The Providence Friars celebrate a 4-3 win over the Boston University Terriers in the championship game of the NCAA Frozen Four tournament at TD Garden. The Hockey East runners-up earned the last at-large berth in the 16-team tournament, but they won it all by beating the school that edged them out for the conference title.Winslow Townson
Providence College defenceman Tom Parisi thought he was just dumping the puck in from the red line so the Friars could get some fresh skaters on the ice.
Boston University goalie Matt O'Connor thought he had it. Easy.
But after the puck fluttered into his glove, more a blooper than a line drive, O'Connor lost track of it. The Toronto native opened his hand, the puck dropped below him, and as the BU junior scooted back to cover the net, he kicked it in for the tying score.
"I go back to the bench and guys are saying, 'That went in,'" Parisi said. "I don't even know what to say. I was stunned. The second that went in, I knew we had it."
Officially, it was a couple of minutes later that Brandon Tanev of Toronto scored to give the Friars the lead with 6:17 remaining. Frozen Four most outstanding player Jon Gillies stopped 49 shots, and Providence held on to beat BU 4-3 on Saturday night for its first NCAA hockey title.
It was the third successive year that the NCAA has crowned a first-time champion.
Anthony Florentino and Mark Jankowski, of Dundas, Ont., also scored for the Friars (26-13-12). The Hockey East runners-up earned the last at-large berth in the 16-team NCAA Tournament, but they won it all by beating the school that edged them out for the conference title.
"I think that's what makes it a little bit sweeter. That BU team is, they were terrific," Providence coach Nate Leaman said. "It's kind of a little bit like our season: We started a little bit slow but we got better and better. We played a pretty good third period, and obviously got a big bounce. And we had a heck of a bounce, and I think that got our bench alive a little bit."
BU (28-8-5) was seeking its sixth championship in a virtual home game. The Terriers went into Saturday night with a 42-22-0 record at the TD Garden since it opened in 1995.