Boston College earned its way atop the Hockey East for a record eighth time.
Behind freshman goaltender John Muse, who stopped all 29 shots he faced in Saturday’s Hockey East Championship game against Vermont, the Eagles skated to a 4-0 win. It was their third conference championship in the last four seasons.
“Winning the three titles in four years is something,” BC coach Jerry York said in the conference call. “It’s something we’re very, very proud of and it’s very hard to do.”
Saturday’s game was only the second shutout in Hockey East Championship game history.
Early in the game, Muse was at his best.
He sent away numerous Catamount shots that seemed destined for the net. The Catamounts held a 6-1 man advantage early in the game but it was the Eagles that struck first.
From a great effort by tournament MVP Nathan Gerbe, teammate Ben Smith put his team up 1-0 when he banked home a shot that trickled behind Vermont goaltender Joe Fallon.
The Eagles continued to play aggressive and put men in front of Fallon in attempts to hinder his vision. Five minutes into the period, Eagle defenseman Tim Kunes padded his team’s lead when he intercepted a pass at the blue line and fired a wrist shot that beat Fallon blocker side. Fallon, who was screened, had no chance on the play. It was Kunes’ first goal of the season.
In the final minute of the period, the Eagles converted a power play opportunity to go up 3-0. By strong forechecking from Eagle Kyle Kucharski, Andrew Orpik picked up the free puck and sent a beautiful pass to a wide open Brian Gibbons for his 13th goal.
The Catamounts were forced to use a different strategy going into the third period, already down 3-0.
Vermont conjured up a variety of scoring chances but Muse turned them all aside.
At the 18:55 mark, Gerbe tallied an empty net goal on a pass from Benn Ferriero.
After the game, Brennan, Ferriero and Sneep of the Eagles were accompanied by UNH to the all-tournament team. It will be Ferriero’s second appearance on the team.
Tournament bound
BC and UNH were named to the Division I NCAA Hockey Tournament.
In the last 10 of 11 years, Hockey East has been represented by at least one team in the NCAA Championship game. Since 1993, the Hockey East has sported 15 of the 30 teams that have advanced to the championship round.
In the first round of the tournament, the No. 1 Wildcats take on Notre Dame on Friday. If the Wildcats beat the Irish, they will take on either No.2 Colorado College or the defending national champions Michigan State.
No. 2 Boston College takes on No. 3 Minnesota in Worcester, Mass., this Saturday. If the Eagles come out on top, they will face the winner of No. 4 Air Force and No. 1 Miami.
The four winners of each region advance to the Frozen Four, which is held at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. starting April 10.
Awards presented
Members of three Hockey East teams took home yearly honors.
UNH goaltender Kevin Regan was awarded the CCM/RBK Player of the Year honor.
Regan led the Hockey East in the top three statistical categories. His goals-against average (1.83), wins (18), and save percentage (.940) were the best marks in the conference.
Colin Wilson, a Boston University freshman, was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Year. In his first season, Wilson narrowly missed the top five among Hockey East scoring leaders.
Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon was chosen by his colleagues as the CCM/RBK Bob Kullen Coach of the Year. In his third year with the Catamounts, Sneddon guided his team from two consecutive sixth-place finishes to an impressive second-place finish, ahead of conference champions, BC.
Ryan Fleming can be reached at [email protected].
