FanHouse 2009 Frozen Four

FanHouse brings you full coverage of the 2009 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.

Even if you've never been a fan of historical superlatives or the needless comparing of events from different years, it's hard not to think about what the NCAA Men's Hockey Championship brought us in 2009. A sport not often thought about by mainstream sports folks produced some of the greatest drama you will find anywhere in this calendar year.

FanHouse brings you full coverage of the 2009 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.

Boston University men's hockey is a well-established national power, having won four championships before this year and appearing in nine title games before 2009. Miami University has never even been to the Frozen Four before 2009, and the school has never won a national championship in any sport.

After an amazing comeback in the final minute, rallying from two goals down in the final minute of regulation, BU claimed its fifth title with a 4-3 overtime win.

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FanHouse brings you full coverage of the 2009 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.

As a hockey fan, I understand that we can't get too picky about the stories that bring some mainstream media coverage to the sport.

Bemidji State, frankly, deserved every bit of coverage they got for their run. The town of 14,000 has a ton to be proud of, even though they fell short. Miami is a great story, too, as was Vermont. The one negative with this year's Frozen Four coverage is that people seem to be forgetting about the most talented team in the country, the one that has the best record, and may be the best college team assembled in many years.

FanHouse brings you full coverage of the 2009 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.

It's been a dream season for Boston University defenseman Matt Gilroy. Not every player who spurns offers to play professional hockey actually improves their stock and has a great season when they return to school.

When Gilroy turned down NHL organizations and went back to BU for his senior season, nothing was guaranteed. The former walk-on earned the top individual honor in the sport Friday, winning the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to college hockey's top player.

FanHouse brings you full coverage of the 2009 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON -- For a couple of years now, a lot of my friends in blogging circles have been giving me the hard sell when it comes to college hockey. While I've never needed to be sold on the game at any level, I have to admit that my connection to the college game isn't as visceral as it is to the NHL. For me, the Stanley Cup was all that really mattered, and that's been the case ever since I pulled on my first pair of hockey skates at the age of seven.

But over time, opinions and perspective change. The first shift came when I watched the Americans stun the Russians at Lake Placid in 1980. As an adult, I was introduced to the World Juniors, which I'm now convinced is the best international hockey tournament of them all. Then, just a year ago, I couldn't take my eyes off the IIHF World Championship, this after dismissing it for years as a poor substitute for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The unexpected run of Bemidji State ended earlier Thursday, as Miami University bested the Beavers, 4-1.

But that's not all the action we get from the Verizon Center Thursday night, as the second half of the Frozen Four doubleheader features a clash of two Eastern powers, as Boston University and their legendary head coach Jack Parker face the University of Vermont.

For a primer, check out Bruce Ciskie's work previewing this weekend's action. Live blog is after the jump.

FanHouse brings you full coverage of the 2009 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.

The "No one respects us" mantra is way overused these days in sports. No matter what happens in Washington this weekend, no one on Boston University will be able to use it. The Terriers are the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament, and the only top seed to advance past the four regionals held some two weeks ago.

Sometimes, it stinks being the favorite, but it certainly helps when you are clearly the most talented team left, and you happen to have a legendary, well-grounded coach like Jack Parker.

In his 36th year at BU, Parker knows his team is the favorite. It doesn't bother him.

FanHouse brings you full coverage of the 2009 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.

Like Bemidji State and Miami, Vermont was not considered a serious threat to advance out of their NCAA hockey regional. Unlike those two, Vermont is not getting much attention heading into the Frozen Four this week.

The Catamounts aren't quite the Cinderella story of Bemidji or Miami, and they're playing a fellow Hockey East team, Boston University, that's been among the top-ranked teams in the country all season. What people don't realize - or completely forgot about - is that Vermont went 2-1 against BU this season.

FanHouse brings you full coverage of the 2009 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.

The Miami RedHawks have had teams that earned more accolades than this one. They've had teams with better records than this one. However, this is the first Miami University team to make a Frozen Four.

This might be Miami's best team in other ways. They have four solid lines who contribute on both ends of the ice. They have a group of young defensemen who just aren't making a lot of mistakes. When necessary, they get great goaltending. Sounds like a championship formula to me.

FanHouse brings you full coverage of the 2009 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.

The recently-completed NCAA basketball Men's Final Four featured two No. 1 seeds, a No. 2 seed, and a No. 3 seed. When you consider that the teams came out of 16-team regionals, that doesn't leave a lot of room for Cinderella.

The NCAA Men's Frozen Four has four teams that each won four-team regionals. We have one No. 1 seed, a No. 3 seed, and two No. 4 seeds involved in this weekend's championship. You have a choice of Cinderellas in this group.