Incredible!

Photo by Jim Rosvold, via USCHO.com

The NCAA Hockey Tournament is over, and thank God! I don't think true college hockey fans' hearts could take any more punishment. In a tournament which saw the improbable (New Hampshire and UMD tying games in the third period's final SECOND and then both winning in overtime), the impossible (Bemidji State reaching the Frozen Four with an RPI ranking in the low-30's, three regional #1 seeds losing their opening round games), the astonishing occurred in the Frozen Four final Saturday night in Washington.

Trailing Miami 3-1 with one minute to play and with an empty net behind them, Boston University's Zach Cohen scored to cut the deficit to one, and Nick Bonino added a tally with 17 seconds remaining, forcing overtime. The Terriers' Colby Cohen scored at 11:47 of the extra session to give BU a 4-3 win and the school's fifth NCAA championship.

Miami had scored three unanswered goals after BU took a 1-0 lead after the first period. The RedHawks were but one minute away from the school's first championship when the tournament magic ran out.

On the surface, BU's victory is one which should have restored all normalcy to an utterly abnormal tournament. The Terriers were the prohibitive favorite at the beginning of the tourney and certainly held the top billing once the other top seeds were quickly eliminated. Still, BU walked the tightrope in wins against New Hampshire in the regional final, against Vermont in the semis, and against Miami in the final - all three games decided by one goal.

Although it entered the tournament as the #4 seed in the West Regional, Miami proved game throughout the tournament, with victories over Denver, UMD, and Bemidji State. Head Coach Enrico Blasi has established himself as one of the hottest young coaches in the game. However, it could not survive the craziness which was the 2009 tournament. The miracle comeback and subsequent victory by BU was a fitting end to a memorable 2009 season.

Hockey fans....the good news is that we're only 5 1/2 months away from October!