TAMPA, Fla. – Five national championships, three in the past five years, 900-plus wins, 27 regular-season and playoff conference titles, numerous All-Americans and professional players, and an enduring impact on hundreds of hockey lives. Those are the quick and easy talking points about Boston College head coach Jerry York.

In the early days of INCH, we published a ranking of some of the all-time greatest coaches. In our minds, it’s undeniable nine seasons later that Jerry York has moved to the top of the list. Fittingly, York mentioned Bob Johnson as a huge influence in his coaching career after the national championship game, and some advice that York received from Johnson after coaching Bowling Green to the 1984 championship.

“It’s just like Bob Johnson said to me, if you get a blueprint … we’ve always tried to have excellent defensemen, we’ve had that through all these title teams. Our forwards have been explosive and very creative, whether it’s Brian Gionta or Barry Almeida, right through the list,” York said. “They all do share great team bonding, they’re all tight as groups and there are probably more similarities than differences in them based on my observation. All good goaltenders too, we’ve had a string of great goaltenders.”

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

George Roll, former head coach at Clarkson and a four-year player under York at Bowling Green in the early 1980s said that his coaching style emphasizes positivity.

“He’s extremely easy to play for. As long as you compete at a high level he doesn’t get upset about mistakes. He’s just a joy to be around, he’s upbeat and positive. I can barely remember any times in my four years where he was negative with any of the players and that’s his disposition, he’s able to handle things well and that translates to his teams,” Roll said.

Sure, there are great players, and that positive attitude gives them confidence to make things happen on the ice. It’s impossible to see what confidence looks like, but every time you see BC on the ice, you can see that it’s a team that has the proper mindset to make aggressive, creative plays. They have that trait, they have that confidence. Almost 30 years later, his current players echo what Roll experienced back then.

“It’s his positive energy,” BC senior defenseman Edwin Shea said, who wrapped a four-year career that included 139 games played for the Eagles under Jerry York. “Every day he comes to the rink and he’s the happiest guy, the most upbeat guy. He’s more upbeat than any player at the rink every single day. That’s contagious and it just brings a great environment to play in and everyone loves him.”

PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME

Confidence and togetherness are one thing, and the team also seems to play its best hockey at the end of the year.

“They obviously get a lot of great players to come to Boston College but what Jerry does so well is get them all aiming in the right direction at the right time of year. They went through some struggles, and I think in the end that kind of builds your team, builds your character, builds your foundation,” Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon said. “Once they all get going in one direction and all the pieces are syncing, they play their best hockey at the best time. To do that consistently every year is really special.”

Former Boston College star Ryan Shannon, currently a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, saw his alma mater win a national championship in his current workplace. He recalled something he sees on an annual basis from York. The reason for Boston College’s success is that it doesn’t rest on what it has already achieved.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s the culture that he demands,” Shannon said. “He’s built this up for a very long time and it’s always about the next year. He’s going to enjoy this championship for probably a couple weeks, and it’s always been about the next season. I’m really proud to have been an Eagle, and even more proud since I’ve left.”

IMPACT ON COLLEGE HOCKEY

With 40 years in the Division I coaching ranks, including head-coaching positions at Clarkson, Bowling Green and Boston College, York has been a success across different eras and different circumstances. He’s regarded as one of the giants of the game by other current coaches when it comes to dealing with issues in the game at the national coaches convention.

“Quietly, he’s a leader among the coaches. He picks and chooses topics that he wants to get involved in, but when he speaks definitely the room becomes very quiet,” Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said. “He’s an impressive man and he’s got a presence about him and gets a lot of respect, as he should, and as he deserves to have.”

All of the victories and all of the accolades are hard-earned and well-deserved, but York’s impact reaches far greater than his campus community or conference membership.

“When you look at guys like Jerry York, or Jack Parker, they’re the legends of our game. Ron Mason, they’re what you think about when you talk about college hockey coaches. It’s a source of inspiration for younger coaches, and they’re great ambassadors for the game,” Sneddon said. “They care about the game, not just Boston College, they care about college hockey and all that’s good about college hockey. He’s a legend.”

All season long, the mantra has been the same. With laser-like focus, the attention never shifts from their ultimate, clearly stated goal. During Friday’s press conference before the national title game, head coach Jerry York made no fewer than five references to it.

“We want to win trophies.”

That simple, five-word statement tells you all that you need to know, not only about this year’s Boston College team, but about the culture surrounding the entire program itself.

“We’re looking at that shiny trophy.”

Barry Almeida

With Saturday night’s hard-fought 4-1 victory over Ferris State, the Eagles have accomplished their ultimate goal for the season, the coveted national championship, Boston College’s second in the last three years and third since 2008. This year’s juniors and seniors join the classes of 2010 and 2011 as the only Boston College teams to win a pair of national championships during their careers.

“We stress it so much, winning trophies is so important to this program,” said senior forward Barry Almeida. “Graduating players and winning trophies, that’s Coach York’s mantra. Something about this team, when trophies are on the line, everyone buys in.”

This year’s edition of the Eagles completed the program’s ultimate quest, winning all four of the program’s targets: the Beanpot, the Hockey East regular-season and tournament trophies, and the biggest of them all, the national championship.

“Winning championships is hard. It’s the hardest thing to do, especially this one,” Almeida said. “You’re playing teams that you’ve got to take their sticks away, end their season. These guys know how to do it. They’ll carry this legacy on and be successful for years to come.”

“We sometimes take it for granted getting here,” senior forward Paul Carey said. “This season started out with the right mindset, and we were jealous of a couple of our old teammates who had two [national championships]. We’re on their level now.”

“Four trophies is an incredible season,” Carey added. “We have the microscope, that next game, but at the same time, we never lose sight of that telescope, and know that we’re playing for the Beanpot, or Hockey East. Once a trophy is on the line, a whole other team comes out of us.”

Edwin Shea

This year’s group of seniors bows out with an impressive resume, including three straight Hockey East tournament championships and a pair of national titles. But as freshmen, they suffered the worst of fates that a Boston College team can: coming up empty.

“We had a tough freshman year, only winning 18 games after the guys before us won the title in 2008,” Shea said. “That season was pretty much a failure for us, we didn’t win anything.”

When pressed about how winning 18 games, a figure that many programs would call an unequivocal success, Shea simply shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “That’s just the culture of the program here, we try to win championships. Coach always says we chase trophies. If we don’t do that, the season’s not considered a success.”

As this year’s group of seniors departs, they leave in their wake an indelible legacy, and a feeling of satisfaction in showing the younger players on this team what the expectations are for the Boston College program.

“These guys know what it takes to win, and how to win,” Shea said. “They’ll be fun to watch for the next few years. As long as the coaching staff keeps preaching the same stuff, the program will be in good hands for years.”

BOSTON COLLEGE 4, FERRIS STATE 1 | Box Score

TAMPA, Fla. – For all of the game’s complicated defensive systems and forechecking patterns and line combinations, very often, hockey boils down to a pretty simple fact: Stop more pucks than the other team, and you’re likely to win.

Such was the case Saturday as Boston College claimed its third NCAA crown since 2008, holding off a hard-working and determined Ferris State team to win 4-1.

Again and again, the Bulldogs controlled the play and worked the puck to the front of the Eagles’ net. And as he’d done time and again throughout BC’s dominating run through the NCAA playoffs, Parker Milner spoiled the opponents’ fun.

Boston College's Steven Whitney tries to poke the puck past Ferris State goalie Taylor Nelson in the second period of Saturday's NCAA championship game. The play was whistled dead shortly thereafter.

In earning the Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player award, Milner stopped 27 Bulldog shots; in two games in Tampa and two in the NCAA Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass., two weeks ago, he allowed just two goals. He was near perfect and needed to be, as Ferris State never looked awed by their surroundings.

BC scored first, as it had done so often during its 19-game unbeaten streak, when Steven Whitney cashed in on a bad turnover in front of the Bulldogs’ net. But barely two minutes later, Ferris State responded when Garrett Thompson poked a loose puck past Milner, who had stopped the first two shots on the play.

From there, it became a battle of special teams—some effective and some not so. The Eagles got a power-play goal later in the first to lead 2-1 when a long-range shot by defenseman Brian Dumoulin got past Ferris State goaltender Taylor Nelson after it careened off the glove of BC forward Paul Carey. But Ferris was undaunted and took control of the play for long stretches in the first and second periods.

And that’s when, again, it became the Milner show. The junior from Pittsburgh had an answer for everything that came his way, which included a Kyle Bonis breakaway and a point-blank shot by Thompson on the doorstep, which the goalie sprawled to smother.

The Bulldogs had three consecutive power plays later in the third but got nothing to show for them as BC’s penalty kill was perfect. The Eagles hung around and looked content to claim the title with a one-goal win until freshman forward Johnny Gaudreau provided the dagger with 3:02 left in the third period, beating Ferris State goalie Taylor Nelson up high with a wicked backhand to start the countdown to BC’s fifth title in earnest.

Whitney added an empty-net goal from beyond the blue line with just over one minute to play to seal the game. Nelson finished with 33 saves for the Bulldogs, who finish 26-12-5 while earning the second CCHA regular-season championship in school history.

The Eagles conclude with a 33-10-1 mark. Coach Jerry York won his fifth national title—four with Boston College (2001, 2008, 2010 and 2012) and one with Bowling Green (1984).

From the moment the Frozen Four field was set with the bracket matching up Union and Ferris State in one semifinal, the conventional wisdom among many casual fans was that Thursday’s second semifinal, the one pitting Boston College against Minnesota, would be the de facto national title game.

Don’t tell the Boston College players that, though. The Eagles are well aware of the threat that the Bulldogs pose to their title chances.

Tommy Cross and his Boston College teammates aren't taking Saturday's challenge from Ferris State lightly.

“Ferris State is a team that has played some great hockey over the course of the season, obviously, but especially where they beat some really solid teams in the NCAA Tournament in Union, Cornell and Denver,” said senior captain Tommy Cross. “They’re red hot. We said last night that if we want to get a trophy, it will probably have to be our best game of the season on Saturday night.”

For certain, the challenge facing Boston College is a drastically different one than the Eagles faced Thursday against Minnesota. While Minnesota attempted—and failed—to skate with Boston College, Ferris State is just as likely to pick their spots to counter the Eagles and have shown the ability throughout this postseason to capitalize on its opponents’ mistakes.

“We have a great deal of respect for Ferris State,” said head coach Jerry York. “Any team that can win the CCHA, you know, Michigan’s in there, Michigan State’s in there, Miami’s in there … some really powerful, powerful teams, and you have Ferris that won the [regular-season] championship.”

In this instance, Boston College’s players would do well to heed the words of their head coach. In 2007, York’s team was on the losing end of a 3-1 contest against Michigan State, a team that few people gave any chance to capture the championship. Even back then, the many of the same comparisons of David versus Goliath were being made, a notion that York was quick to dispel.

“Everybody’s got something to lose at this point, unless you don’t want to win a trophy,” he said. “There’s nobody here that has nothing to lose.”

FERRIS STATE DEFENSEMEN ONE-UPMANSHIP
By James V. Dowd

• While team chemistry is paramount in the playoffs, a bit of a healthy rivalry in the locker room can be productive for a team as well. That has been the case for Ferris State blueliners Brett Wysopal and Scott Czarnowczan, who are first and second on the team in blocked shots. Czarnowczan came into the weekend leading the team with 74 blocked shots, one ahead of Wysopal. A six-block performance against Union in Thursday’s Frozen Four semifinal gave Wysopal the lead and bragging rights for at least 48 hours.

On the other hand, Bulldogs’ forwards Jordie Johnston and Kyle Bonis, first and second on the team with 20 and 19 goals, respectively, have found that mutual encouragement works for them. Heading into the weekend, Johnston was encouraging his roommate, saying that he foresaw a goal or two in Bonis’ future. That vision became reality when Bonis broke out with the game-winning goal and an assist against the Dutchmen. Of course, Johnston was quick to take credit for the goal thanks to his confidence-boosting pep talk.

Ferris State captain Chad Billins says he's a "light" sleeper.

• Speaking of roommates, two anchors of Ferris State’s success have a unique method of making sure they’re not sluggish the morning of a game. Goaltender Taylor Nelson and defenseman Chad Billins have lived together since they were freshmen and know each other’s habits cold. One commonality they share is sleeping with the window shades open the night before a game. Perhaps superstition as much as anything, the pair joked that the sunlight gives them positive energy and have found that early-morning light pouring in through an unblocked window helps prevent sluggishness on game day.

• Back to Bonis, Ferris State coach Bob Daniels noted during Thursday’s postgame press conference—much as he did during Bonis’s hot start to the season back in October—that he and his staff always knew the former walk-on could score goals but worried about his skating. The senior forward said it was a flaw in his game he ignored despite coaches’ criticism when he was younger, but as a college player, he matured and embraced the opportunity to improve. Summer workouts focusing on improving his stride paid off handsomely with a junior season that surpassed the offensive output of his first two seasons combined.

•  While Johnston is thrilled to be playing for a national title and happy his prophecy of a Bonis goal was fulfilled, the senior forward admitted the victory over Union was personally frustrating. Johnston registered three shots on goal against the Dutchmen, but felt as if he squeezed his stick a little on a few solid opportunities. The team’s leading scorer is looking forward to the opportunity to redeem himself and create scoring chances against a tough Boston College defense Saturday.

Inside some of the key storylines from a 6-1 Boston College victory over Minnesota.

VETERAN DEFENSE SOLID AGAIN FOR BOSTON COLLEGE
By Kevin Zeise

Thursday’s matchup had been billed as a showcase of two nearly identical teams, both possessing high-powered offenses capable of lighting up the scoreboard. While Boston College’s attack held its end of the bargain, the Eagles’ defensive unit put the clamps down on Minnesota, holding a team that had tallied 12 goals in the two games at the NCAA West Regional to just a single goal in the Eagles’ 6-1 victory Thursday night in Tampa.

Brian Dumoulin and the Boston College defense played a key role in shutting down the high-scoring Minnesota offense.

Working as a collective unit, the six defensemen and goaltender Parker Milner kept the Gophers at bay throughout the contest. Employing a bend-but-don’t-break strategy, the Eagles allowed Minnesota to shoot from distance, and worked tirelessly to clear away pucks from in front of the net. Milner’s presence in goal provided a huge security blanket for the Boston College defense.

There were a couple of grade-A opportunities, but Milner was there to erase those.

“He bails us out a lot,” said junior Brian Dumoulin of his classmate, Milner. “It helps us to know we don’t have to be mistake-free, knowing we’ve got a rock behind us.”

“I think everyone still strives for perfection, even though it’s not always possible,” said junior Patrick Wey. “It’s a relief knowing that we have such a great goalie back there. I just get surprised sometimes, it’s like, ‘Man, here comes another two-on-one,’ and he makes another huge save, and it’s a huge relief.”

Time and again on the evening, the defensemen and goaltender were in perfect sync, with Milner there to make key stops when the Gophers got through the defense. In turn, whenever Milner gave up a rebound in front of his crease, his blueliners were there to sweep pucks away into the corners and away from danger.

“I think it works with the whole unit,” Milner said of the play of his defensive group in front. “I try to limit the rebounds, but I definitely left plenty out there tonight. Those guys are incredible, they just swept everything right out. I think that’s something they work endlessly on.”

The Eagles were able to prepare for Minnesota’s high-powered attack in practice over the past week and a half by simply working against their own forwards.

“We’ve got fast forwards, and so does Minnesota,” said senior Edwin Shea. “Practice is sometimes harder than the games we play with how quick our forwards are. It was good for our defense to get used to that type of speed in practice for teams just like Minnesota.”

“Lots of guys come to Boston College to play defense because they know they’re going to play against some of the best forwards in the country each day in practice,” Wey said. “Those practices, and some of the games we’ve had throughout the playoffs, they’ve been really good preparation for us for a team like this that was so skilled offensively.”

While Saturday night’s championship matchup will pit the Eagles against a different type of team than Minnesota was, Boston College’s entire defensive unit is certainly aware of the danger that Ferris State can pose.

“We’re enjoying this win right now, but tomorrow night it’s back to business,” Wey said. “That’s a good team in Ferris State that we have to play, and we’re certainly not going to take them lightly.”

YOUNG GOPHER DEFENSE OVERWHELMED BY BC
By Jess Myers

At the start of the college hockey season, many predicted that the Gophers’ youth on defense would undo all the good they’d be able to do offensively, and picked Minnesota for a middle-of-the-pack finish in the WCHA. It didn’t happen.

Justin Holl and the Gophers' green defensive corps couldn't handle Paul Carey and the Boston College attack.

After a hot start, paced by Kent Patterson’s repeated shutouts, the Gophers cooled a bit by early December, it was predicted that defensive flaws would lead to Minnesota’s fall from atop the WCHA standings. It didn’t happen, and the Gophers went on to win the WCHA title.

As the playoff started, the only question remaining about Minnesota was if that defensive inexperience would spell trouble against fast, opportunistic teams. On Thursday at the Frozen Four, it happened.

“It was just one of those nights for a couple guys who had played so well all year long,” said Gophers coach Don Lucia, clearly not naming names. “Tonight we had a couple guys who didn’t play the way they have most of the season, and that’s going to happen.”

Against a talented an opportunistic offense like that of BC, mistakes were magnified, and little turnovers they may have been masked early in the season all seemed to end up with the puck behind Gophers goalie Kent Patterson.

“They had a number of odd-man rushes, but that was just because we were trying to make chances and trying to score,” said Patterson, who had 19 saves. “We had all the guys on the net, and they just capitalized on their opportunities on their rushes. You’ve got to give them credit.”

Nate Schmidt admitted that he had perhaps his worst game of the season on the blue line, and when Jake Parenteau fumbled a puck that led to a 2-on-1 scoring rush by the Eagles, the harsh light of the national spotlight seemed much brighter on a pair of sophomores that had been otherwise solid all season.

“They feed off turnovers and they really exploited our turnovers tonight,” Schmidt said. “Jake and I didn’t have the games we wanted tonight … for me that was probably one of the worst games I played. No excuses on a big stage like this.”

BOSTON COLLEGE 6, MINNESOTA 1 | Box Score

TAMPA, Fla. – Boston College scored three second-period goals and never looked back, routing Minnesota 6-1 in the second NCAA Frozen Four semifinal game at the Tampa Bay Times Forum Thursday.

The second-period markers from Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, and Paul Carey extended the Eagles’ lead to 4-0, with the Kreider and Carey tallies coming in the final 2:15 prior to intermission. Minnesota showed a faint pulse when Jake Hansen scored just 1:26 into the third period to cut the margin to 4-1, a goal that ended Boston College goaltender Parker Milner’s NCAA Tournament shutout streak at 161:26, but Carey answered with his second goal of the game 22 seconds later, demoralizing the Golden Gophers and propelling the Eagles, the Tournament’s top overall seed, to a championship game match with Ferris State Saturday.

Minnesota's Tom Serratore attempts a shot; Boston College's Quinn Smith tries to thwart the effort. Boston College beat Minnesota in Thursday's second Frozen Four semifinal, 6-1.

Junior defenseman Brian Dumoulin closed out Boston College’s scoring with the Eagles’ second power-play goal at the 5:51 mark of the final period. Foward Steven Whitney scored the only goal of the first period at the 6:03 mark, redirecting a centering pass from linemate Barry Almeida past Minnesota goalie Kent Patterson.

Six goals might put the spotlight on the Eagles’ prolific offense, a group that has averaged four goals a game during its current 18-game winning streak, but Milner was terrific, making 30 saves, including a few on grade-A chances early in the game that might have shifted the momentum before the game spiraled out of Minnesota’s reach. Milner, a junior from Pittsburgh, has stopped 83 of the 84 shots he’s faced in the NCAA Tournament and a total of 21 goals during the team’s winning streak.

With the win, the Eagles advanced to the national championship game for the seventh time since Jerry York became head coach in 1994 and they will be playing for their fourth national championship in that stretch and the program’s fifth overall.

3. Parker Milner, Boston College: Coach Jerry York said Milner made “timely saves” when Minnesota had a chance to generate some momentum, allowing the Eagles to take over late in the second period. He made 30 saves; the Eagles were outshot by a 31-25 margin.

2. , Brian Dumoulin, Boston College: The standout defenseman earned special mention from his coach for persevering in loose-puck battles in front and making strong plays to limit Gopher scoring chances.

1. Paul Carey, Boston College: Two goals for the senior forward and they epitomized BC’s night — opportunistic and lethal. His goal in the final minute of the second period made it 4-0, and when Minnesota scored early in the third, Carey answered 22 seconds later. Game over.

A shutout streak of more than 160 minutes is impressive. For a goalie to put together said streak in the NCAA Tournament is amazing, but that’s exactly what Boston College’s Parker Milner did. After blanking both Air Force and Minnesota Duluth in the NCAA Northeast Regional in Worcester two weeks ago, the junior from Pittsburgh kept Minnesota off the scoreboard for two periods before Minnesota’s Jake Hansen scored 86 seconds into the third period of Thursday’s semifinal. The final tally: 161:26 without a goal in NCAA Tournament play. Add in the scoreless time he accrued in the Eagles’ Hockey East title game win against Maine, and that number grows to 193:49.

Paging Nick Bjugstad … paging Zach Budish … paging Kyle Rau. The Gophers’ top line was invisible in the loss to Boston College, combining for a plus-minus rating of minus-8 and four shots on goal. That’s two fewer than Boston College third-line wing Paul Carey. Certainly they’re not alone in their inconspicuousness for the Gophers, but your best players to be difference makers in big games. That obviously wasn’t the case Thursday night in Tampa.

“It just got out of control.”

Minnesota senior forward and assistant captain Jake Hansen needed only six words to effectively sum up what went wrong for the Golden Gophers in the loss to Boston College. Sometimes the simplest summation is also the most appropriate.

Patterson didn’t get a lot of help from his Minnesota teammates against of Boston College Thursday. Even the official Twitter account for the Golden Gophers left him out to dry.

ANONYMOUS UNION DEFENSE KEYS TEAM SUCCESS
By Joe Gladziszewski

College hockey fans who are just catching up on to this Union team and its successful run through the regular season and NCAA Tournament can surely come up with the basic information. Troy Grosenick, the sophomore goaltender, is a Hobey Baker finalist. Jeremy Welsh, the team’s leading goal-scorer is a high-level player and has surely attracted lots of attention from NHL front office types.

But what about the defensemen? Those guys do their job in relative anonymity, and it suits them just fine. It’s a mix of differing styles of play, differing levels of collegiate experience and different personalities, but they make all of those things work as a complete unit. Union assistant coach Jason Tapp, a former Boston University goaltender, works primarily with the defenseman.

Junior defenseman Shawn Stuart is part of an anonymous Union defensive corps.

“I think the biggest part of the D is that they all know their roles,” Tapp said. “We have some offensive guys, we’ve have some stay-at-home guys and everyone says we’re an older team but we’re actually pretty young.”

Among the defense corps, the only senior that’s among the top-six is captain Nolan Julseth-White. Juniors Shawn Stuart (40 games) and Greg Coburn (39) have been in the lineup almost every night. Mat Bodie is a sophomore and Shayne Gostisbehere is a freshman. The other spot has been claimed by junior Ryan Forgaard, who returned from injury to reclaim a lineup spot and has been in 19 games this season. Freshman Charlie Vasaturo (12) and senior Taylor Reid (13) have been solid contributors when called upon.

“They’re all very coachable, and they know what their roles are. They listen, they do their job and don’t try to do too much. I think that’s the thing, they don’t try to do things they’re not capable of,” Tapp said. “They keep it even, keep it steady, go about their job and they know what they’re good at. They focus on that stuff and do those things well but they don’t try to get out of their comfort zone.”

That all comes from Julseth-White’s presence and leadership. He’s vocal about keeping things prioritized. Union’s strongest characteristics are its self-belief and unflappable nature, and those traits run through the defense. Grosenick is obviously a beneficiary and gets some notoriety as a result, and Union ranks first nationally in overall team defense. The Dutchmen have allowed just 1.80 goals against per game.

“Our D do a great job of allowing Troy to see pucks. We do a pretty good job of eliminating sticks on pucks and denying shots and taking away some grade-As that teams leave. We form a pretty good pocket around him,” Tapp said. “It’s not just our D, but our team defense. Our forwards get back hard for him and they pick up the trailers so there’s no late passes. We focus a lot on team defense and our guys have bought in and that’s certainly helped Troy.”

SIT STANDS TALL BOSTON COLLEGE
By Kevin Zeise

With as much firepower as Boston College has offensively, it’s easy to overlook the team’s defensive prowess. And as the Eagles try to match up with Minnesota’s top scoring line on Thursday night, they’ll rely on a freshman who grew up in the shadow of the Gopher program, freshman Michael Sit.

Sit centers the Eagles’ fourth line, flanked by fellow freshmen Quinn Smith and Danny Linnell, but unlike his linemates from the East Coast, Sit is the lone representative on the Boston College squad from Minnesota, hailing from the Minneapolis suburb of Edina—a mere 13 miles away from Minnesota’s Mariucci Arena.

Boston College forward Michael Sit, a Minnesota native, relishes the opportunity to face the Gohpers in Thursday's Frozen Four semifinal.

“We were actually (Minnesota) season ticket holders, and I watched them win a few championships when I was in my childhood, those back-to-backs in the early 2000s,” Sit said Wednesday. “We were like 15 minutes from campus, and attended a lot of games when we were younger.”

Despite the obvious hometown appeal, Sit had his sights set on attending school away from home, and a family connection drew his attention toward Boston. His older brother, David, enrolled at Boston University and plays for that school’s club team.

“The East Coast draw was pretty big because he was out here,” Sit said. “I felt more comfortable looking at the schools out east, and this was where my first interest came.”

Sit’s numbers (0-3—3) aren’t the type of thing to grab one’s attention, but he’s aware of the importance of his role on this year’s team. The chemistry he and his linemates have showed have helped the Eagles during their 17-game winning streak leading into the Frozen Four.

“I kind of envisioned my role as a shutdown guy from the beginning, but then when we started playing together, they’re both amazing skaters, they both battle hard in the corners and get to the net,” he said. “I’m more of a harassing-type of player. I don’t have the stature to throw the body around, but then again, Quinn Smith is a pretty small guy, and he bangs pretty hard.”

Facing a team that put up 12 goals in the two games in the West Regional in Minnesota, it’ll be up to Sit and his linemates to help slow down the Gopher attack for the Eagles to reach Saturday’s national championship game. Knowing that the road to the national championship game goes through the program that he grew up watching brings a smile to Sit’s face.

“It’d be a great feeling. I grew up admiring those guys, and that team, and being able to come back and beat them now that I’m in college would just be a great feeling and a great accomplishment.”

GOPHERS’ DEPTH MIRRORS BOSTON COLLEGE
By Jess Myers

Much was made a about the emergence of Minnesota’s newly formed third line when the WCHA playoffs started. When Don Lucia juggled just enough to create a more dangerous third offensive unit with Travis Boyd centering Nate Condon and Taylor Matson, he gave the team a certain offensive depth, correcting an area where the Gophers had been hit or miss in the second half of the regular season.

In Frozen Four foe Boston College, the Gophers now face a kind of mirror image, and not just because the Eagles also wear a variant of maroon and gold.

Watching tape: Minnesota's Ben Marshall readies a stick after the Gophers' Wednesday practice.

“Most teams aren’t three lines deep offensively,” Lucia said Wednesday. “That’s what separates Boston College from, I think, everybody else.”

Well, perhaps everybody except the Gophers, where the top two lines have provided scoring punch all season and the members of the third line all had at least a goal and an assist in the wins over Boston University and North Dakota during the NCAA West Regional. Minnesota’s defense was supposed to be the weak link this season but goalie Kent Patterson did his best work early in the season, giving the blue-line corps time to grow.

“They have three really good scoring lines, but one thing that might benefit us as defensemen is that we go up against a very talented group of forwards each and every day in practice,” said sophomore Nate Schmidt. “We’re up to the task. They have big, strong forwards as well. (Johnny) Gaudreau is a similar size to a guy like Kyle Rau and (Chris) Kreider is a big guy kind of like (Nick) Bjugstad, so we see the same type of players. That caliber doesn’t change very much.”

Still, Lucia tried hard to paint his team as the underdog , joking that you don’t get to the Frozen Four every year unless you’re Boston College while giving a little hint about his team’s strategy against an Eagles team that didn’t allow a goal in winning the NCAA Northeast Regional.

“The first thing we have to do is manage the puck. You can’t turn pucks over against BC and shorten the rink for them,” Lucia said. “We’re going to have to pick our spots, but at the same time I don’t think we can sit back and let them have the puck all night because they’re too talented.”

He won’t mention it, as it doesn’t fit with his underdog vibe, but there will be plenty of talent and three lines of offensive depth on both benches Thursday.

CHANGE OF SCENERY SUITS FERRIS STATE’S WYSOPAL
By James V. Dowd

The sense of surprise in Ferris State reaching its first-ever Frozen Four has been well-documented in the 10 days since the Bulldogs defeated Denver and Cornell in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional in Green Bay. But if there’s one person who finds it hardest to believe that he and his team has reached college hockey’s biggest stage, it might well be Ferris State senior defenseman Brett Wysopal.

Wysopal began his college hockey career skating for Colorado College, a program better known for national success and one just three years removed from a Frozen Four appearance when he arrived in Colorado Springs. The Tigers appeared to be trending in the right direction with a bevy of talent in the pipeline and a bright future seemingly assured.

But after finishing his freshman year with no points in 21 appearances and having mixed feelings about the college’s unique block scheduling setup, Wysopal decided to transfer, landing in Big Rapids.

Ferris State's Brett Wysopal transferred to Big Rapids after one season with Colorado College.

“I didn’t think we’d be in the Frozen Four before CC,” Wysopal said, “Especially after my freshman year at CC where we were ranked No. 1 in the country and kind of laid an egg in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, I was really rooting for my friends to get out of the [NCAA West] regional, but they couldn’t get it done. I thought they were going to do it.”

Despite leaving a program on the upswing and one that’s better known for recruiting and developing top-end talent, Wysopal found Ferris State has a knack for uncovering gems in the defensive zone—a key in the team’s growth and stability in recent seasons. The senior counts himself lucky to have played with some of college hockey’s top blueliners over the past three seasons and credits their skill sets with giving him the opportunity to refine and improve his own game.

“I think it makes my job a lot easier,” Wysopal said. “I’ve never been a really high-profile guy. We have (senior Chad) Billins this year, we had (Winnipeg Jets prospect Zach) Redmond last year and (Matt) Case a few years ago. They are all high-end players who are very skilled. It’s really easy to let them go do their job and I just have to worry about mine.”

As the 5-foot-8, 175-pound Wysopal improved as a defender, his responsibilities shifted. This year, he was asked to take on more of a defensive role than in the past and responded with a plus-5 rating and 73 blocked shots.

“I think my role changed this year,” Wysopal said. “I’ve been more of a power-play guy before but I think this year we needed a guy who could play in a more defensive role. I might be undersized, but I figured I could do it. The coaching staff asked if I could I do that and I think I’ve done a pretty good job.”

Wysopal’s defensive efforts will be as important as ever if the Bulldogs hope to reach Saturday’s title game. Facing a Union team that’s strong defensively and with explosive forwards who are big in stature, Wysopal knows little things like blocked shots and physical play will make the difference. And while the Bulldogs have enjoyed more offensive success than years past, they’re prepared to grind it out in a game that Wysopal believe will be a one-goal game.

“We like to run and gun more than Ferris State used to in the old days,” Wysopal said. “Guys like Jordie Johnston like to run and gun and score some goals. But I think we can (grind it out). It’s more of a battle, it’s much more of a battle and it wears you down. But at this point in the year, guys are willing to do anything to win.”

FRIES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG
By Mike Eidelbes and Kevin Zeise

• Ferris State coach Bob Daniels was named the recipient of the Spencer Penrose Award presented annually to the NCAA Division I coach of the year. It’s the second time Daniels has won the honor—he was also the Penrose winner in 2003—and the first CCHA coach to win it since Michigan’s Red Berenson in 2008.

“The (Penrose Award)  is unique in it represents a team accomplishment. There’s no coach that’s deserving of individually winning the award,” Daniels said following his team’s practice at Tampa Bay Times Forum. “I think it’s an award bestowed upon the coaching staff, the players, the administration, the fans. It truly is a team award.”

• No stranger to the Frozen Four himself, Vermont head coach Kevin Sneddon was in attendance at Wednesday’s practice sessions. And while his Catamounts didn’t have the season they had wanted this year, Sneddon has taken some pride in seeing Union, a team he coached from 1998 to 2003, qualify for this year’s Frozen Four.

“It’s been a really neat evolution when you look at that program. I remember at the time, it was all about dollars and cents—can we recruit, do we have enough money to buy sticks, if we don’t get more donations, how can we continue to do this? I think at that point in time, we were focused on trying to build a foundation for the program to prosper and now that they have foundation, they can really get after it for championships.

“There’s some great people there and it’s a great school, and I think that’s part of the frustration during that time was it was this fantastic school and a great environment, and it just needed a little bit of help. Now they’ve got that help and you see where they are.”

• No one familiar with college hockey views this year’s Frozen Four semifinals as a case of the haves (BC, Minnesota) vs. the have nots (Ferris State, Union), but it’s naive to think there aren’t differences between the institutions. For example, one INCH staffer overheard a Union student manager talking to his boss about Minnesota’s equipment bounty: “Did you see how many sticks they have?”

• The Gophers earn a bonus point for adorning their Tampa Bay Times Forum locker room door with a logo similar to the skating Gopher logo that used to grace one end of old Mariucci Arena. The new Gopher logo certainly looks like he’d be better in the corners, but the old skating Goldy (pictured, right) has more of a Gretzky-like demeanor, no?

Kudos to Minnesota equipment manager and friend of INCH Lee Greseth for encouraging the Gophers to more prominently use the old logo.

• Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Shannon, out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury, visited the Boston College locker room after practice Wednesday and addressed the team. Shannon played for Boston College from 2001-05 and helped the Eagles to the Frozen Four in 2004.

“Coach York had him talk to us about his experience in the Frozen Four, just what it was like for him,” said Boston College sophomore Bill Arnold. “He reiterated that this is it, and not to take anything for granted, and to give it everything we have. One game, and the season could be done.”

• Flashback to Frozens past: Glanced up at one of the television monitors in the Tampa Bay Times Forum media workroom to catch a glimpse of a replay of Tuesday’s Anaheim-Vancouver match that starred Canucks netminder Cory Schneider—the former Boston College goaltender who helped the Eagles to the Frozen Four in 2006 and 2007. Schneider stopped all nine shots he faced in relief of starter Roberto Luongo as the Canucks earned a 5-4 shootout win over the visiting Ducks.

When asked by a reporter why Boston College and Minnesota don’t play each other more often, Eagles head coach Jerry York remarked that BC will be part of Minnesota’s holiday tournament next season and added that the two schools are working on a four-year scheduling agreement for regular-season series with an unspecified start date.

INCH spoke with coaches of teams that have played this year’s Frozen Four participants. We offered them anonymity in exchange for their candid takes on strengths and weaknesses of the 2012 quartet.

MINNESOTA vs. BOSTON COLLEGE

MINNESOTA (28-13-1 overall, 20-8-0 WCHA)
WCHA regular-season champions
NCAA West Regional champions

There’s a lot of similarities with these two teams; it’s not as if there’s a big difference between them in the way they play the game and the type of talent they have.

They have a lot of skill … they’ve got good size, they’ve got skill and speed. That’s a nice asset to have with your forwards. They’ve got good balance. Most of their guys can skate well, so they’re definitely good offensively and have a lot of the puck skills to generate offense and get pucks to the net.

You’re going to have to play well defensively to beat them. They have speed and they create a lot of offense with that speed. They play the transition game well—if you turn over the puck, they capitalize off of them.

You’ve got to put pressure on their defense, get pucks in behind their defensemen, and forecheck aggressively. You can also generate offense by being patient with the puck. Not turning pucks over is very important. Both [Minnesota at Boston College] have good offensive transition and their defensemen activate off the rush and, generally, you’re going to see at least a three-man rush and in many instances, four.

BOSTON COLLEGE (31-10-1 overall, 19-7-1 Hockey East)
Hockey East regular-season champions
Hockey East tournament champions
NCAA Northeast Regional champions

[Goaltender Parker] Milner’s the big reason why they’ve turned the corner. They’ve always had the talent and the offense and it was just a matter of them getting consistent goaltending. He’s made the difference for them in the last month.

Their goaltending has really solidified, and they’ve played well outside of that. I think right now, Milner’s playing with a lot of confidence, so you’re going to have to get people to the net and crash the net. Milner’s got decent size and plays his position well. The biggest thing that I’ve seen with him right now is that he’s really controlling his rebounds well.

It’s not a matter of slowing them down, but more a matter of picking your poison. You have to be conscious of their top three lines. It’s a matter of offsetting their depth by making good puck decisions and not throwing pucks away and giving them opportunities to get in transition.

You have to play with discipline and keep them off the power play. They have a lot of weapons, and you can’t just isolate one or two guys.

The candidates for the 2012 Hobey Baker Memorial Award was trimmed to three this week and there were no surprises among the finalists. The trio of senior forwards—Spencer Abbott of Maine, Minnesota Duluth’s Jack Connolly, and Colgate’s Austin Smith—have been at or near the top of everyone’s list of Hobey hopefuls the entire season.

So whose name will be called when the 2012 Hobey Baker Award winner is announced Friday at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa? In our final Hobey Tracker of the season, INCH gives its reasons why each of the three finalists should win the Hobey along with items that could hamper their chances.

Why He’ll Win: The nation’s leader in both assists and points played a huge role in Maine’s return to the NCAA Tournament after a four-year hiatus. In addition to the 21 goals he potted, his playmaking skills fueled increased production from Black Bears teammates Joey Diamond (25 goals), Brian Flynn (18 goals), and Matt Mangene (16 goals). And of Abbott’s 21 goals, all but four were scored at even strength or shorthanded.

Why He Won’t: Plus-minus rating can be deceiving, but for a guy who scored 16 even-strength goals, a +14 rating seems awfully low and suggests Abbott and his linemates are a liability when they’re not scoring, and a closer look at his numbers shows half his points and a whopping two thirds of his assists came on the power play. The combination of those two factors suggests Abbott’s impact at even strength isn’t Hobey caliber.

Why He’ll Win: Connolly came into the season with instant name recognition after helping UMD to the 2011 national title and he lived up to his name, leading the Bulldogs to a 17-game unbeaten streak. He had at least one point in 35 of the 41 games he played, including a 22-game point streak that stretched from mid-October to late January. And though the Hobey should be presented based on performance during the 2011-12 season, Connolly’s career numbers (66 goals, 197 points) could be a factor.

Why He Won’t: Can Connolly be the best player in the country when he might not be the best player on his team? Some would argue forward J.T. Brown, who led UMD with 24 goals, was the guy who made the Bulldogs go. And while Connolly supporters are quick to point out he didn’t play on a line with Brown and/or forward Travis Oleksuk (21 goals), but he did team with them on UMD’s top power-play unit—which is where Connolly got exactly half his points.

Why He’ll Win: The nation’s leading goal scorer lit the lamp 36 times in one of the most prolific lamp-lighting seasons in recent college hockey history, and his goals made a difference for the Colgate Raiders. He scored seven power-play goals and six short-handed goals on the year, which means that 29 of his goals came at even strength or while the Raiders were shorthanded. Colgate finished in 12th place in ECAC Hockey last year and improved to a top-four spot in 2011-12 as a healthy Smith led the way.

Why He Won’t: Colgate’s small-time reputation as a member of ECAC Hockey doesn’t carry as much national cache as the names of the other finalists in being associated with Maine and defending national champions Minnesota Duluth. That also means fewer television opportunities for Smith. How many voters actually saw him play?