Boston College halts Ferris State, wins NCAA hockey title

TAMPA – Back-stopped by the sterling play of goaltender Parker Milner, Boston College pulled away from underdog Ferris State, 4-1, Saturday to win its fifth NCAA Division I men's hockey title.

 

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"I thought it was a perfect game for us. I liked the way it unfolded," said Ferris State's Bob Daniels, the national coach of the year. "Coming out of the first period when it was 2-1, I felt pretty good. I felt as though, okay, we can play with these guys.

"Then, we've got this down to a seven-minute hockey game. This is a good spot for us to be in. I think that was as good as we can play. I think that's a testament to Boston College and how good they are."

Boston College finally got a clinching goal with 3:02 remaining on a solo shift from freshman Johnny Gaudreau when he split two defenders and lifted a backhander over the stick of Bulldog goalie Taylor Nelson. The Eagles added Whitney's empty-netter with a minute remaining.

BC ends the year on a 19-game winning streak, a single-season school record. In that span Milner allowed 21 goals.

Ferris State reached the championship game by winning a series of 2-1, 2-1 and 3-1 (with an empty net goal) showdowns with Denver, Cornell and Union. The Bulldogs appeared overmatched against a Boston College team that dismantled Minnesota 6-1 in the semifinals and had not lost since January 21.

But if not for Milner, Ferris might have pulled the biggest upset in Frozen Four history.

"They don't have the name recognition, but we really analyzed how Ferris got here," said BC coach Jerry York, who won his fifth title to tie for second on the career list. "They won a league (the Central Collegiate Hockey Association) that sent five teams to the NCAA tournament. You don't just throw your sticks out and win that league."

BC took a 1-0 lead less than four minutes into the game on Steven Whitney's backhander from the left side of the goal crease. Garrett Thompson pulled the Bulldogs even with his goal two minutes later before the Eagles made it 2-1 on Paul Carey's power play deflection with nine seconds remaining on a Ferris State penalty.

Milner then stopped Kyle Bonis' breakaway attempt with 5:22 left in the period and made a sprawling leg save on Thompson's attempt in the final minute.

"He bailed us out when we made mistakes," said BC senior captain Tommy Cross.

Boston College won the special teams battle, scoring once on its power play while its penalty killing unit blunted all four of Ferris State's opportunities.

"I can't think of any shots I really faced on the penalty kill," Milner said. "Most of the shots I saw were right in my chest or on the ice. That wasn't because Ferris State can't shoot. Our guys forced them into hard shots."

The game drew a crowd of 18,818 to the Tampa Bay Times Forum, a record for a first-time Frozen Four venue. Total attendance for the semifinals and championship was 37,423.

Braving the ‘Frozen Planet’

 

A team of photographers and scientists spent four years braving brutal conditions for Discovery’s new series, “Frozen Planet.” NBC’s Michelle Franzen reports.

>>> we started off the newscast talking warm weather. but tonight the opposite extreme, a journey to a part of the world few of us ever get to see with the start of a seven-part series on discovery channel 's "frozen planet." nbc's michelle franzen has our preview.

>> reporter: the stunning scenes look out of this world, but this is life at the polar ends of the earth , a breathtaking display of beauty, alongside the brutality of nature. all captured by a team of photographers and scientists who years braving unimaginable conditions. for discovery's new series "frozen planet."

>> this is really, really extreme filming. we called it kind of planet earth on speed because it was so extreme.

>> reporter: so extreme director chad hunter says the sub-zero temperatures tested the limits of everything, including the man body. ur tears, your blinks get stickier and stickier and they freeze shut and you have to open your and punch yourself in your eyes to get your eyes back open.

>> reporter: in antarctica, time lapse photography beneath the ice shows a saltwater icicle as it forms. reaching the seabed and killing creatures in its path. even in the far reaches of the unfamiliar, there are relatable moments, producer vanessa burlowitz was five months pregnant while tracking a polar bear and her two cubs and got a quick lesson in parenting.

>> she was knocking them into what we call the naughty corner or time-out and i was there thinking, i probably have of thing to come.

>> reporter: from nurture to dramatic scenes of na animals fight to survive, penguins using all their might, lunging through the water to escape a sea lion . and a resting sale iing seal on an ice flow and killer whales working as a team to create a wave that washes it into the water. the silent giants also surprised hunter.

>> kneeling beside a tiny hole in the ice and this orca would explode out of the water beside me and to look up at an orca ten feet above you eyeballing you was a real exciting experience.

>> reporter: a spectacular visual journey everyone can now experience. michelle franzen , nbc news, new york.