombardi] is focused on improving in hockey," Smith said. "Guys look up to that."
On Saturday, every past class in Boston College history will be looking toward the current crop in Detroit. Other teams have had chances to accomplish this feat, and the four seniors are aware of the hallowed ground they’re approaching. It’s the last time they’ll put on the jersey. A few hours later, when they take it off for the final time, they’ll know for certain if they stand alone — together — in historic measures.
"You talk about leaving a legacy when you graduate," Lombardi said. "To be able to win two national championships would be something really special and something the four of us would remember forever. We’ve been through a lot as a class. To be able to top it off with a win Saturday night would be something we could cherish."
Photo courtesy of Alex Trautwig, BC Heights
