Frozen Four 2012: Boston College Nabs Title With 4-1 Win

Steven Whitney netted two of BC’s goals, one on an empty net in the third period, and Milner made 25 saves to preserve a lead that the Eagles claimed early in the first period and reclaimed late in the same period. Johnny Gaudreau’s sensational goal in the third period to make it 3-1 with just more than three minutes to go, put the game solidly in the Eagles’ grasp.

The title is Boston College’s fifth, fourth since 2001 and third in the last five years.

Boston College still has a 2-1 lead on Ferris State in the NCAA Hockey Division I Championship final, and a chance to leave the Frozen Four with its second national title in three years. The Eagles are just 20 minutes away from the final horn now, and hold that 2-1 lead after a scoreless second period.

Boston College’s Parker Milner had 15 saves in the period, and kept the Eagles out in front despite four power play chances for Ferris State; the Bulldogs will also begin the third period with a man advantage.

Boston College had only two official scoring chances in the first 17 minutes of the first period against defensive-minded Ferris State, but that’s all they needed to take a 2-1 lead in the 2012 Frozen Four National Championship game.

BC’s Steven Whitney would score with an assist from Barry Almeida just under four minutes in, but the Bulldogs would answer the Eagles’ vaunted offensive attack just two minutes later on a Travis Ouellette goal as Ferris State all but crashed through the BC crease. Boston College would take the lead late in the first on a Paul Carey goal.

The Boston College Eagles will go for their fifth-ever NCAA national title on Saturday evening when they take on the Ferris State Bulldogs in the 2012 Frozen Four championship game.

The Bulldogs, picked to finish ninth in the CCHA during the preseason, have defied the odds to get this far. They’ll have to defy them once more to beat the heavily-favored Eagles. Boston College defeated a very strong Minnesota Golden Gophers club, 6-1 on Thursday to advance to this point, and in their three tournament games overall they’ve only allowed that one goal against. They also topped defending champ Minnesota Duluth in the regional round.

If the opening games of the 2012 Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla. taught us anything -- besides that Gary Thorne can still call hockey -- it’s that defense continues to decide championships in the college game.

The Ferris State Bulldogs, who defeated Union College, 3-1, and the Boston College Eagles, who shut down a high-powered Minnesota offense, 6-1, have been the two most defensively sound teams throughout the 2012 NCAA Hockey Tournament. Combined, they’ve given up a total of four goals in six tournament games, so it’s no surprise they meet at 7 p.m. ET Saturday for the national championship.

The Boston College Eagles are an absolute monster. We all saw first-hand why they’re the favorite in this 2012 Frozen Four on Thursday night as they decimated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 6-1 to advance to the national final against Ferris State on Saturday. It’s their 18th straight win.

Milner was up to the task. He made several saves in quick succession to preserve the shutout in the first period and was huge in the second period as Minnesota hit the gas. After one particularly large save about 17 minutes into the period, the Eagles were able to capitalize in transition and open the score to 3-0 thanks to a turnover by the Gophers at the blue line.

As we expected in the two-week-long run-up to this Frozen Four, Thursday’s national semifinal between the Union College Dutchmen and the Ferris State Bulldogs was a mostly defensive affair. Both teams battled for chances all game long, and ultimately, it was an uncharacteristic rebound off the leg of Union goaltender Troy Grosenick that gave Ferris State a 2-1 lead en route to a 3-1 victory.

Kyle Bonis backhanded the juicy bounce into the back of the net before Grosenick could get across the crease to make the stop. Bonis’ second goal of the game and 20th of the season turned out to be the game-winner, and with 54.8 seconds remaining, Aaron Schmit put home an empty-netter to seal the deal.

Considering the Union College Dutchmen have been the top team in ECAC hockey all season long, and considering they entered the 2012 NCAA men’s hockey tournament as a No. 1 seed, it’s tough to directly compare their situation to that of a successful mid-major during March Madness basketball.

Nevertheless, when you attend a small, hockey-crazed school in upstate New York that has never advanced to a Frozen Four, you’re going to party when you finally do advance. That’s what students at UC are up to on Thursday, rooting on their team from the cozy confines of Messa Rink, home of the Dutchmen.

The Boston College Eagles hockey team may be the favorites at the 2012 Frozen Four, but that doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed victory. The Minnesota Golden Gophers, a worthy foe, will try to keep down the potent BC attack in their attempt to seal the upset and advance to Saturday’s national championship game.

No. 2 Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. No. 1 Boston College Eagles

Thursday, April 5, 8 p.m. ET | TV: ESPN 2

Tampa Bay Times Forum, St. Petersburg, Fla.

It may be the “under card” on the first day of the 2012 Frozen Four, but when the Union College Dutchmen and Ferris State Bulldogs take to the ice at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Thursday afternoon, they’ll certainly look like two clubs that deserve the spotlight.

No. 3 Ferris State Bulldogs vs. No. 1 Union College Dutchmen

Thursday, April 5, 4:30 p.m. ET | TV: ESPNU

Tampa Bay Times Forum, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Here’s where it gets complicated: According to a CBC report Monday (since taken down), Kreider would have to sign with the Rangers by the conclusion of the regular season on Saturday night. The national title game is also Saturday night, which would have made things very interesting in terms of timing.

But following a New York Post report which contradicted the CBC, reporter Elliotte Friedman retracted the point, noting that any player on a club’s reserve list by the trade deadline is eligible to play in the postseason. According to Section 8.6 of the collective bargaining agreement, that includes unsigned draft choices like Kreider, who was selected by the Rangers in the 2009 draft.

It’s rare that a team can be labeled the best in its sport from start to finish in a season, and also be labeled that sport’s champion.

Playoffs add drama, but let’s face the facts. Tournaments -- especially those where eliminations come in one-and-done scenarios -- are not designed to figure out what team is the best. They’re designed to create drama and excitement and provide a great environment for competitors.

It’s easy to look at the two Frozen Four 2012 semifinal matchups and think one is better than the other.

One semifinal features two of the biggest names in college hockey, Boston College and Minnesota, with nine national titles between them. The other features two teams with zero national titles and zero NHL draft picks, and it’s been pushed off to one of the many teritary arms of the ESPN broadcast empire as a result.

Between a dozen goals and two shutouts, something has to give.

After two shutout wins against Air Force and Minnesota Duluth in the Regional Round of the 2012 NCAA men’s ice hockey championship, the Boston College Eagles put their 17-game unbeaten streak on the line against the University of Minnesota in the second of two Frozen Four semifinal matchups Thursday.

No. 3 North Dakota had a chance to move on to the Frozen Four for the second straight year. Minnesota ruined it, with a 5-2 win that sent the Fighting Sioux packing and will enable the Golden Gophers to head for warmer climes at the Frozen Four in Tampa.

Travis Boyd, Nate Condon and Taylor Matson all had a goal and an assist for the Gophers, who never trailed and used a three-goal third period to put the Fighting Sioux in their rear view. Kent Patterson made 24 saves on 26 shots to stop the North Dakota offense.

The Cornell Big Red and Ferris State Bulldogs played a defensive game in the first two periods. Both goalies played well, but they weren’t tested with a high volume of shots and they went into the third period of their regional final scoreless. Then, things exploded with three goals. Ferris State gave up power plays and were significantly out-shot, but made the most of their opportunities in a 2-1 win. They’ll be heading to the Frozen Four in Tampa.

Ferris State scored the game’s first goal just 11 seconds into the third period on a carryover power play from the second period. Garrett Thompson scored the close-range goal on an empty net, taking advantage of a pass across the face of the net by Jordie Johnston. Matthew Kirzinger picked up the secondary assist.

The 2012 NCAA hockey tournament started up Friday with four games in two of the regionals. It didn’t take terribly long before we saw the first upset of the tournament. And the second.

After high seeds won opening games in Bridgeport, Conn., and Green Bay, Wisc., the second game of the East Regional produced a scintillating comeback and an upset. Then the Midwest Regional’s second game produced an even bigger one, as Cornell took down mighty Michigan 3-2 in overtime.

Averaging a nation-leading 3.64 goals/game, Jack Connolly, Travis Oleksuk and J.T. Brown have each scored more than 45 points. UMD boasts two scoring lines that could easily substitute the top line on any team in the nation.

The Bulldogs head East for the second consecutive year, and although Minnesota Duluth hasn’t played lately with the same consistency that they had during a 17-game unbeaten streak from October to January, the defending national champions know how to get hot at the right time. Even in defeat during the WCHA Final Five, the Bulldogs came back a 3-0 deficit and put 71 shots on goal in a 4-3 double-overtime loss.

While the Boston College Eagles relish their No. 1 overall seed, the Air Force Falcons have upset on the mind.

In 2009, the Falcons entered the tournament as the Atlantic Hockey champion and upset No. 1 seed Michigan before falling in overtime to Vermont later in the tournament. They’ve also come close to knocking off Minnesota and Miami as a No. 4 seed in the past, so it’s hard to take them lightly.

There’s no debate that Boston College enters the NCAA Tournament as the odds-on favorite. While teams get hot at this time of the year and look to carry momentum from conference tournaments, the Eagles have not lost since Jan. 21 when Maine topped them 7-4. That’s a stretch of 15 games, in which they’ve won the Beanpot, the Hockey East regular season championship and their third-consecutive conference tournament.

With the streak and their regional only a stone’s away from Chestnut Hill in Worcester, a site that’s been the start of BC’s last three national championships, anything less than punching a ticket to Tampa will be seen as a disappointment for Boston College. That’s especially true after being upset in the first round by Colorado College last season.

THE GAMES

No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (24-12-4) vs. No. 4 Cornell Big Red (18-8-7)

Friday, March 23, 9 p.m. ET | TV: ESPNU

More Coverage: Wolverines blog Maize n Brew, SB Nation Detroit

The Cornell Big Red know a thing or two about shutting teams down. Goaltender Andy Iles had a stretch earlier in the season where he and his defense held their opponents without a goal in five of six games. The team earned their berth in the NCAA tournament with a 3-0 shutout win over Colgate in the ECAC Hockey third-place game in Atlantic City.

The Big Red are also no stranger to overtime, with half of their last 20 games going to the extra session. That could pay off if Iles and the Cornell defense -- which have held opponents to under three goals in nine of their last 10 games -- can keep things close Friday against potent Michigan.

Last year’s NCAA tournament runner-up, the Michigan Wolverines, once again find themselves as the second-best team in college hockey -- only this time, it’s to begin the tournament.

The Wolverines began the season slow, trading wins and losses before a seven-game losing streak in November saw coach Red Berenson’s team hit rock bottom. They’ve found their way since then, only losing four times and getting back one of the best defensemen in the country in sophomore Jon Merrill (New Jersey Devils). However, that’s not the only reason for their success, as they get it done on both ends of the ice.

The East Region of the 2012 NCAA hockey tournament lacks the recognition that its brother regions have. Sure, three of the four teams have Hobey Baker nominees, but Michigan State easily has the biggest fanbase -- and they’re the fourth seed playing hundreds of miles away from East Lansing.

Miami and Massachusetts-Lowell aren’t exactly the biggest schools in the world, and the same can be said for Union, who have flown under the radar even in devout college hockey circles this season despite how well they’ve played.

The Miami RedHawks are one of the more intriguing teams in the NCAA Tournament. Winners of nine of their last 10 games, the RedHawks won eight games in a row before falling to eventual CCHA champion Western Michigan in the conference tournament.

They looked out of place in the 6-2 loss, and nothing like the national title contender they once threatened to be, but it’s possible that loss was simply an anomaly, and the No. 2 seed cannot be taken lightly.