WASHINGTON – After a week of fascination with out-of-the-way places such as Bemidji, Minn., and Oxford, Ohio, 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,” BU forward Nick Bonino said. “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 win for many years to come.
With the Terriers trailing by two with a minute to play, Bonino had a goal and an assist to force overtime, then Colby Cohen scored the winning goal in the extra period for the 4-3 victory over Miami University.
“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 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 Boston U., the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, took home title No. 5 in its 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 championship in 2001 and 2008.
For a while, though, it seemed certain Miami would take home the school’s first NCAA championship in any team sport. RedHawks fans were chanting “Yes, we can! Yes, we can!” after Tommy Wingels and Trent Vogelhuber scored less than 3 1/2 minutes apart in the third period to make the score 3-1.
Spectators injured
ROUBAIX, France – Three spectators were seriously injured Sunday when a motorcycle crashed into fans watching the Paris-Roubaix cycling race, a one-day classic won by Belgium’s Tom Boonen.
Three people were taken by helicopter to hospitals in Lille and Valenciennes for further scans, two for abdominal injuries and a woman who was briefly knocked unconscious, said Philippe Sudres, a spokesman for race organizer Amaury Sport Organization.
About a dozen others needed medical treatment, Sudres said.
The motorcycle belonged to race organizers to provide regular time checks for riders, he said. It appeared to lose control and swerved sideways into the side of the road.