Throwback Thursday - BC 3 North Dakota 2 - 2001 Frozen Four Title Game

Certainly Jerry York has had more than his fair share of wins, at Boston College, at Bowling Green and at Clarkson, but for Eagle fans and perhaps even for Coach York himself, there is one that stands out among all of them...April 7, 2001 - Pepsi Arena - Albany, New York.

On that night, the Eagles ended a 52 year drought, capturing their first national title since 1949, defeating the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, 3-2 in overtime on a Krys Kolanos goal that for many BC fans was their equivalent of the Red Sox finally winning a World Series.

The entire 2000-01 season was a magical one for the Eagles and it was capped that night in front of a highly partisan BC crowd who packed the streets and bars of Albany and littered themselves down the Mass Pike the following Sunday morning, hung over perhaps, but delirious because of what they had just witnessed.

Unlike the year before in Providence, BC was the favorite coming into the contest, but the Sioux would be no pushover.

The Eagles finally broke the ice at the 5:26 mark of the second period on the power play, when UND goaltender Karl Goehring was unable to clear the puck out of the corner.  Jeff Giuliano stripped Goehring of the puck and fed it in front to "seemingly always in the right place at the right time" freshman forward Chuck Kobasew who buried it into the vacated cage for a 1-0 BC lead.

The gap would grow to 2-0 later in the period when Mike Lephart's shot was deflected off a Sioux defender and over the shoulder of Goehring who had gone to his knees.  Neither goal a thing of beauty, but the Eagles headed to the second intermission, 20 minutes away from glory.

The third period seemed to last forever.

Just five minutes left in the game and BC opened the door a slice and North Dakota Coach Dean Blais decided to kick it open further.

BC was called for a too many men on the ice penalty (which brought back memories of the famous Bruins too many men penalty against the Canadiens in 1979 in the Forum) and Blais then pulled Goehring giving UND a 6-4 advantage.

The Sioux cashed in that chance with just 3:42 left to pull within 2-1.

Then with just 37 seconds left, Brian Gionta lost a faceoff (not one of his strengths) and UND made the Eagles pay, with Wes Dorey tipping in a shot past Scott Clemmensen to tie the game at two and set up overtime.

The scene during that intermission was one I will never forget. The near euphoria and then nervous anxiety of what could have been was replaced by the thought that one more time, the Eagles would be denied.

But this year, it would be different.

I was sitting in the upper deck at Pepsi Arena, almost parallel to the goal where Kolanos scored.  As I jumped and hugged my buddy, I went light headed..nearly blacking out.  It was a night that no BC fan of any sport will ever forget.

In celebration of the game to come in this year's Frozen Four, please enjoy the entire game below.

Go Eagles!