FanHouse brings you full coverage of the 2009 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.WASHINGTON -- For a couple of years now, a lot of my friends in blogging circles have been giving me the hard sell when it comes to college hockey. While I've never needed to be sold on the game at any level, I have to admit that my connection to the college game isn't as visceral as it is to the NHL. For me, the Stanley Cup was all that really mattered, and that's been the case ever since I pulled on my first pair of hockey skates at the age of seven.
But over time, opinions and perspective change. The first shift came when I watched the Americans stun the Russians at Lake Placid in 1980. As an adult, I was introduced to the World Juniors, which I'm now convinced is the best international hockey tournament of them all. Then, just a year ago, I couldn't take my eyes off the IIHF World Championship, this after dismissing it for years as a poor substitute for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Well, after spending a Friday night at the Frozen Four here in Washington, chalk up another win for hope and change. I'm hooked on college hockey.
Not that the transformation came immediately. The first semifinal last night between Bemidji State and Miami University -- not Miami University of Ohio, as my press materials helpfully reminded me -- didn't exactly live up to the hype. Heading into the game, the matchup was touted as a meeting between two versions of Cinderella. Safe to say, Bemidji's run to the Frozen Four had to be the biggest sports story to hit Northern Minnesota in a few decades, and after taking a look at the team in warmups, the speedy but undersized squad certainly looked the part.
Unfortunately, despite having a Cinderella story of their own -- Miami has never won a national championship of any kind in school history -- the RedHawks didn't exactly play like underdogs, neatly putting away the Beavers by a score of 4-1. After a listless and scoreless first period, Miami took control in the second, dominating their small opponents physically and defusing Bemidji's relentless puck pursuit game that worked so well two weeks ago against Notre Dame and Cornell in Grand Rapids.After the game, I headed down to the postgame press conference, and Miami continued to play against type. Looking up at the podium at Bill Loupee, Vincent Loverde and Bill Wingels, it was clear the RedHawks weren't just happy to be playing for a national title.
Instead, they looked like a group of guys that expected to be here all along. In his own time behind the microphone after the game, Bemidji head coach Tom Serratore took pains to point out that 2009 marked Miami's fourth straight appearance in the tournament, something that marked them as one of the nation's elite programs, even if they hadn't won a national title. I expect the physical edge and deliberate defensive style that was on display last night against Bemidji will serve the RedHawks well come Saturday night in the national championship.
And when they get there they'll get all they can handle from the other finalist, Boston University. I think the best thing to say about the Terriers came from my colleague Bruce Ciskie: when Boston University can stay out of the penalty box, watching them play hockey is like watching the North Carolina Tarheels play basketball -- they are just that much better than anybody else. And after watching them build a 2-0 lead over the Catamounts in the first period on goals by Colin Wilson and Jason Lawrence, it was easy to conclude that Vermont's national title hopes were more or less buried.
But it was the second period that really sold me on what the college game can look like at its best. Vermont got one goal back on a wicked wrist shot from the right wing by Wahsontiio Stacey to cut the Boston University lead to 2-1. Then, in the middle of the period, Vermont scored twice in just 45 seconds thanks to Justin Milo and Josh Burrows. Just minutes after most of the crowd had left Vermont for dead, they suddenly grabbed the lead and put themselves a little more than 30 minutes of ice time away from a berth in the national championship.
But BU wasn't down for long, getting level on a goal by Vinny Saponari on the power play with less than two minutes to go in the period. Waiting through the break, it was hard to imagine just how the two teams could possibly top the action in the second, but that's exactly what they did in the final 20 minutes.
First, Drew MacKenzie gave Vermont the lead again midway through the third period on the power play. But less than four minutes later, Chris Higgins got on the score sheet again -- he would tally four points on the night -- to bring the teams even again before Hobey Baker candidate Colin Wilson seemed to knock the spirit out of the Catamounts when he scored the game winning goal just a little over a minute later.
Now I know every college hockey game can't be like this, complete with multiple comebacks and lead changes. And thanks to the fact that I didn't go to college at a school that plays Division I hockey, I'll never be as committed to the game as someone who has. But what it has changed is the fact that I'll be making time for the Frozen Four every April from here on in.
I'm sold. Saturday night can't come quick enough.
