Eagles End Wolverines Season

Sunday, March 28, 2004
Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire

In another classic battle between these two national powers, the Eagles and Wolverines battled to a draw in regulation time, finally deciding the outcome in overtime. Six years ago, in 1998, it was Michigan winning a game in overtime against these same Eagles. Of course that was the National Championship game, but the Eagles got their revenge in this Regional Championship game to advance to this years Frozen Four.

The Eagles carried the play for the first five minutes of this game, but the Wolverines soon found their legs and play evened out. Both teams pushed the puck up and down the ice, playing some great transition hockey.

With the clock just moving under the eight minute mark Michigan would get a fairly clean break coming out of the neutral zone, down the left side of the ice. Brown carried the puck in, firing a one timer as he reached the face off dot. The net minder initially appeared to have stopped the shot, but the puck squeezed out from under his arm, hit the ice, and trickled over the goal line. Brown got the goal and Burnes got the assist.

The first period came to an end with Michigan holding a slim one to nothing lead. The Eagles hold a solid nine to four edge in shots on goal.

The second period of play would start out with a flurry of penalties that would leave both teams scrambling to protect their goal. First the Wolverines were sent to the sin bin just thirty-five seconds into the period, putting Boston College on the power play. That would last a little over a minute when the Eagles sent a player of their own to their penalty box, leaving both teams skating four on four. Michigan would get a short power play, but after the dust had settled neither team had taken advantage of the extra man.

That would all change when the Wolverines once again headed to the sin bin just as the clock moved under the thirteen minute mark. Michigan had held off the Boston College power play for almost the entire two minutes, but with just five seconds left in the power play the Eagles got the puck in the net to even the game at one goal apiece. Boston College got Montoya pulled all the way to his right, then quickly passed the puck behind the net and then right out front to Montoyas left where a quick flip of the wrist put the puck in the net before Montoya could recover.

It looked like the period would come to an end with the score all tied at one, but with just under three minutes to play the Boston College net minder came way out of the net to play the puck. He got tangled up in a group of players and the puck ended up in front of the goal. Michigan got a shot off at the empty net, but it was blocked before it could reach the goal. However, the puck popped out front where Captain Andy Burnes could get a stick on it and he didn't waste the opportunity, scoring his one and only goal of the year to put the Wolverines back in front. The goal was scored as unassisted.

The second period would come to an end with Michigan leading by a score of two to one. The Eagles would continue to dominate in shots on goal ending two periods with a twenty-three to seven shot advantage.

The third period would be an intense period with the Eagles increasing the pressure as the clock would down on their season. It was starting to look like the Wolverines would advance as the clock moved under the five minute mark and Michigan still holding a one goal lead. However, that Boston College pressure would finally find a hole in Montoya's defense and the game would be tied.

There was a face off in the Wolverine zone and Boston College would win it, getting a quick shot on goal. This shot was blocked, but off this shot Montoya gave up one of the few rebounds he let get away all game. While Montoya was still down on the ice the puck ended up on an Eagle players stick leaving him with an easy back door shot into a wide open net. Suddenly with just 4:44 to play the game was all tied.

Both teams would try to get the game winner in regulation time, but that regulation time would end with the score all tied at two goals each. Boston College ended regulation time with a thirty-seven to twelve shot advantage.

Both teams would have flurries of scoring chances, with Michigan coming within one inch of scoring the game winner, but just as the clock moved under the ten minute mark of the over time period it would be Boston College scoring the game winner when their Captain slapped a loose puck out of the air and into the net ending the game and the Wolverines season.

The game would come to an end with Boston College winning by a score of three to two and a forty-five to seventeen advantage in shots on goal.

It was a game that had no business being as close as it was on the score board, as the Eagles put pressure on the Wolverine goal early and often. Somehow through all that pressure Michigan kept the Eagles at bay and led for most of the game, finally losing the battle in overtime. It was perhaps an appropriate ending for a season that can only be thought of as up and down for the Wolverines. They struggled at times, they were world beaters at times, and in the end, though they battled hard, they came up just short of a fourth straight trip to the Frozen Four.