BURMAC

Its St. Francis Xavier University..... Feb.... the month of the reknowned BURMAC hockey game. One game. Just one game. This annual game started years ago between two brother houses. That would be BURKE house... (part of Bishop's Hall) and MacIssac House is their own house. The game was started as a friendly game between two all male houses... even in size, even in gender..... The kids don't even know how long this game has been a tradition but we have seen "Game Results" since 1979 so almost 30 years.


But.. .over the years the game has turned from Friendly to Fierce and turned brother houses in to Rival Houses. The entire school year builds up to this night.... with sabotoge and snowball fights, taunting and threats. And after the game... the rest of the year is bragging and gloating.

That's the big history...... now here is the little history....

Michelle and Scott arrived in Burke House in 2005. This house use to be all male, but was switched to co-ed (by floor) just about 3 years before they arrived. The other tradition that is unique with Burke.... isthat the whole House is all Frosh.... all 110 kids were brand new to ST FX and university life. This is their first house..... and they only get to be there one year. The second year, kids become Burke Exiles which plays a role in carrying on the pride of BURMAC and other Burke traditions, even though they are part of other houses or live off campus. All Burke kids carry the pride of being a Burke, for the rest of the ST. FX stay.

By some freak ... luck.... both Michelle and Scott got to stay at Burke a second year, one as an RA and the other as House President. And even stranger luck, Michelle has stayed for a third year as Senior RA.

Now the reality..... BURMAC.... If you check the Results Link, you will see that Burke has lost 3 years in a row. All of Michelles' stay and the year before she arrived. Her first year, it was exciting and hopeful but they lost. That was bad... but ok. They had to listen to and put up with 2 months of Mac "Noise". Last year.... Michelle gave the kids (the new Burke Frosh) the history, got them so excited, wired up, team spirit nights, weird haircuts, cool shirts...hats..... game planning parties.... and the game went into overtime....only to lose again... for the third time. Michelle cried.... it was so awful. The MAC's really rubbed it in... it was a badge of shame at this point.... Not good. Michelle swore that the 2008 game... she wasn't even going to watch.... But

2008..... the game is on... and they go through the whole "team spirit" thing again. Remember... The frosh have no idea how badly the rest of the Burkes and Burke exiles wanted the win. And they also knew how bad a loss would feel. This year, Burke house is not all frosh, the first time in years. But the few second years that live there are Burke Exiles and they help pass on the pain of defeat to the Frosh.....

The Game

The Burke crowd wear Orange, the Mac crowd wear blue. The whole rink is filled and the tension is thick. Did I mention that in the past, one of the games was cancelled because the rivalry got too bad... That was the year before Michelle and Scott. Well, I am not sure if the game was cancelled but it was so bad that it was on the news.... and I couldn't quite understand what all the craziness was about!

OK, heres were I am not good at telling a story, because I know very little about hockey. I do know, I wouldn't have been able to watch. I think I would have had a heart attack.... and Michelle left the game... not because she wanted to, but because she was working..... Scott was texting as the game progressed. Michelle called me when it went into overtime.... and again when it went into the second overtime..... and then the final score...... Watch the 27 second video that was exciting enough for me.... Burke takes it, in Double OverTime....

I am not very good at linking video so the best I can do is link to the YouTube page. The winning Goal

It was two young frosh, Jordan Landry and Adam Novak who score the winning goal and VICTORY.... for the first time in four years ... is sweet!