April 9, 2007
NCAA Frozen Four

BOSTON COLLEGE vs. NORTH DAKOTA Thurs., April 10 • 6 p.m. ET • ESPN2 Team Capsules Coach's Take Semifinal 2 Preview

	Overall	Conference	Home	Away	Neutral
BC	23-11-8	11-9-7	6-7-4	8-3-4	9-1-0
NoDak	28-10-4	18-7-3	15-5-2	10-4-2	3-1-0
	Goals/Gm.	GA/Gm.	PP Pct.	PK Pct.	PIM/Gm.
BC	3.57 (3rd)	2.36 (14th)	.217 (7th)	.839 (31st)	15.9 (17th)
NoDak	3.05 (15th)	1.76 (1st)	.191 (17th)	.874 (7th)	18.3 (6th)

Boston College: Northeast Regional second seed
Boston College 5, Minnesota 2
Boston College 4, Miami 3 (ot)

North Dakota: Midwest Regional first seed
North Dakota 5, Princeton 1
North Dakota 3, Wisconsin 2 (ot)

Any discussion about Boston College's forwards naturally starts with junior forward Nathan Gerbe. For a two-month stretch during the middle of the season, Gerbe was the nation's most dominant player, and he's regained that form during the Eagles' current seven-game winning streak. BC's forward depth may be the best in the tournament — Gerbe teams with rookie Brian Gibbons and sophomore Ben Smith on one scoring line, and freshman Joe Whitney, senior Matt Greene, and junior Benn Ferriero are a potent second scoring unit. The trio of sophomore Matt Price and seniors Dan Bertram and Pat Gannon will likely shadow North Dakota's top unit. Bertram is among the nation's top defensive forwards.

North Dakota has a reputation as an explosive offensive team, but outside of juniors T.J. Oshie and Ryan Duncan and sophomore Chris VandeVelde, the Fighting Sioux forwards have been inconsistent offensive contributors. Outside of the that trio, the only frontliner with more than 20 points is junior forward Andrew Kozek, who boasts the Cy Young-winning scoring line of 18-3. What North Dakota lacks in scoring pop, it more than makes up for in prickliness. The line featuring senior Kyle Radke and sophomore Darcy Zajak is particularly abrasive, and senior Ryan Kaip can be an agitator as well.

The Eagles' corps doesn't have the glamour of recent years when guys like Boyle, Motherwell, Harrold, and Alberts patrolled the blue line. But the BC defensemen have jelled in recent weeks and are a formidable, if unheralded, unit. Since scoring the winning goal against Harvard in overtime of the Beanpot championship game, freshman Nick Petrecki has developed into an impact player. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, and 94 penalty minutes, he's got a nasty mean streak, too. He and partner Carl Sneep (6-3, 205) are an impressive duo. Senior Mike Brennan, who's never missed a game in his college career, is the heart and soul of the unit.

North Dakota’s defensive unit is an interesting collection of talent and playing styles. Junior Taylor Chorney is the most gifted of the bunch and the most dangerous offensively, while senior Robbie Bina and sophomore Chay Genoway are basically mirror images of each other — both are 5-foot-8, both weigh 165 pounds, and both excel at moving the puck up the ice. Junior Joe Finley, a huge, nasty presence at 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds, has built on the growth he experienced during last year's playoffs.

Has freshman goaltender John Muse made Boston College forget about Cory Schneider? Probably not, but he sure has made the transition much easier. Muse, the only Eagle netminder to see game action this season, has had his ups and downs — especially during a late-season stretch in which BC was 1-5-1 and opponents discovered a weakness to the high glove. He's been crisp during the Eagles' current seven-game win streak, allowing two or fewer goals in five of those contests.

North Dakota’s J-P Lamoureux earned INCH's honor as the best goalie in the nation this season. The country's leader in both goals against average and save percentage, the Grand Forks native has played like the second coming of Karl Goehring. His competititve nature is unrivaled; that said, he's got a short memory. He's fairly sound from a technical standpoint, but what sets him apart from everyone else in the nation is his flair for making the acrobatic save. He never gives up on a puck, regardless of how hopeless the situation looks.

This script is flipped from last year, when the key special teams matchup pitted North Dakota’s third-ranked power play against Boston College’s fourth-rated penalty kill. In Denver, it'll be Boston College's power play — especially the five-forward first unit — against the Fighting Sioux's penalty kill, which enters the Frozen Four as the sixth-best in the country. That said, North Dakota has allowed at least one PPG in six of its last nine games. The BC penalty kill has been terrific lately, successfully vanquishing all but three of its opponents' last 42 man-advantage opportunities. Prior to an 0-for-3 showing on the power play in the Midwest Region final against Wisconsin, the Sioux were a sizzling 5-for-11 in wins against Colorado College and Princeton.

Dave Hakstol is taking North Dakota to its fourth Frozen Four in as many seasons. Credit Hakstol and his staff for emphasizing the team's defensive strength and playing an abrasive, physical style that frustrates opponents. Jerry York, who brings the Eagles back to the Frozen Four for the third straight year and the eighth time in 11 seasons, earns high marks for steering his team through injury and discipline issues early in the year and showing patience with young goalie John Muse.

WHY BOSTON COLLEGE WINS: It all starts with Muse, who has to maintain his form of the last month in order for the Eagles to have a chance. They can't afford to come out flat, which they did in recent wins against New Hampshire (Hockey East final) and Miami (Northeast Region final). BC must be able to withstand the physical beating North Dakota would like to adminster. If it can, the Eagles' explosiveness up front could make the difference in this game.

WHY NORTH DAKOTA WINS: As long as Lamoureux keeps playing like he did in the Fighting Sioux's two Midwest Region wins, they'll have a chance even if the BC forwards are buzzing. To that end, if North Dakota can use its size advantage to wear down the Eagles' forwards, it can force the tempo to its advantage. It's vital for North Dakota to get offensive production from unlikely sources — i.e. Rylan Kaip's goal against Wisconsin in the Midwest Region final.