DENVER—From out of the fog came a sign—at least to Boston College forward Matt Greene.
After a game last October between Boston College and North Dakota was halted after two scoreless periods due to fog-like conditions on the ice, Greene had a feeling the Eagles and Fighting Sioux were destined to meet again to settle things.
His foggy notion was right.
For the third straight year, Boston College and North Dakota will face off in the semifinals of the Frozen Four.
“It’s funny how history repeats itself,” said Greene, whose team will play the Fighting Sioux on Thursday night in the first of two semifinal games.
The two squads are definitely familiar with each other. The Eagles and Fighting Sioux have meet eight times in the NCAA tournament, with Boston College winning five of the games.
“We’ve got a great respect for their program,” Boston College coach Jerry York said. “When we blow the whistle in October, our goal is to get to the national tournament and try to win a national title. We have the full understanding that somewhere along the line, if history repeats itself, we’re going to play North Dakota.”
The Fighting Sioux (28-10-4) are definitely looking forward to another rematch, having had each of their last two seasons end in losses to the Eagles.
“I think the North Dakota-Boston College rivalry is great for college hockey,” said Sioux goalie and Hobey Award finalist Jean-Phillippe Lamoureux, whose team advanced to the Frozen Four with a 3-2 overtime win over Wisconsin on March 30.
“We have a skilled group of players, but I think the hallmark of our game is our work ethic,” he said. “If we’re not outworking the other team, we’re probably going to get beat. We are going to have to outwork Boston College to give ourselves an opportunity to win the game.”
North Dakota enters the tournament with seven national titles, the second-most all-time. The team’s last crown came in 2000, a 4-2 win over Boston College.
“This particular group of players has been very special right from day one,” North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol said. “They’re very businesslike, they’re very understated, but their effort has been tremendous right from our opening team meeting, and they’ve done a very good job of sticking together throughout the year.”
The Eagles (23-11-8) feel thankful just to be in the Frozen Four. It took three closed-door meetings during the season and then a 4-3 overtime win over Miami (Ohio) in the regionals.
“You never want to have a closed-door meeting,” Greene said.
Yet the candid team talk after a loss to New Hampshire on Feb. 23 got the squad refocused. The Eagles have gone 7-2-1 since the meeting.
“We were like, ‘If we don’t turn this thing around, we’re going to be swinging our golf clubs in early March,'” Greene said. “Coach told us, ‘I have my ticket to Denver, I have my ticket to the rink. I’m going. If you want to come with me, you have to earn it.’ Coach always knows when to get upset and when to keep things in perspective.”
York has become a master at knowing what buttons to push to ignite his squad. He’s guided Boston College to eight Frozen Four appearances in the last 11 seasons, including a national title in 2001, a 3-2 overtime win overtime win over North Dakota.
He’s looking forward to yet another showdown with the Fighting Sioux.
“This rivalry is something—it’s really special,” York said.
Eagles forward Nathan Gerbe knows it won’t be easy against a more physical Fighting Sioux squad. His team had trouble with that style of play against Miami.
“We have to go out and be aggressive,” said Gerbe, a Hobey Baker finalist thanks to a season in which he has 30 goals and 30 assists. “We know North Dakota is going to be a tough task. I think all the guys are ready to go for it.”
