WASHINGTON — After a week of fascination with out-of-the-way places such as Bemidji, Minn., and Oxford, Ohio, major college hockey’s championship trophy is back in Beantown.
Only this time, it’s Boston University — not Boston College. The Terriers have the bragging rights again after stewing for a year over the Eagles’ triumph at last season’s Frozen Four.
“It was in the back of our minds,” said BU forward Nick Bonino. “None of us really wanted to admit it, but we remember watching the game last year — a couple of the guys wouldn’t watch it — and it was just kind of painful to see our base rival take it home. We wanted to match that and come out here with kind of a vendetta to get it.”
Whatever the allegiance, there’s one thing on which the whole city is certain to agree: Folks will be talking about BU’s remarkable title win for many years to come.
With the Terriers trailing by two goals with a minute to play, Bonino had a goal and an assist to force overtime. Colby Cohen scored the winning goal in the extra period for the 4-3 victory over Miami (Ohio).
“What a finish. All I can think of is it’s the greatest comeback I’ve been involved in,” said Terriers coach Jack Parker, who has been involved in quite a few in his 36 years behind the bench at BU.
The Frozen Four began a buzz over first-time participants Bemidji State and Miami. Those in the nation’s capital unfamiliar with the college hockey scene quickly learned that Bemidji State was a longtime powerhouse from Paul Bunyan country in northern Minnesota and that Miami was the one in Ohio — not the University of Miami in Florida. Vermont was also in the mix, making an appearance in the final quartet for only the second time.
But the Terriers, the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, took home title No. 5 in their 10th NCAA final. It’s the first time the Terriers have won it all since 1995 — a cringe-worthy statistic at BU because Boston College won the NCAA championship in 2001 and 2008.
