Despite leading 2-0, the Eagles were not about to stop their attack. "I thought last year, we had a 1-0 lead, but we laid back a bit," said Gerbe, referencing last year's 3-1 loss to Michigan State. "This year, the coaches did a great job of stressing that we're just going to go for it and have no regrets at the end of the game," he said.
Freshman Joe Whitney gave BC a 3-0 lead at 8:11 of the second. Skating with a four-on-three advantage, Gerbe faked a shot, turned around and sent a strong pass to Whitney in the deep slot. The forward then threw a low shot in front of the net, and it deflected off a Notre Dame skate into the goal.
Despite trailing 3-0, Notre Dame was not about to let its championship dreams fade. Less than a minute later, the Irish scored on a rush in transition. Defenseman Kyle Lawson set up center Kevin Deeth in the slot to draw the score to 3-1. Deeth beat BC goaltender John Muse glove side for the goal.
While the Eagles finished the second period holding a two-goal advantage, the Fighting Irish came out of the locker room in the third period with a purpose. Notre Dame had several good opportunities early in the frame, but Muse held firm in the crease. "John has been unbelievable," said Gerbe about the goaltender. "He's been great all year, and he is one of the most poised kids I've ever met," he added.
At 4:56 of the period, though, Notre Dame appeared to beat Muse on another goal from Deeth. The sophomore redirected defenseman Ian Cole's errant shot into the net with his skates. The tally, however, was called back when officials ruled that Deeth kicked it past Muse.
With a new lease on life and a two-goal lead, the Eagles felt momentum swing in their favor. "That was a huge turning point in the game," Muse said afterwards. "If they got that goal, they would have cut the lead to one."
The Eagles put the game away on the ensuing shift when Smith scored at 5:31. Naturally, the highlight came from Gerbe's stick, when the Hobey Baker finalist sent a backhanded pass through his legs to set Smith up for the goal. "I have no idea how it went in," Smith said. "It was a huge shift in the game to get that goal." During the replay timeout, "Coach just told us to be ready either way, to come out hard the next shift," he said.
2008 Woodie Awards
