Frozen Four Thread

[PhillyandBCEagles]

Who's going to Tampa?? I'll be there for the championship game if we beat the Gophers. Nametag event?

[claver2010]

High noon chat THursday w Jerry: http://www.nesn.com/2012/03/chat-live-with-boston-college-hockey-coach-jerry-york-on-thursday-at-noon-et.html

[DuchesneEast]

I just noticed the next 2 years are Pitt and Philly. Very nice.

[claver2010]

I just noticed the next 2 years are Pitt and Philly. Very nice.

Agreed, thinking of next year starting to make this an annual event.

Pitt, like Milwaukee punches above its weight.

Philly despite being a hellhole is easy to get to

[shockdoct]

While I haven't been around much due to work and moving apts in the past few months. I actually planned a vacation with the lady friend to the tampa area a few months ago before Easter.... just so happens we made the frozen four and the game is only 1 hour away!

I'll be there on thursday...

[claver2010]

For those interested:


They are excited to be the HOST BAR for Boston College Hockey fans.

They will provide shuttle service TO and FROM the BC game Thursday and Championship game Saturday. It might be free, it might be a couple of bucks. Told him it was fine if it was a couple of bucks, we just wanted the transportation taken care of.

There will be drink specials and food specials as well. He is making up a flyer now but he did say dollar beers on Thursdays and $6 Goose....

Here's the URL
[url]
http://macdintons.com/sports.php[/url]

MacDinton's Irish Pub

And address:

405 South Howard Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33606

[Dick Rosenthal]

I am in Captiva that weekend and thinking about driving up Saturday. Google Maps says around three hours but I'm thinking I can do it in two.

[pick6pedro]

Doumelin not in the final three for Hobey. No surprise.

[twballgame9]

Damn court hearings. My old man might be going, but looks like I am out.

[bignick33]

Damn court hearings. My old man might be going, but looks like I am out.

Maybe the judge is an Eagle?

[twballgame9]

Damn court hearings. My old man might be going, but looks like I am out.

Maybe the judge is an Eagle?

I'm working on it. I'd like to go. Of course, I also just dropped the equivalent of the cost of the whole trip on my Swedish piece of shit.

[bignick33]

Damn court hearings. My old man might be going, but looks like I am out.

Maybe the judge is an Eagle?

I'm working on it. I'd like to go. Of course, I also just dropped the equivalent of the cost of the whole trip on my Swedish piece of shit.

Frozen Four is a pretty cool event. You been?

[twballgame9]

Damn court hearings. My old man might be going, but looks like I am out.

Maybe the judge is an Eagle?

I'm working on it. I'd like to go. Of course, I also just dropped the equivalent of the cost of the whole trip on my Swedish piece of shit.

Frozen Four is a pretty cool event. You been?

No, but I was in Tampa for an all-night marathon with BC Guys at the Mon Venus the 2008 ACC Championship.

[bignick33]

Damn court hearings. My old man might be going, but looks like I am out.

Maybe the judge is an Eagle?

I'm working on it. I'd like to go. Of course, I also just dropped the equivalent of the cost of the whole trip on my Swedish piece of shit.

Frozen Four is a pretty cool event. You been?

No, but I was in Tampa for an all-night marathon with BC Guys at the Mon Venus the 2008 ACC Championship.

That weekend was a shitshow.

[twballgame9]

Damn court hearings. My old man might be going, but looks like I am out.

Maybe the judge is an Eagle?

I'm working on it. I'd like to go. Of course, I also just dropped the equivalent of the cost of the whole trip on my Swedish piece of shit.

Frozen Four is a pretty cool event. You been?

No, but I was in Tampa for an all-night marathon with BC Guys at the Mon Venus the 2008 ACC Championship.

That weekend was a shitshow.

I walked in to the hotel room from Mons as was getting ready to leave for breakfast before the game, about 3 hours before kickoff.

[claver2010]

York will be on NESN after the 1st intermission of the Bruins game

Some articles:
Dumoulin: http://news.bostonherald.com/sports/college/hockey/view/20220331dumoulin_backs_bc_blue_line/srvc=home&position=recent
Cross: http://www.uscho.com/2012/03/31/ever-the-captain-cross-keeps-boston-college-teammates-on-task/

[claver2010]

Great read on Tommy Cross: http://www.uscho.com/2012/03/31/ever-the-captain-cross-keeps-boston-college-teammates-on-task/

Article on the gold unis: http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/colleges/hockey_east/2011-12/Hockey_East_Journal-_Gold_sweaters_guarantee_success_for_BC

Paul Carey Interview: http://insidecollegehockey.com/inch/2012/03/29/hea_1026/

[claver2010]

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_hockey/articles/2012/04/01/boston_college_hockey_coach_jerry_york_has_eagles_soaring_again/

Great heights
Coach York uses old-school values to keep BC soaring

Jerry York, whose calm exterior belies a fiery desire to win, has BC playing for its third national title in five years. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)
By John Powers
Globe Staff / April 1, 2012

His wife insists that he has more than one jacket.

“He has a navy blazer and three black blazers, so they look the same,’’ Bobbie York says. “I bought him that nice brown blazer, but his brothers were giving him grief about it.’’

Boston College’s hockey coach has more than one sweater, too. It’s just that after 18 years behind the bench, the portrait of Jerry York might as well be a still life by now.

His expression is calm, eyes focused on the ice, hand holding a spiral notebook. Whether his Eagles are two goals up or two goals down, York appears eternally unruffled, as though he is emceeing a communion breakfast.

This week in Tampa, where his top-ranked varsity - winner of its last 17 games - will be playing for its third national championship in five years, his players know that he’ll be the same as he ever was, which gives them comfort and confidence.

“He’s so positive, and calm and collected,’’ says captain Tommy Cross, “and I think that rubs off on our team.’’

Yet York’s choir-boy countenance, which makes him appear a decade younger than his 66 years, masks a fierce competitive drive.

“He gives you that apple-pie demeanor,’’ says Bill O’Flaherty, who was York’s assistant at Clarkson. “But he can be pretty feisty and fiery when the situation calls for it.’’

On game days, York zeroes in like a raptor.

“He’s wound tight and he wants to win, but it’s all inside,’’ says athletic director Gene DeFilippo. “He does a tremendous job of not showing it, but inside he has a fire burning more than anyone I know.’’

The angriest Bobbie has ever seen him, she says, was when the NCAA selectors left his 1983 Bowling Green team out of the tournament.

“He took a dozen doughnuts, squished them, and threw them in the wastebasket,’’ she recalls.

“I think they were jelly,’’ muses York, whose squad won the title a year later.

Relentless optimist

Yet behind the dasher, the man is almost spookily sanguine, especially when the game is on the line.

“Jerry has always been very calm on the bench,’’ says Boston University coach and friendly archrival Jack Parker, who played against York in high school and college. “He’s almost soothing to his players when things go wrong.’’

York was never more so than in the 2008 regional final against Miami of Ohio when his squad was under siege in overtime with the season on the line. York called a timeout and convened his players.

“Let’s just try to win a hockey game,’’ he told them.

Joe Whitney got them the goal, and two games later, the Eagles had the national title.

“One of Jerry’s great traits is not hitting the panic button, and I think his players sense that,’’ says Jim Logue, who coaches BC’s goalies and who roomed with York when they tried out for the 1968 Olympic team.

York is a relentless optimist who is determined to keep his players in the moment. Each year, he has his freshmen read excerpts from “The Precious Present’’ to their teammates.

What you do today may determine what you do tomorrow. That’s was York’s approach in 2005, when he was told that he had prostate cancer.

“I was scared to death,’’ he says. But he immediately began preparing for surgery.

“He was unbelievable,’’ Bobbie recalls. “He’s such a baby when he has a cold, but he went after that like it was a hockey game. He got in shape to make sure he was healthy and ready to go. It was amazing how good he was.’’

Close to home

His optimism and let’s-do-it approach were sorely needed when York took over the BC program in 1994. BC had gone into a tailspin, posting three consecutive losing seasons for the first time. But York was delighted to come home both to The Heights and to Watertown, where his family roots go back more than a century and a half.

His grandfather William was born there in 1858 and his father Robert was a doctor whose office was on the first floor of their Victorian on Mount Auburn Street, where industrial workers with lacerated hands would ring the doorbell.

“One of those Marcus Welby things,’’ York recalls.

Ten children crowded around the dinner table.

“Every meal would be an event,’’ recalls York, who was seventh in line and was named Jeremiah after Bishop Minihan, his father’s Georgetown pal. “The milk or something would go over.’’

York took the trackless trolley and subway to BC High and walked on at BC, where he played on the 1965 team that made the NCAA final, then went on to captain the squad and make first-team All-American.

It was inevitable, his friends say, that “Yorkie’’ eventually would be drawn back not only to his alma mater but to his hometown.

“Jerry’s a throwback guy,’’ says Bob Norton, the former Woburn High School principal and UNH assistant coach who was York’s boyhood friend and CYO baseball batterymate.

By now he could have upgraded to a Chestnut Hill manse, but York lives not far from where skated on the frozen tennis courts at Victory Field. Every morning he fetches his morning coffee and the papers at the same Dunkin’ Donuts. His favorite restaurant is Porcini’s on School Street, where he is partial to the beet and goat cheese salad with chicken.

And he loves hot fudge sundaes at Brigham’s.

“It broke his heart when they closed the one on Belmont Street,’’ says Norton.

His old BC coach, who died more than 25 years ago, universally was called “Snooks,’’ but York still can’t bring himself to use the nickname. It’s Coach Kelley.

“Jerry has a lot of old-school in him,’’ says O’Flaherty, who still chats with York frequently. “And there’s nothing wrong with that.’’

Keeping it clean

Old-school values are at the core of BC’s hockey culture, whose essence is the imperative of representing the college with dignity and class. While his players are expected to keep their faces shaved and hair trimmed and to wear coats and ties on road trips, York does not subject them to a litany of Thou Shalt Nots.

“We have one basic rule - don’t embarrass the program,’’ says associate head coach Mike Cavanaugh, who coached with York at Bowling Green. “That says enough.’’

Respect for teammates and the rest of the BC community is paramount to York, which is why the Eagles are punctiliously punctual. The bus has been known to leave stragglers stranded in Orono, Maine.

“In my four years here, I think three times someone’s been late for a meeting,’’ reckons Cross. “And those three times it wasn’t pretty and the person wasn’t included in the meeting.’’

York is big on inclusion.

“Our kids know our custodian’s name - Harvey - and Jerry makes sure they know it,’’ says Cavanaugh.

And if a player were to give Harvey attitude, he’d be in trouble.

“If Jerry got a report that one of the kids was disrespectful to someone working in the lunch room or to the Zamboni driver, that would send him over the edge,’’ Cavanaugh says. “Or if one of our kids ever tried to play the card, ‘Hey, I’m a hockey player,’ that would send him off. You’re just one member of the Boston College community and we’re all equal.’’

York rarely has to drill home his points, which he’ll reinforce with wry humor. If a player shows up with a fuzzy chin, the coach might observe that Gillette just came out with something new.

At last week’s NCAA regionals in Worcester, BC’s rivals from defending champion Duluth turned up looking as though they’d just emerged from a hunting trip in the Minnesota wild, sporting playoff beards and Mohawk haircuts.

The Eagles don’t do hirsute.

“Never,’’ says Cross. “That would not be allowed. There are certain things that are staples of the program. Being clean-cut is part of the bigger picture about representing the university the right way.’’

By now the culture is so embedded that the players themselves largely take care of reinforcing it. York didn’t have to tell them that they should stand at attention at the blue line until a few seconds after the end of the anthem, as they unerringly do.

“When I came in as a freshman I was looking to my right at Nick Petrecki and my left at Carl Sneep,’’ says Cross. “They didn’t move, so I didn’t move.’’

Trophies and teamwork

York is a big believer in continuity and connectedness, which is why he’ll bring back former stars such as Brian Gionta to talk to his team.

“Once an Eagle, always an Eagle,’’ reads the sign in the dressing room hallway. York also invites in local professional coaching icons such as Bill Belichick, Doc Rivers, and Terry Francona to share time-tested verities - trust and accountability, teamwork and togetherness, hard work and consistency.

“They brought some uniqueness to it,’’ says York, who takes notes on the talks and keeps them in a binder. “They’ve been spellbinding.’’

What the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox have in common are championship rings, which is what York habitually stresses to his players. The best student-athletes graduate and they win titles.

What is most significant about trophies, York believes, is that everyone on the squad has his fingerprints on them. On his office wall hang photos from the White House visits by the 2008 and 2010 national championship teams, which include everyone from the captain to the fourth-liner in the picture.

What’s notable about the season’s schedule that the players see is that it’s been flip-flopped, with the opening game at the bottom and the championship game at the top. As often as not, BC reaches the apex. In the nine previous times they’ve reached the Frozen Four under York, the Eagles have played seven times for the title and won three.

His BC teams have been soaring for so long that their success has been taken for granted. When they’re playing golf with alums, DeFilippo makes a point of poking fun at York when he steps into the tee box.

“If we get any coaching at all next year,’’ the athletic director will proclaim, “we’ll be in the Frozen Four.’’

York is the Archbishop of April, his varsity still playing when most of the rivals are swinging golf clubs. No college coach ever has won 1,000 games but York, who is at 911 and counting, isn’t likely to put his blazer, sweater, and tie into cold storage any time soon.

“I have no intention of stopping,’’ he says. “I don’t feel 66.’’

John Powers can be reached at jpowers@globe.com.

[AdamBC]

That was a great article. Really shows what a good culture can do for a program.

[wolverineneshl]

For those interested:


They are excited to be the HOST BAR for Boston College Hockey fans.

They will provide shuttle service TO and FROM the BC game Thursday and Championship game Saturday. It might be free, it might be a couple of bucks. Told him it was fine if it was a couple of bucks, we just wanted the transportation taken care of.

There will be drink specials and food specials as well. He is making up a flyer now but he did say dollar beers on Thursdays and $6 Goose....

Here's the URL
[url]
http://macdintons.com/sports.php[/url]

MacDinton's Irish Pub

And address:

405 South Howard Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33606

Are you going? I just booked a flight for Thursday morning and rent a car from Orlando.

[claver2010]

I will not be attending, combination of things. Will be watching with fellow Nexus members though

[DuchesneEast]

I will not be attending, combination of things. Will be watching with fellow Nexus members though

I am debating NYC or NJ game watch in Jersey City. Unless airfare drops $150 in 2 days I am stuck home too.

[claver2010]

A NESN chat with Kreider at 1: http://www.nesn.com/2012/04/chat-live-with-boston-college-hockey-forward-chris-kreider-monday-at-1-pm-et.html

[DuchesneEast]

A NESN chat with Kreider at 1: http://www.nesn.com/2012/04/chat-live-with-boston-college-hockey-forward-chris-kreider-monday-at-1-pm-et.html

I think the Rangers would have a collective stroke if he returned again to BC next year.

[claver2010]

A NESN chat with Kreider at 1: http://www.nesn.com/2012/04/chat-live-with-boston-college-hockey-forward-chris-kreider-monday-at-1-pm-et.html

I think the Rangers would have a collective stroke if he returned again to BC next year.

Agreed, though it would be hilarious to read the complete meltdown on hfboards, they make me completely embarrassed to be a Ranger fan.

[AdamBC]

A NESN chat with Kreider at 1: http://www.nesn.com/2012/04/chat-live-with-boston-college-hockey-forward-chris-kreider-monday-at-1-pm-et.html

I'm glad this question was asked and answered:

David : Last question, what does York write in that notebook? If he ever sold those his great grandkids would be set for life.

Chris: That’s a great question; I don’t think anyone knows what’s in there except for Coach York. I think once or twice people have caught a glimpse of what’s inside and that there were some numbers and matchups and key situation stuff. He’s just kind of ready for everything and every scenario with stuff he has in there.

[claver2010]

PuckDaddy met with Kreider today:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/puck-daddy-chats-boston-college-chris-kreider-unpredictability-190845952.html;_ylt=AtScRpzuPrCvzoH95jHsV6KRbcp_;_ylu=X3oDMTFja3NwYTFmBG1pdANCbG9ncyBJbmRleARwb3MDMQRzZWMDTWVkaWFCbG9nSW5kZXhUZW1w;_ylg=X3oDMTFvcGs0cnBnBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANibG9nBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

Chris Kreider grew up in Boxford, Mass., about 30 minutes from Boston. He wanted to play in the Beanpot, the annual college tournament featuring the four Boston-area universities: Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern, and Harvard. He also was a Bruins fan growing up.

So during the 2009 NHL Draft and the New York Rangers on the clock at No. 19, was he secretly hoping to slide just a few more spots to No. 25 where the Bruins were sitting?

"I was secretly hoping to get picked," Kreider said with a chuckle during a phone interview last Wednesday. "It didn't matter to who or when, I wanted to get picked, and even if I hadn't, either way it was a great experience. I just wanted to kind of cherish it and appreciate it for what it was at the time."

The NHL world will be hearing a lot more about Kreider as soon as Boston College's season ends. With his junior year coming to an end, there's been plenty of speculation about whether or not he'll leave school and sign with the Rangers.

He led the Eagles in scoring this year with 22 goals and 43 points in 42 games and has been a mainstay with Team USA, playing in the last World Championships and World Junior Champions, including the 2010 gold medal-winning team.

We spoke with Kreider about the upcoming game against Minnesota, the unpredictability of the NCAA tournament, being involved in the Rick Nash trade rumors, and playing hockey in a German soccer stadium. Enjoy.


Q. What do you guys know about Minnesota right now?

KREIDER: We know they're a very good team. We know they're a very deep team. They like to roll all four lines, kind of similar to us. We know that they've got a very strong attack. They've got probably one of the best offenses in the nation. They're right up there with Minnesota-Duluth. We haven't really been able to watch any film yet, but as we learn more about them we'll try to focus on what we can do to stop them from scoring goals.

This is the first time you're going to see them this year. Are you talking to buddies from teams who have played them this season or is it mostly just watching tape?

Like you said, we talk to guys that we know or played with prior to college. A lot of that goes on over the course of the tournament. When we were about to play Minnesota-Duluth guys on our team guys were talking to guys we might of played juniors with about what to expect. There's a lot of communication going on. I personally know a bunch of guys on Minnesota. I'm a little more aware of them than I was of Minnesota-Duluth. A lot of us have played with growing up or against kids on Minnesota, so we know what they're capable of.

On your side of the bracket between Boston College and Minnesota there are 26 drafted players and between Union and Ferris State zero. Does that speak to the unpredictability of this tournament every year?

Yeah, I think so. I think it also speaks to the way all four teams are built. A lot of kids for Union and for Ferris State, obviously two incredible teams that kids probably came on a little later, maybe played under the radar, but are figuring out and becoming really, really great players. They've got a bunch of some of the most highly-touted free agents. I think it's just a different for all four teams.

There was a little inconsistency in November and December and now you guys haven't lost since late-January. Was there a moment that turned things around?

The Maine weekend. We had two games up at Maine. It kind of opened up our eyes. We got swept (4-3 in OT and 7-4). We were beaten pretty handily in both games. From there on out a lot of things changed.

How has Coach York made you a better player these last couple of years?

He just really helps his players to exact their fullest potential. Me personally, he's helped me focus on the little things. I've become much more defense-first player. Definitely not a liability anymore in the defensive zone like I probably was. He just kind of molds complete players and players to help the team win.

The big debate the last few years has been players going the college route versus playing junior hockey in Canada. For you, how has the choice of college hockey helped you?

For me it really wasn't a choice because I grew up in the Boston area and grew up watching the Beanpot and all these Boston-area colleges, so that was something I always wanted to do. At the same time from a developmental standpoint it was also a no-brainer because I needed to develop. I needed more practice time. It's really worked out I think.

Your name was attached with the Rick Nash-to-New York Rangers trade rumors. Were you following all that? What did you think hearing your name attached to such a potential mega-deal?

To be honest I wasn't following it too closely. A couple guys on the team would bring it up here and there in a jab, just kind of giving me a hard time about it. But at the same time, just to be mentioned is an honor. Obviously it would of been a pretty blockbuster deal to get one player.

There's been so much speculation about your future plans once this season is over with. How do you go about focusing on the Frozen Four without the off-ice stuff affecting you?

At this point it's not very hard. This is the Frozen Four. It's something I've dreamt of getting to all year ... all my life to be honest. It's where we want to be, so it's very hard to be distracted at this point.


Getty ImagesYou had the opportunity to play in the last two World Championships. Playing with the NHL guys, what did you take away from those experiences?

A lot. Almost too many things to list. My first year, when I was 18, it was a lot of off-ice stuff and how guys carried themselves and conducted themselves away from the rink and in the locker room. Last year was the way guys played and the way guys prepared and the way guys performed on the ice.

Playing that opening game in Germany in front of 77,000 fans inside a soccer stadium ... was that a little intimidating?

I wouldn't say so much intimidating, but exciting. Going into it I didn't have a whole lot to lose. I was just happy to be there and just wanted to help out anyway I could. I was just kind of awestruck and wide-eyed. I remember we were using special ceremonial pucks in warmups that were supposed to be auctioned off. Guys were obviously locked in and ready to go and so was I, but it was hard not to take a couple of peeks at the crowd just to see how large it was.

Is there an NHL player you try and model your game after?

I don't think there's one in particular. There's a lot of different things I draw from different players. I like to try and be my own player. There's definitely a few things that I look at others players and I say, "Wow, I want to do that just like him" and draw all that together. I think [Jaromir] Jagr's ability to protect the puck, having played against him, is something that I definitely need and constantly try and get better at. [Sidney] Crosby's ability to get so low when he skates, just how he is on his edges. Obviously [Alex] Oveckin's one-on-one play.

Bigger personal achievement: gold at the 2010 World Juniors or the 2010 NCAA title?

I don't think you can say one of those is bigger. They're just different. The national championship run is a body of work over the duration of a season. That's definitely a different challenge than getting a group of guys that don't really know each other to perform the way we did in a short tournament format. Both were very awesome experiences for myself and great experiences I'll cherish the rest of my life, but I really can't compare the two.

[AdamBC]

[claver2010]

ESPN is actually advertising for this, I'm shocked

[claver2010]

Article on Mullane from the Globe, interesting look at what he personally had to overcome

Also harping back to that bus ride home from Maine

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_hockey/articles/2012/04/03/a_work_in_progress_pat_mullane_gets_job_done_at_bc/?page=full

A work in progress, BC’s Mullane pays off
By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell
Globe Staff / April 3, 2012


When Pat Mullane was a child growing up in Connecticut, he wanted to play hockey for Boston College.

Some of that influence came from his father’s cousin, Rose Mary Donahue, who was a longtime employee at the school as assistant to former BC president J. Donald Monan and current president William P. Leahy.

She gave Mullane a tour of the campus and it reinforced his desire.

Unbeknownst to Mullane, Donahue wrote a letter to senior associate athletic director Tom Peters requesting coach Jerry York and his staff look into recruiting Mullane, who was playing hockey for Avon Old Farms. York was unmoved at first.

“We all get those letters,’’ said York, chuckling at the memory. “But it turned out to be a legit letter and we followed it up.’’

When York’s staff watched Mullane play, his talent was obvious, but he had some things to overcome.

“When we first saw him, he was a pretty good player at Avon and he was a little bit heavy and a little bit slow,’’ said York. “He went to Omaha [of the USHL] and still had a little bit of a weight problem, he still wasn’t in great, great shape but there has always been something there, his hockey sense. During Omaha and his first year with us, he became stronger and leaner and it’s really helped his development with us.’’

Now 21, the junior center is one of the reasons BC is in the Frozen Four and preparing to play Minnesota at Tampa Thursday night.

Mullane has 36 points in 42 games, good for fourth on the team. In the last 10 outings, Mullane has 9 points, and six of his 10 goals came in that span.

Mullane plays on a line with senior right wing Paul Carey and freshman left wing Johnny Gaudreau. Carey said Mullane’s vision and hockey sense are what set him apart.

“We all kind of have a similar style,’’ said Carey. “We’re all kind of playmakers. He and I have played together for three years on and off, so I have a good feel for him. And Gaudreau is such a special talent, he can fit in with anyone.’’

Mullane is outgoing, articulate, and has a great sense of humor. He also seems wise beyond his years. But he also has faced tragedy. When Mullane was 8, he and his father, Jerry, were leaving the rink after practice when his father suffered a heart attack and died at 44.

“It was April of 1999,’’ said Mullane. “I was in third grade. My dad picked me up from school, he was my coach, to go to a regular practice. As we were getting off the ice, he had a heart attack right next to me and passed away. It was extremely difficult. He was my best friend. It was tough for me but it was tough to see my mom in that position.’’

His mother, Amanda, made sure Mullane received grief counseling, and she always has been a force in his life.

“My mom did a really good job of raising me,’’ said Mullane. “She was there for support and provided the motherly role but she was the one driving me to soccer, baseball, and hockey games and playing catch with me in the yard.’’

That isn’t to say Mullane didn’t feel the need to take on more to help his mother and sister, Marissa.

“I did take a lot of responsibility,’’ said Mullane. “I was the only man left in the family. It challenged me to grow up. I’d like to think I’m more mature for it than most kids were in high school. Even with how bad everything was, I tried to stay optimistic and [focus] on what I had, not what I didn’t have.’’

What he does have is the opportunity to win his second national championship in three years. When he won it during his freshman year, he thought it was going to happen every year.

“That was easy,’’ said Mullane. “It was like the Staples commercial [with the Easy button]. We walked through Miami and walked through Wisconsin. I didn’t have as big a role as I do now. I just kind of hung back and watched [the upperclassmen] take over the team and win the national championship. I thought it was easy and that wasn’t even the team that was supposed to win it.’’

The Eagles lost to Colorado College in the NCAA West regional semifinals in St. Louis last year.

“Last year’s team was supposed to win it and we went into that game against Colorado College and I don’t think we were as prepared as we should have been and our season was over,’’ said Mullane. “That was a difficult loss to swallow. It’s extremely hard to win a national championship. We learned from last year. We’re not going to take Minnesota lightly and we’re going to enjoy every minute.’’

If there was a turning point to this season, it was the weekend of Jan. 20-21, when BC was swept at Maine.

“That bus ride back was miserable,’’ said Mullane. “Every single person in the locker room is the worst poor sport I’ve ever seen. You come to BC to win and when you don’t win, a lot of kids get upset. It’s like a 6-year-old in the backyard losing to his brother. Everyone was like, ‘This doesn’t happen.’ It was extremely difficult. There was no heartbeat to the team.

“We were there and we got along but no heartbeat. We didn’t know what the team was going to be. From there, our coaching staff challenged us. From there, everyone bought in.’’

Since that weekend, the Eagles have won 17 games in a row. As solidly as Mullane has played, his coach said that isn’t his only important role.

“He’s a go-to guy as far as our locker room,’’ said York. “He’s a good leader now and he has the potential to be a real solid leader.’’