Boston College Athletics
Men's Ice Hockey Loses Heartbreaker in NCAA Semifinal
June 21, 1999 | Men's Hockey
April 1, 1999
By KEN PETERS
AP Sports Writer
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Freshman Niko Dimitrakos scored Maine's first goal, then made a brilliant pass to set up Bobby Stewart's winning shot 5:16 into overtime Thursday as the Black Bears downed Boston College 2-1 to advance to the NCAA hockey championship game.
Michigan State faced New Hampshire in the other semifinal later Thursday night at the Arrowhead Pond.
After Dimitrakos evened the game early in the third period, he helped end it in overtime. He took the puck behind the Eagles' net, skated around the boards to his left, away from the goal and nearly to the blue line, then backhanded a pass just in front of the crease.
The puck nicked the stick of the Bears' Barrett Heisten and slid to Stewart, who wristed it in over goalie Scott Clemmensen's left shoulder.
The victory ended Boston College's drive to make it to the title game for the second year in a row. The Eagles lost to Michigan in overtime last year.
The game was the fifth between Maine and Boston College this year, with the Black Bears winning three.
After Clemmensen shut out the Black Bears for the first two periods, Dimitrakos tied it 1-1 with a slap shot 2:34 into the third. Dimitrakos got a clear shot from 20 feet, thanks to a feed from Ben Guite and a defensive lapse by the Eagles. Guite, left alone, took the puck behind the Boston College goal, spotted Dimitrakos breaking up the middle and slid him a perfect pass.
Dimitrakos sailed the puck into the upper right corner of the net for his seventh goal of the season and second of the NCAA tournament.
Defenseman Marty Hughes had put the Eagles ahead at 5:34 of the second period with his first goal in 26 games dating to Dec. 28.
With Doug Janik serving a two-minute hooking penalty, Hughes took a pass from Mike Lephart following a faceoff in the right circle. Hughes, slicing down the center, beat goalie Alfie Michaud for his third goal of the season.
The Black Bears had numerous scoring opportunities in the first period, but Clemmensen stopped 13 shots, several from just outside the crease.
Clemmensen, a sophomore who had a 2.90 goals-against average this season, smothered a point-blank shot by Matthias Trattnig in the opening minutes, and late in the period deftly knocked away three shots in rapid succession during a scramble in front of the net.
Michaud, tops in the nation with 24 regular-season victories, faced nine shots in the opening period.
Both goalies finished with 35 saves.
The overtime game was the 16th in an NCAA semifinal and fifth of the decade.
