By Alan Burke
It isn't easy beating the Canadians at their own game.
Last night, the U.S. women's Olympic hockey team fell just short in a frustrating 2-0 loss in Vancouver.
Meanwhile, left winger Meghan Duggan's closest friends — about 35 of them — waited most of the night to explode with joy. The joy will have to be put on ice at least for another four years. But not the pride they feel for the Danvers native.
"I'm very disappointed," Ruth Pydynkowski declared when it was over. Her children and her children's children watched the Olympian grow up. "But," she nodded toward the American players, "they did a good job."
The U.S. team took a silver medal and silver, she agreed, is pretty good consolation.
Pydynkowski and friends watched at Brian Marshall's house in Peabody, everyone in front of his giant Sony TV, enjoying the game in high-definition. They screamed encouragement every time Duggan skated onto the ice.
From a corner of the room, someone videotaped the cheers to show Duggan when she comes back to the North Shore.
The group groaned over two early Canadian goals and roared with anticipation when twice, in the first and second period, penalties sent two of the maple leafers to the sidelines, leaving the Americans with a five-player to three advantage.
"That's the ball game!" someone shouted.
"Get in! Get in!" another voice roared as the Yanks peppered Canadian goalie Shannon Szabados with shots. She stopped all of them.
"I can't sit down," an anxious Ryan Hayes said.
About 10 people found seats on a long couch in Marshall's game room. Behind them 20 or more spectators stood, some coming or going for refreshments in the next room.
Had Meghan been there to hear the cheers of her friends, Marshall said, "She would cry. She's that modest. She wouldn't know how to react."
"I've known her since I was born," Dustin Hayes said. He wasn't at all surprised to see his close friend skating in the Olympics. "She always wanted to be there. It was just a matter of time."
The Duggan family is in Vancouver. Even some of her friends have made the trip. Debbie Hines was in the Marshall game room last night, but she was in Vancouver for the first two games of the tournament, staying with Meghan's parents.
"The greatest experience," she said. Those games were tense. "This game must be really something."
Friends had gathered at the Danversport Yacht Club for an earlier game, all 200 of them.
Last night, the Marshall home was decked out for victory, with plenty of snacks, drinks, desserts, a poster of Duggan, a bouquet of red, white, blue and gold balloons, plenty of tiny American flags and even a sport-appropriate dog — Dakota, a friendly husky with ice-blue eyes.
"We love you, Meghan," some began to sing in the crucial third period, "oh yes, we do."
"Get the ref out of the way!" one fan demanded as the minutes ticked off and the Canadian goalie batted away shot after shot.
It grew quieter as the time ran down. And while there had been some small talk earlier and people coming and going with plates of lasagna or hands full of cookies, now everyone seemed riveted by the screen.
The scrape of skates and clatter of sticks could be heard more clearly.
If hope and affection could make it so, Duggan would have scored three quick goals. The screams of joy never came, but no one seemed downcast over the game. The U.S. team had given the Canadians all they could handle.
"We all saw Meghan grow up from when she was a kid," Peter Marshall said. "We all watched her play. Sometimes against the boys."
Now they watched her accept an Olympic silver medal.
"She's at the top level," he said.
