Gophers should remember Boston College well

Do you remember the last time the Gophers and Boston College played? I do.

It was April 5th, in Tampa. I was sitting high up in the press area, elbow to elbow. The Gophers were playing well. They outshot BC 31-25, but were unable to score. I was thinking they were wasting their chance to win the game.

BC took a 2-0 lead late into the second period, then scored twice. It was 4-0 into the third. Oh-oh.

Gophers goalie Kent Patterson didn't finish the season especially strong. He needed to be super in the Frozen Four against the Eagles. He wasn't.

And BC won its 18th game in a row and the next night its 19th to win its third NCAA title in five years. The Eagles look like a team heading to another Frozen Four this season. They are ranked No. 1 and beat Alabama-Huntsville 5-2 on Friday in the Mariucci Classic to give coach Jerry York his record 925th win -- most of any college hockey coach in Division I.

But ronight they play the Gophers again. Should be a full house. BC is ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Gophers No. 4. To fire up the juices for the game, here is my account of the NCAA semifinal which ran in the Star Tribune:

TAMPA, FLA. - This loss hurt. A lot.

And they had the misfortune of running into college hockey's hottest team and goalie. Boston College won its 18th game in a row, rolling over the Gophers 6- 1 in the second national semifinal.

The matchup of two tradition-rich programs with nine national titles and 43 Frozen Fours between them looked intriguing and drew an announced crowd of 18,605 to the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Many left early. It was 4-0 BC after the Eagles scored twice within two minutes late in the second period.

"When you give a team like BC with such high offense two-on-ones and open nets, it is eventually going to break you down mentally," Gophers forward Jake Hansen said.

Hansen scored the Gophers' only goal early in the third period to make it 4- 1, but the hope-crushing Eagles answered 22 seconds later.

"We didn't quit," Hansen said, "but when you get down 6- 1 like that, it really just wears on you. It just hurts so bad."

The Eagles won national titles in 2008 and 2010 and the top seed this year is one victory away from a third big, shiny trophy in five years. Boston College, in its 23rd Frozen Four, will play Ferris State, a first-timer, on Saturday for the championship. The Bulldogs, who had a late empty-netter, edged Union College 3- 1 in the first semifinal.

The Eagles (32-10- 1) took a 2-0 lead on goals by Steven Whitney in the opening period and by Kevin Hayes on a power-play early in the second period.

Then they took control when Chris Kreider and Paul Carey -- with 17 ticks left on the clock -- scored at the end of the period.

Hansen ruined Milner's bid for a third consecutive shutout with a goal from the blue paint at 1:26 of the third period.

Rally time?

Carey's second goal of the game 22 seconds later made it 5- 1. Defenseman Brian Dumoulin's power-play goal was BC's last stake to the heart.

"We've been in basically every game we played in," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. "And I thought we were even in the game tonight, then late in the second period they scored those two quick goals and it was 4-0.

"That's a pretty tall mountain to come back [from]. But up until that point, I thought we deserved a little better."

Thursday's result was a disappointing end to a turnaround season for the Gophers. After finishing seventh twice and fifth twice in the WCHA the past four seasons, the Gophers won the regular-season conference title and advanced to their first Frozen Four since 2005.

They arrived in Florida on a promising 9-2 roll and ran into a team nobody has beaten since Jan. 20.

"It is always a bitter pill when you lose your last game, but that doesn't take away how much enjoyment we all had during the course of this season."

BOSTON COLLEGE 6, GOPHERS 1
GAME RECAP

STAR TRIBUNE'S THREE STARS

Parker Milner, Boston College: The junior goalie from Pittsburgh made several amazing saves and wound up with a total of 30.

Paul Carey, Boston College: The forward scored two goals, a backbreaker with 17 seconds left in the second period to make it 4-0 and the Eagles' fifth goal, 22 seconds after the Gophers' lone goal.

Turning point

Junior Chris Kreider's goal at 17 minutes, 45 seconds of the middle period gave BC a 3-0 lead. game over. Milner has not given up more than two goals in the past 17 games.

By the numbers

18 Games Boston College has won in a row.

7 Seniors who were on the trip to Tampa with the Gophers.