The 2008 NCAA Championship – A Heavenly Affair

By: Charlie Danoff

My flight landed on the ground in Denver after the semi-final games had been decided. The national championship was to be an exclusively catholic affair, pitting the Boston College Eagles against their hated football rival the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

While I was disappointed to miss the semis, around 12:30 AM Friday, hockey was the furthest thing from my mind. My plane was delayed and then my bus was also running late, so I missed my light rail connection at the 30th & Downing RTD station.

Unbeknownst to me, I happened upon the Denver “hood.” Not my words, but those of the icy fresh Newport 100 smoking, self-dubbed Denver OG.

I struck up a conversation with him and his wife, and soon learned I was “too white” for the area, and that I was running the risk of being stomped.

Not, because I “had something [my attackers] would want, but because they would think you had something they’d want.”

I replied I was unafraid, thanks to my two good friends Mr. Right and Mr. Left.

He was not impressed for some reason, and said that I better “be from Chicago,” I better “be from Cabrini” to survive out there.

North side suburbs full of spoiled white kids are kinda like Cabrini, right?

Anyway, I ended up sharing a cab with the kind pair, and, the whole time it occurred to me my mother would never approve of the situation.

Let’s just say, when we were supposed to be dropping off the couple, a large group of men surrounded the cab, and the next thing I knew it was Sunday morning and I was in a Denver hospital and had missed the Championship.

….

Actually from the cab on that was a complete lie. I woke up Sunday morning to the knowledge that I had just missed my flight, after they had been paging me for over ten minutes. My body had been laying literally twenty feet from the gate.

It is true that we shared a cab, but I ended Thursday evening safely in my smoking room at the Quality Inn.

Anyway, you came here to read about hockey, right?

Friday I got my first chance to see the two teams at their respective practices. I could not quite put my finger on it, but watching BC work like it was another day at the office, while the Irish acting like they were just happy to be in the championship, I got the feeling the game meant more to the Eagles.

Notre Dame’s season was already a success, but if Boston College lost, especially after their last couple of season’s sad endings, they would unquestionably be failures.

That night I saw what was arguably the play of the weekend at the Frozen Four Skills Challenge. It was the shootout competition, and Air Force’s Eric Ehn did what I initially thought was a mistake, but turned out to be the greatest deke I have ever witnessed.

He attacked the net, moving to his backhand and the goalie Justin Mrazek’s right side. From where I was sitting it looked like he lost his balance and almost fell, but next thing I knew the red light was flashing

Video Replay revealed what actually happened. Ehn only faked losing his balance to distract the goalie. While he was down on a knee, he tapped the puck backwards between his legs with his right glove.

At the same time his left hand had guided his stick behind him and he then backhanded the puck in-between the shocked legs of Mrazek.

As the shootout was going on, I excitedly attempted in vain to explain the intricacies of the event to a pair of eager, attractive and above all else professional co-eds named Katie and Ariana, who were covering the weekend for their school paper, the Denver University Clarion.

I detailed how it was far more difficult to perform in the shoot out after the ice had been skated on for a while, as the puck is prone to taking funny bounces, making solid dekes next to impossible, unless of course one uses their glove.

As usual, I was really just having a conversation with myself, and the glazed eyes of the girls silently indicated they were not in the least impressed by my hockey savant put on.

Speaking of talented college girls, Friday night’s Frozen Four Skills Competition was a truly unique event, as it featured both men and women from across the land competing together.

It was a noble endeavor, but ultimately flawed, I believe. As opposed to opening the possibility to the idea which will ultimately prove true, that women can compete and defeat men in any arena, the “Competition” simply reinforced the idea that the gentler sex cannot even begin to challenge the idiot sex.

The problem was, women always competed against women, and men against men. What should have been decided by talent was decided by narrow minded NCAA officials mentally stuck in the wrong millennium.

There is no reason in a shootout, or shooting accuracy event, women could not beat men. All it comes down to is how much time the individual has spent practicing their stickwork. It does not take superhuman strength to pick a corner, nor it is required to beat even the best of goalies.

A sensitive yet firm touch is all that is necessary, and as any man who shows a warm front to the world and then crumbles into his girl’s waiting arms at home knows, is an area where senñoritas excel.

But that is really neither here nor there, at least for this column.

For his originality and creativity, Ehn won the male top performer award, while Shannon Moulson from Niagra won it for the ladies.

She earned the honor primarily for her Ray Bourque-esque performance in the Accuracy Shot. There are targets placed in the net’s four corners and one in the five hole, and shooters need to hit as many as possible in twenty seconds with a eight shot maximum.

No male hit more than four.

Shannon did not look to do much better as she missed her target with her first three attempts. Then she turned into an action movie star, as she nailed her next five shots.

Technically; however, she only hit four, because the fifth came after the twenty seconds expired. Nevertheless, many male competitors put an illegal shot on net after their time had passed, and none of them hit all five.

The rules of the game were to play a critical role over the duration of the weekend.

Asked afterwards in one of many dumb questions by the ESPNU crew if she was nervous after missing her early shots, she responded without hesitation,

“No, I was confident the whole time.”

You go girl.

With the competition completed, all that remained was the game to decide it all.

To set the stage for the final performance of the season, allow me to introduce the players.

There is one team, making their first ever appearance in the National Championship, the Fighting Irish.

The Troublemaker | Notre Dame | D | Kyle Lawson

This sophomore defenseman took care of business on both ends of the ice, with a +12 +/- rating, and 25 points leading all blue line contributors. With Notre Dame facing elimination in the CCHA playoffs, Lawson was at his best, getting three points to lead them to victory and stay alive for their eventual Frozen Four run.

His biggest moment of the season was yet to come, however.

The Man in the Iron Mask | Notre Dame | G | Jordan Pearce

Like Muse, Pearce is one of the nation’s leaders in minutes played, fourth overall. Unlike Pearce, he is no longer a teenager nor a freshman on paper. Experience wise, however, with only nine starts heading into this season, he was for all intents and purposes a frosh.

You would never know he was so wet behind the ears, looking at his numbers now. He is in the top five in nine different categories in the ND hockey record books, including GAA and save percentage.

Directed by: Former Islanders Assitant Coach Jeff Jackson, who in only three years has guided the Irish from also-ran to national prominence.

The Local Connection

Notre Dame Freshman defenseman Teddy Ruth is from Naperville, IL. He is so highly thought of, that his NHL rights were traded straight up for Sergei Federov this past February.

Their opponents have been here many times, in fact, they lost the last three title games, the Eagles.

The Rookie | Boston College | G | John Muse

The nineteen-year-old Boston native has shouldered as much, if not more of any college freshman in the 2007-08 school year. Beyond simply adjusting to a new school, lifestyle and friends, he has played every single minute this year for the Eagles.

Aside from, of course, on those rare instances when they pulled their goalie for the extra attacker; if there was an Eagle between the pipes this season, it was Muse.

In fact, he is leading the nation in minutes played, and has only gotten better as the pressure has gone up. In three tournament games, he has a 1.87 GAA and a .94 save percentage. Derrick Rose played a crucial role leading the Memphis Tigers to the title as a freshman, but even he did not play every possible second.

The Rejected Prince | Boston College | F | Nathan Gerbe

One of the smallest players in college hockey at 5′5″ and just 165 pounds, Gerbe has nonetheless been one of his sports most dominant players with 64 points in only 42 games.

Despite once again taking his team to a national championship, and getting four points in the semi-final game, Gerbe was passed over for the Hobey Baker award, in favor of Michigan forward Kevin Porter.

When asked if he minded the snub, Nathan responded like a true hockey player,

“Nah … I want the other trophy.”

Directed by: John York – The active coach with the most wins in NCAA history.

And now for the grand performance you’ve all been waiting for.

First Period

The opening period did not have a lot of exciting “top-plays” style highlights, but lots of excellent hockey. The action was about strong regular strength defense and penalty kills. That written, the best play still might make some higlight reels: Notre Dame’s Brock Sheahan had lost his stick and was kicking the puck past his blue line, hoping to connect the biscuit to a with-stick teammate.

Boston College’s freshman Brian Gibbons noticed the weakened position Sheahan was in, and I imagine was licking his lips as he lined him up for a hit.

Gibbons was aiming for his chest, but all he got was a stiff Sheahan forearm, straight to his pride, before crumbling to the ice.
Brian was so embarrassed he committed a minor infraction, hitting the puck with his glove, drawing a whistle.

The real story of period number one, only the fourth championship in frozen four history to be scoreless, was referee Todd Anderson’s whistle.

Four penalties were called, three on BC and one on the Golden Domers.

The first Irish powerplay was pathetic. Boston College’s Kyle Kucharski was kind enough to hold a ND stick, giving them the man advantage, but they did not repay his generosity. In their two minutes they consistently used the dump and chase offensive attack, which is fine for five on five, but idiocy on the power play, because with the extra man, it is much easier to carry the puck into the offensive zone.

As opposed to dumping it in a corner, which gives the defending team a much better chance of clearing it quickly. Needless to say, Notre Dame was held shotless on this special teams exercise.

Post game, coach Jeff Jackson opined, he was “surprised” by how “cautious” his team played to start the game.

They improved on their next opportunity, when BC’s Matt Greene went to the box with 14:33 gone by for cross checking. They had the best scoring chance of the period for either team.

The BC forward covering the upper right quadrant of his team’s penalty kill box overcommitted to the ND defenseman, thinking the ND forward Mark Van Guilder to the defenders left would pass to him. The winger kept the puck, and skated to the now open slot area, the most dangerous place to shoot from.

Drawing goalie John Muse from right to left, Van Guilder passed to where Muse was a second before to the waiting stick of Ryan Thang. Thang one-timed it into the open net … but the opening was just not there long enough, as a split second stab from Muse’s left leg pad closed it immediately.

At the end of the power play, Nathan Gerbe found a puck around the red line with only one defender between him and the net. His put on a deke that did not fool the defender, and managed only a wake shot on Jordan Pearce, losing the one on one.
It was to be one of very few battles the Hobey Baker runner-up would lose Saturday evening.

Second Period

After over a period of frustrating offensive impotence, the goal line was finally penetrated early in the second by an Eagle’s outstretched talons.

After showing his tough side in the first, Gibbons showed he is also sensitive as he laid a silky, sexy backhanded drop pass on the stick of Gerbe who one timed the puck to the far pipe, just over Pearce’s right shoulder.

Given how experienced BC is in these type of games and how “green” Notre Dame, is, I wondered after the goal if the Irish would be able to respond, or would it crush their spirits?

They certainly did not make it easy on themselves, committing four more penalties over the period’s remainder.

Maybe coach Jeff Jackson saw this coming, as Friday at practice Notre Dame focused a lot on their penalty kill. It was paying off to start the championship. They were stopping the Eagles from getting any good special teams scoring chances.

BC did manage to pull off a well-executed one timer with Ben Smith slapping the puck from the slot, but unfortunately for him it went far wide of the net.

Bouncing of the glass, the seemingly harmless puck ended up to the left of Muse. Gerbe was on the case again; however, and managed to put wood on the puck as he was falling to the ice after being shoved. He got just enough on it to squirt it in between Pearce’s pads for a two-zip lead.

Less than a minute later, Dan VeNard committed the most egregious sin and most dangerous play in hockey, as he hit a BC player from behind, sending him head first into the boards. Hockey is a reckless enough game, without guys purposefully trying to break their opponents necks, as is all too possible on a hit from behind.

ND’s defensive positioning was strong once again on the kill, however, and they even had a great short-handed offensive rush. It was a two on one, Irish forward Ryan Thang drew in the BC defenseman, then slid a pass under his stick to the streaking Kevin Deeth. Deeth’s redirection meant to go top shelf went over the net.

The green heart was still beating …

When BC scored again soon afterwards, I thought the beat had been silenced forever. The goal followed two more Irish penalties and one on BC, a rare yet very important hockey sequence was enacted, the four on three power play.

Gerbe and Joe Whitney were playing catch just outside the Notre dame face off circles. Gerbe faked a slap shot, freezing the goalie, then passed it back to Whitney for a real slapper of his own. Bouncing off the top of the skate of a Notre Dame player, the puck was redirected just a centimeter over the outstretched right pad of Pearce.

The Irish showed me why I am so very far from being a Dr. Danoff, as it only took fifty-six seconds to show their heart was alive and well.

Attacking the zone, Kevin Deeth vaulted a Kyle Lawson pass on net, slipping it past John Muse to bring the Irish within two.

Heading into the third period, the Eagles officially had the most dangerous lead in hockey. And you remember loyal readers what happened in the Midwest Regional championship when Wisconsin had a two goal lead, don’t you?

Third Period

Notre Dame was not going to go quietly into the night, quickly scoring one of the prettiest goals I have ever seen in my life. It started with a drop pass by a ND forward near the top of the face off circle to the goalie’s left. His trailer, picked up the pick and immediately passed it across the net to a teammate, who then touch passed it to Kyle Lawson who put the puck in the back of the net.

We officially had a hockey game with most of the third period still left to play, but …

In a fitting twist for a game with such strong catholic underpinnings, the turning point in the game came on a call to the man upstairs.

The issue at stake was a referee instructor’s dream, because it required a judgment call so subtle, that it could easily go either way, and debate over the interpretation of the rules could go on ad infinitum.

The puck had gone in not off Lawson’s stick, but his skates.

Looking at the NCAA’s official rules this falls under section 18.c,

“A goal shall not be allowed in any of the following cases … If the puck has been propelled by a distinct kicking motion, thrown or otherwise directed into the goal by any means other than a stick”

It also includes the following note,

“Note: A distinct kicking motion includes any puck initially propelled by a skate.”

There was seemingly an hour long delay as the powers that be debated the merits or lack there, of, of the goal. Even after Todd Anderson picked up the phone, fans still had to wait another few minutes before knowing the outcome. They were appropriately booing viscously.

At the end of the day, Anderson spoke, not with words, but with a quick cross of the arms, followed by a full shoulder-level extension.

Those who can read such cryptic symbols, understood it meant no goal.

Not that it matters, but in my opinion, the goal should have counted. While the puck did bounce off the skate, his foot was not by any means in a kicking motion.

Anyway, Notre Dame faced a serious uphill climb at this point.

When eventual Tournament MVP Nathan Gerbe got his fourth point of the evening assisting on a Ben Smith diving goal, the game was done. Almost no team could come back from such a series of events.

Like Scottish Bagpipers in the dark ages, the Irish band continued to proudly play in an attempt to charge their warrior’s spirits for victory, but it was to no avail. The played like heroes, but the season was over for Notre Dame.

For Boston College, as their coach and Captain, Mike Brennan alluded to post game, for a championship team, their season will never end. They are now, and will forever be, simply, the ‘08 team.

FINAL:
Boston College 4 – Notre Dame 1

Tags: 2008 NCAA championship, Boston College Golden Eagles, College Hockey, Jeff Jackson, John Muse, John York, Jordan Pearce, Kyle Lawson, Nathan Gerbe, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Teddy Ruth

Charlie is an aspiring writer and a caddy at Skokie Country Club. Odds are you will hear a lot about him in the years to come, so if you want to be the first kid on the block familiar with his work, click here.