Woo! National Championship Game Day!
NCAA Frozen Four: Can Ferris State stop the Boston College juggernaut for title? (Puck Daddy)
The Eagles have now won — get this — 18 games in a row, and have trailed opponents during that streak for a combined total of — get this — 5:33. This is terrifying efficiency in all areas of the ice, and you might have been able to brush that off as a run of games against weaker opponents at one point, but now look. Duluth and Minnesota, the two best offenses in the country, were all but silenced by the smothering Eagle defense. The one goal it allowed deflected off a stick blade and a skate at the top of the crease. Both opponents also boasted strong defenses, and both found them dismantled to the tune of 10 total goals against.
Two Paths to the Frozen Four (Grantland)
"I don't think you can be an elite team unless you've got a remarkable goaltender," York said. (See?) "And Parker, he's become Schneider, Muse, Clemmensen. His March and April have just been outstanding. Look at his stats and save percentage. He's going to be ranked right up there with those players."
Video: Boston College’s Dumoulin, Almeida, York on the championship game (USCHO.com)
FF: Through the Looking Glass (College Hockey News)
"[Defensively], it's not just the six defensemen, it's the forwards as well. Johnny Gaudreau was backchecking last night. You see it, but you don't see it all the time like that. The guys are really being responsible in the defensive zone. That's one of the things in this streak, is that they're all playing well defensively.
FF: National Championship Game Preview (College Hockey News)
"I think we'll have to make it a defensive battle," FSU coach Bob Daniels said. "There has been a lot talk about BC's speed and offensive abilities, but, having only given up one goal themselves last night, obviously they are doing very well defensively. With that in mind, and their ability to score, we can't hand them chances."
YOUR PASSOVER SEDER GUIDE TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (Heights and Lows)
However, we are all inclusive, and if you do need to balance the second night of Passover with this in mind, here's your Passover Seder Guide to the National Championship.
Boston College, Ferris State play in Frozen Four title game (USATODAY.com)
"Ferris State is a team that has played some great hockey, but especially in the NCAA tournament. They're red-hot," said BC captain Tommy Cross. "If we want to get a trophy, it probably will have to be our best game of the season Saturday night."
FF: More of the Same (College Hockey News)
"Hockey East is a tough league, very competitive — great teams, great players, great coaches," BC senior Barry Almeida said. "Playing so many games against those teams prepared us for the big stage. We just take (the Frozen Four) as other games. We play good teams all season and we know we're going to play good teams here."
Inside Look: The D12 Derby (Heights Sports Blog)
Frozen Friday Notes: BC Fights Complacency, Friendly Ferris Rivalries (Inside College Hockey)
"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."
Scoping Out The National Championship (Heights Sports Blog)
Fans flock to back Eagles (BostonHerald.com)
"I just think it would be really great (to) bring home a championship of some kind," sophomore Gordon Titman said. "We don’t have a lot of sports to look forward to but hockey is where we strive to excel."
Strong defenses unite underdog Ferris State, favorite Boston College in championship game (USCHO.com)
In one corner you have the underdog of underdogs — a Ferris State team making its first Frozen Four appearance playing for a national title. In the other corner is college hockey’s Goliath, a Boston College team that has won three of the last 11 national titles and on Saturday night will play in the Frozen Four championship game for the fifth time in seven years.
Ferris State, Boston College skate for national hockey title (Battle Creek Enquirer)
"We want to win trophies," York said. "So everybody has got something to lose at this point, unless you don’t want to win a trophy. We have our hands full. We understand the kind of program they have."
Heights Sports Blog
More shots from Thursday night’s 6-1 victory over Minnesota.
Boston College: Same old, same old? No chance! (USCHO.com)
"Our group is really excited to be here, to still have our sticks, to still be practicing, to still be a team in the room and still have our season going," he said. "We may not show nerves up here speaking in front of people but behind closed doors our energy’s been phenomenal."
NCAA men's hockey tournament -- Boston College Eagles to meet Ferris State Bulldogs in Frozen Four final (ESPN)
"A lot of our attention is geared toward our own performance, the way we're playing and the way we're handling certain situations," BC captain Tommy Cross said. "When you focus on your own game you dictate how the game's going to be played rather than letting it get dictated by someone else."
Boston College Eagles: Being stars in their roles (USCHO.com)
"Whether you’re Johnny Gaudreau, probably the best freshman in college hockey, or you’re Michael Sit, playing seven to eight minutes in his first year at BC," said York, "we want [both] to be a star in his role."
Boston College captain keeps his eyes on the prize (BostonHerald.com)
"It’s my last game in college hockey and it would be an honor to go out winning. It would cap a career. But there’s no place I’d rather be now than BC. We want to be the best team we can possibly be and the best people we can be."
Milner among Eagles’ best in net (BostonHerald.com)
"And Parker, he’s become Schneider, Muse and Clemmensen. His March and April have just been outstanding. Look at his stats and save percentage, he’s got to be ranked right up with those players."