Boston rallies from 2-goal deficit to claim NCAA hockey title in OT

April 12, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Boston University must feel as though it got to celebrate this NCAA hockey championship twice.

Trailing by two goals with a minute left in regulation, the top-seeded Terriers stormed back to force overtime, then beat Miami (Ohio) 4-3 on a goal that went in off a RedHawks player in the extra session Saturday night.

Colby Cohen was credited with the winning goal on a slap shot that ricocheted off sliding defenseman Kevin Roeder’s leg 11:47 into OT and gave BU its fifth national hockey title — and first since 1995.

Both goalies — Boston’s Kieran Millan and Miami’s Cody Reichard — are freshmen, and both were superb. Millan made 29 saves. Reichard made 28, but it was that last shot — he really had no chance — that he’ll remember the most.

Boston (35-6-4), which set a school record for victories in a season, was playing in its 10th NCAA final. Miami (23-13-4) had never been beyond the round of eight in the hockey tournament — and still has never won an NCAA team title.

No. 1 sure seemed close Saturday, when the outcome appeared settled after Tommy Wingels and Trent Vogelhuber scored less than 31‚Ñ2 minutes apart in the third period to break open what had been a tie game and put Miami ahead 3-1.

But BU’s Nick Bonino had a goal and an assist in the final minute of the third period to send the game to overtime, including the tying score with 17.4 seconds left.

This was the first NCAA hockey championship game to go to an extra period since 2002.

Wingels knocked in a rebound with 71‚Ñ2 minutes left in regulation, and Vogelhuber added to the advantage with 4:08 to go after BU turned the puck over at the blue line.

The RedHawks’ supporters in the crowd of 18,512 certainly thought the championship was won at that point.

With only a handful of minutes left, the RedHawks’ players might have been forgiven for thinking those fans were right. After all, up until then, Miami had allowed all of five goals in the entire tournament.

But with Millan on the bench in favor of an extra skater, Zack Cohen corralled Bonino’s rebound and lifted a backhander over Reichard with 59.5 seconds left in the third period. That pulled the Terriers within a goal — and give them some hope.