Boston College Athletics
The Eagles Are Back In The Frozen Four
March 31, 2010 | Men's Hockey
March 31, 2010
For most teams, the hockey season begins early each fall with preseason workouts. Official practice begins weeks later and the first puck is dropped for the season opener in early October.
For Boston College, the 2009-10 season began in earnest late last March. Just days after having its 2008-09 campaign ended in the Hockey East playoffs, the Eagles set their sights on "next year".
This quick start should not come as much of a surprise to those who follow Boston College hockey or know the character and determination of its charges. Led by head coach Jerry York and guided by now-senior captains Matt Price, Matt Lombardi and Ben Smith, Boston College is accustomed to winning. Playing in April is something they've come - worked hard, actually - to expect.
For Boston College's senior class - the three captains and defenseman Carl Sneep - the trip to Detroit's Ford Field is special. After all, they know what it takes - all the sweat, all the effort - to earn a spot in college hockey's coveted quartet.
These seniors were key cogs as the Eagles advanced through the 2007 and 2008 Northeast Regionals and then defeated North Dakota in the semifinal round both years. After their first effort to capture the crown fell short in St. Louis, Boston College captured the school's third national title in Denver on April 12, 2008. For this proud program, this championship was its second national title in eight years.
Its appearance in the 2010 Frozen Four marks Boston College's ninth visit to the Frozen Four in the last 13 years. Past success serves as an inspiration and a challenge to the current crop of players. York has raised the bar for a program that has no shortage of trophies in its display cases.
Jerry York is now in his 38th year as a head coach. An All-America player at Boston College in 1966-67, he spent seven years at Clarkson and 15 years at Bowling Green, before returning to his alma mater in 1994. After three years of diligently rebuilding the program one step at a time, York returned the Eagles to the national tournament and the Frozen Four in 1998. That year began the unparalleled run of success that Boston College has enjoyed.
York comes to Ford Field with three national titles to his credit (one at Bowling Green - 1984, two at Boston College - 2001 and 2008). In 17 NCAA Tournament appearances, York has led his teams to 30 wins, the highest win total of any coach in Division I history.
The 2010 Eagles fly into Detroit with four seniors, three juniors, nine sophomores and nine freshmen. The combination of savvy veterans and youthful exuberance has led BC to this point. With the exception of a small midseason dip, the Eagles have enjoyed a remarkably smooth, i.e. successful, campaign. BC enters the Frozen Four with a 27-10-3 record, including a 10-0-1 mark in its last 11 games.
The top forward line of Cam Atkinson, Brian Gibbons and Joe Whitney leads the scoring charge. This trio, which has recorded 36 goals and 48 assists since being assembled 22 games ago, totaled six goals and four assists in the team's 9-7 win over Yale in the Northeast Regional title game on March 28. Gibbons captured All-Hockey East first-team honors, while Atkinson took home second-team accolades (and the Northeast Regional MVP award). Defenseman Brian Dumoulin and forward Chris Kreider earned Hockey East All-Rookie Team honors.
