Boston College Wins 2012 NCAA Hockey Championship

For the third time in five seasons, and the fifth time ever, Boston College is the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey National Champion.

The Eagles (33-10-1), who finished the campaign with a 19-game winning streak that dated back to January, earned the 2012 NCAA title with a 4-1 win over Ferris State on Saturday at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla.

BC junior goaltender Parker Milner recorded 27 saves and freshman forward Johnny Gaudreau scored an electrifying goal with three minutes to play to break open a one-goal contest, before junior forward Steven Whitney iced it with an empty-net tally with just over a minute left. Whitney also scored the first goal of the game, as he did in Thursday's 6-1 national semifinal win over Minnesota, while Paul Carey deflected home the game-winning goal on a first-period power play.

It wasn't as easy as it sounded.

Garrett Thompson scored Ferris' only goal of the game 5:19 into the contest, which pulled the Bulldogs (26-12-5) into a 1-1 tie before Carey scored midway through the opening stanza to put BC ahead for good. FSU, though, scrapped the entire contest and gave the Eagles all they could handle, forcing Milner to make several top-notch saves to keep his team ahead.

The score remained unchanged for nearly 40 minutes, although both teams had plenty of offensive chances, until Gaudreau's nifty one-man effort sealed it. The New Jersey native and Calgary Flames draft choice put the puck through the legs of a Ferris defender, and then backhanded home a high shot over the right shoulder of Bulldog net-minder Taylor Nelson (33 saves), who also made several key stops himself on the evening.

BC, which was playing in its 11th national title game overall, out-shot first-time finals participant Ferris by a 37-28 margin before 18,818 fans at the Forum, which was hosting its first Frozen Four. The Eagles also went 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Bulldogs were scoreless in four man-advantage attempts.

Milner also earned Frozen Four Outstanding Player accolades, and allowed just two goals in four NCAA tournament games this spring while posting two shutouts at the Northeast Regional two weeks ago in Worcester, Mass. The undrafted Pittsburgh native also led BC to the 2012 Beanpot title, and both the Hockey East Association regular-season and playoff crowns.

BC head coach Jerry York, who now has 913 career wins, has led the Eagles to national titles in 2001, 2008, 2010, and 2012. He also led Bowling Green to the 1984 national crown, and has been at the helm of his alma mater since 1994.

Seniors Carey, Tommy Cross, Barry Almeida and Edwin Shea all played their final games for BC, and likely also juniors Brian Dumoulin and Chris Kreider, high NHL draft choices of the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers, respectively. They are both expected to turn pro next fall, if not sooner. Dumoulin, who assisted on Carey's game-winner on Saturday, was also recently named an NCAA First Team All-America choice on defense.