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The Boston College Eagles were twenty minutes away. Twenty minutes from the national championship. Twenty minutes from glory. But then North Dakota changed the plans. After two periods of grueling, hard-fought hockey, BC entered the final stanza of the NCAA Championship Game last Saturday night in Providence with a slim one-goal lead over the Fighting Sioux. But after a seven-month quest to bring a second national championship to Chestnut Hill, BC surrendered three third period goals and fell agonizingly short of a title for the second time in three years. BC had advanced to the championship with a 4-2 semifinal win over St. Lawrence last Thursday.
“It’s really frustrating because we thought we had the team to do it,” said Senior Captain and Hobey Baker winner Mike Mottau. “It’s difficult to swallow, but you’ve got to give North Dakota credit.”
Going into the final period, BC appeared to have the upper hand with a 2-1 lead. After all, the Eagles had ruled the last period all year, outscoring their opponents 67-27.
But once the game came down to crunch time, the Sioux’s Lee Goren decided to take over. Goren slid a shot through BC goalie Scott Clemmensen’s legs to tie the game 2:43 into the period, and then assisted on the game-winning goal 12 minutes later. Goren capped off his three-point period with an empty net goal in the final minute that ended any hopes of a BC comeback and earned him Frozen Four MVP honors.
“North Dakota played extremely well in the third period and limited our chances on offense. They did it because they’re well-coached and have good players,” said BC Head Coach Jerry York. “North Dakota just played better than we did in the last period.”
The Sioux set the tone of the game early in the first period by coming out strong in the first 10 minutes. North Dakota took the lead 3:48 into the contest when defenseman Mike Commodore slotted home a rebound into an open net.
But with 3:32 left in the period, North Dakota was called for a high-sticking penalty, giving BC its third power play of the game. BC had steadily improved on its first two man-advantages, and their third try finally paid dividends.
Just 20 seconds into the power play, Blake Bellefeuille fired a shot from the slot in front of the net that was initially saved by Sioux goalie Karl Goehring. But Goehring failed to control the puck, leaving room for All-Tournament team member Jeff Farkas to slip the rebound over the goal line for his second goal of the Frozen Four, knotting the score at one. Officials reviewed the play on video, but the goal stood. With the momentum shifted in BC’s favor, Farkas created a great chance for himself in the final minute of the period. His shot beat Goehring, but hit the post on a shorthanded bid. In the second period, BC got an early penalty for too many men on the ice that led to some good chances for the Sioux to take the lead. Goren hit the underside of the crossbar 6:15 into the frame, and Clemmensen was forced into action on numerous occasions.
Off of the surge gained from their defensive stand, the Eagles took their only lead of the night courtesy of Marty Hughes at 6:59. Hughes gathered up a rebound and skated around the net, proceeding to thread the puck between the post and Goehring’s left skate. The goal brought the BC contingent alive at the Providence Civic Center after the majority of the 11,484 fans in attendance had been fairly quiet for much of the game.
Clemmensen shone in the second half of the period, seemingly preserving the BC lead single-handedly. He made two great saves in the final three minutes of the period to bring BC one period away from the title.
But the third period would not end in an Eagle victory lap through the mushy ice of the Civic Center. Instead, the Sioux switched their game into high gear, outshooting BC 11-4 in the period. Referee Matt Shegos swallowed his whistle, calling no third period penalties after finding 11 infractions in the first two periods. Nonetheless, BC fell victim to a quick, potent Sioux attack.
“In the third period we didn’t play our game,” Mottau said. “We should have been going at them instead of them coming at us.”
At 2:43 into the period, Goren provided the first of his heroics to knot the score at two and bring the momentum into the Sioux camp.
“That goal was a real momentum switch and a turning point in the game,” Mottau said. “They really took it to us early in the period and we were back on our heels.”
York agreed.
“When they scored their second goal to tie it, it sort of energized their club,” he said.
Clemmensen came up with some more key stops to keep the score tied before Mottau’s shot hit the post at 9:52. York and Mottau both mentioned that the last 10 minutes of the game would have shaped up much differently had that shot found the mark.
The score remained tied and the tension continued to build until Jason Ulmer put back Goren’s rebound to give the Sioux the lead for good with 5:38 left in the game. BC tried to rally and the fans came alive in hopes of recreating last minute comebacks against Maine and Michigan State.
"Our team has a never-say-die attitude, and when they scored that goal with five minutes left, we tried to rally,” Mottau said.
But this time it was not to be. Clemmensen was summoned from the net for an extra skater with 1:13 left, and BC responded with a flurry in front of Goehring’s net with around a minute left. But an empty net goal by Goren iced the game and effectively ended BC’s championship hopes with 45.2 seconds left.
“The empty net goal really hurt because I thought we had a chance to tie it up,” Mottau said.
As the final seconds ticked away, BC players stood stunned on the ice as they watched the Sioux bench erupt in a celebratory explosion of gloves, sticks and helmets. But despite the bitter disappointment, York remained positive about his team’s accomplishments this season.
“We’re disappointed that we’re not picking up the trophy, but our kids played well. We played hard and we’ve got a great group of players,” York said.
The mood was a little happier for the Eagles following their 4-2 win over St. Lawrence last Thursday in the semifinals. The scoring pattern in the game was eerily similar to that of the final, but with BC coming out on the winning end.
As in the final, BC surrendered the first goal. But Bellefeuille answered with a shorthanded goal 5:40 into the second period. St. Lawrence answered and BC trailed 2-1 going into the final 20 minutes.
But this time it was the Eagles who scored three third period goals to take the victory. Mottau scored the tying goal early in the final period with a blistering slapshot from the top of the faceoff circle to the right of Saints goalie Derek Gustafson. The puck somehow found its way past Gustafson’s left leg and into the back of the net.
“It seemed like the puck had eyes,” said Mottau.
The tying goal came just seconds after Mottau clanged an attempt off of the underside of the crossbar.
But BC’s hero of the game was most definitely Hobey Baker Finalist Jeff Farkas. The senior forward tallied a highlight-reel goal with only 1:57 left that was one of the most incredible efforts of the season. Farkas collected the puck just inside of the BC zone and eluded three defenders to find himself right in front of Gusafson. He then showed his lethal finishing skill by flipping the puck over Gustafson’s left shoulder and sending the Eagles into the championship.
Brian Gionta then found the empty net as time expired.
But, despite the eventual loss in the final, Mottau was still able to put the entire season in perspective.
“It’s a big disappointment [to fall short], but we’ve accomplished a lot at BC,” he said. “This was one of the best years of my life.”
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