BC saw its season ended by Union for the second year in a row. (WEEI)
PHILADELPHIA — Trailing 3-2 with a little more than 13 minutes to go in Thursday’s national semifinal, Boston College got a golden chance to tie the game. Just 18 seconds after Union had taken the lead, Dutchmen forward Matt Hatch was ejected from the game for hitting Michael Sit from behind, giving BC a five-minute power play.
But the Eagles couldn’t take advantage. They were sloppy entering the zone and struggled to find lanes, as their passes and shots were consistently met by Union sticks and legs. At one point, they even wound up icing the puck. They finally got a golden opportunity with 20 seconds left on the power play, but Union goalie Colin Stevens (34 saves) robbed Teddy Doherty on a rebound chance.
If the five-minute kill took the wind out of BC’s sails, what happened next capsized the ship. Just four seconds after the man advantage expired, Kevin Sullivan picked Steve Santini’s pocked and walked in on a breakaway. Freshman goalie Thatcher Demko (36 saves) made the first save, but Sullivan collected the rebound and sent a pass back to the slot that freshman center and Saugus native Mike Vecchione buried to give Union a 4-2 lead and essentially end BC’s season.
“They’re a great shot-blocking team. I was net-front [on the power play], and I couldn’t even see the puck because they had two or three guys in the lane every time,” said BC senior captain Patrick Brown. “But we didn’t create enough movement, didn’t get enough pucks to the net. Credit to them. They played unbelievable.”
Bruins draft pick Ryan Fitzgerald scored on a rebound with 1:45 to go, giving BC fans hope. But it wasn’t to be. Daniel Ciampini scored an empty-netter with 1:09 remaining to finish off his hat trick and finish off the Eagles. Brown scored with 3.9 seconds to go to finalize the 5-4 score.
The Dutchmen had taken the lead 18 seconds before Hatch’s major penalty with a power-play goal. Shayne Gostisbehere ripped a one-timer from center point that Ciampini tipped in for his second goal of the game.
The loss ends BC’s bid to win its fourth national championship in the last seven years. It also marks the second straight year the Eagles’ season has ended at the hands of Union, as the Dutchmen beat them 5-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year. This will be Union’s first ever appearance in the national championship game. It will face the winner of Thursday’s second semifinal between Minnesota and North Dakota.
“We’re very disappointed, no question,” said BC coach Jerry York. “I’m very proud of our guys for reaching so high and wanting to be that kind of team that can win national championships, but it’s hard to reflect back now. We’re not ready to do that.”
BC did get on the board first, scoring 2:08 into the game. Kevin Hayes created the chance by cutting to the middle from the right wing and splitting two Union defenders. His shot was stopped, but Hobey Baker favorite Johnny Gaudreau — who now needs to decide whether to return for his senior season or sign with the Flames — was right there to bury the rebound for his NCAA-leading 36th goal of the season.
Union started to take control of the game as the first period went on, and then the Dutchmen dominated the first 11 or so minutes of the second. It paid off with a pair of goals that gave them the lead. The first came 2:39 into the second when senior defenseman Mat Bodie ripped a slap shot through a Ciampini screen and into the back of the net. Eight minutes later, Ciampini buried a loose puck in front after Demko failed to hold onto a Gostisbehere point shot.
That second goal seemed to wake up the Eagles, though. They started to swing momentum in their favor with some strong shifts, and they eventually tied the game at 2-2 with 4:07 left in the period. Freshman forward Chris Calnan pulled up in the left circle and made a great pass over to classmate Santini at the right point. The bruising defenseman walked to the top of the circle and fired a beautiful snap shot inside the left post for his first goal since Dec. 6.
“I thought Union played very well,” York said. “They certainly have an excellent hockey team, as do all the participants here in the tournament. … They played very well tonight. I loved how we competed, how we battled right down to the last second of the hockey game. There was never any give-up in us. We’ve been on the other side an awful lot with the trophies, and this particular senior class has done an incredible job for us. I’m very, very proud of them.”