Providence knocks off BU to take national title

Apr 12, 2015 - 4:11 AM Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Tom Parisi scored a fluke goal to tie the game and Brandon Tanev scored the winner in the latter stages of the third period, and Providence knocked off Boston University by a 4-3 count in the NCAA men's hockey national championship game on Saturday.

Anthony Florentino and Mark Jankowski also lit the lamp for the Friars (26-13-2), who bested a known conference foe for their first championship in program history.

Providence reached one previous final, but lost to RPI back in 1985.

Jon Gillies came up with a 49-save effort, including a timely stop in the final minute against Cason Hohmann to preserve the winning margin. The junior netminder and Calgary Flames draft pick appropriately was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Hohmann, Ahti Oksanen and Danny O'Regan scored for the Terriers (28-8-5), who were denied a chance to become the first program to win a title in their home city since the 1971-72 BU squad did so.

Matt O'Connor took the loss despite 39 stops, and one he failed to make turned the tide in favor of the winners.

The Friars trailed 3-2 with 8:36 to go in regulation, when Parisi decided to flip a shot from the neutral zone. It was gloved down by O'Connor, but the puck dropped to the ice between his pads and slid backwards into the net.

Just over two minutes later, Providence assumed a 4-3 edge. Kevin Rooney won a right-circle draw against Hobey Baker winner Jack Eichel, and slipped a pass over to Tanev for a top-shelf wrister.

O'Connor was on the bench for an extra skater for most of the final two minutes, and Gillies got his stick on a Hohmann chance at an open net for a potential tying score with a minute left.

Florentino gave the Friars a 1-0 lead with 9:25 elapsed in the first, following up two close calls from Noel Acciari with a successful blast from the right point.

Oksanen and O'Regan then struck in a record span of four seconds as the clock ticked down to seven minutes before intermission and the Terriers gained a one-goal edge.

The former snuck a shot through Gillies, who appeared to have sealed off the left post at the 12:50 mark, then the latter capitalized off a breakdown from the ensuing faceoff and scored on the backhand at 12:54.

Jankowski evened things at 4:29 of the second, at the tail end of a power play, on a one-timer from the right circle.

Hohmann then gave BU a lead with 8:24 left before the final intermission, picking up an Oksanen rebound and beating Gillies from the right wing.

Game Notes

The previous record for fastest two goals by one team was five seconds, set by Michigan in 1948 against Dartmouth in an 8-4 win ... Gillies stopped the most pucks in an NCAA title game since Rick Kosti of Minnesota-Duluth made 55 saves in the 1984 championship, a 5-4 four-OT loss to Bowling Green ... Boston University had been 19-0-0 this season when leading after two periods ... The contest marked the first national final between two schools from Hockey East since 1999, when Maine topped New Hampshire, 3-2, in overtime at Anaheim.