Tough to survive the momentum generated by a team that forced overtime with 2 goals over the final minute of regulation.
Boston came out swinging in OT, pounding the Miami net with rush after rush. The Redhawks countered with great goaltending and some nifty breakouts of their own, but in the end, it wasn't enough.
Colby Cohen, on the score sheet for two of Boston's 8 total penalties, found himself on the right point with the puck. Winding up for a slapshot, Miami forward Kevin Roeder sold out and slid in front of Cohen as he ripped the slapshot. The puck struck the sliding Redhawk, changed trajectory and knuckled over the shoulder of Reichard for the game winner.
Jack Parker would tell you that defense wins championships, and in this case, a defenseman did.
Reichard was predictably unconsolable after stopping so many quality chances at point-blank range.
Colby's goal gave BU their first championship since 1995, and earned him Most Outstanding Player honors. He was also named to an All Tournament Team that included teammates Colin Wilson, Nick Bonino and Kieran Millan. Miami players Tommy Wingels and Kevin Roeder were also All Tournament players.
In a tournament of Cinderellas, Boston seemed to be someone of an outsider amidst teams like Bemidji State who were selling out merchandise city-wide. But Hobey Baker honors set the stage for Boston to take home more hardware. You have to hand it to the Redhawks for reaching their first Championship Game for the team and the school.
More thoughts on the Frozen Four, its fans, and the experience to come!
The team that seemed to take the entire 3rd period off...well, didn't. They only took the first 19 minutes of the period off.
Unconventionally, Coach Parker pulled Millan with 3:19 left in the game, down two goals. Looks like it paid off.
With the clock reading 59.5 seconds left and 6 skaters on the ice, Boston came back to life. Zach Cohen pounded a loose puck past Reichard to narrow the score to 3-2. Millan had been forced back into his net on a few faceoffs, but Parker again emptied the cage with the national championship on the line and less than a minute to play.
And as we've seen so many times in this year's tournament, as long as there is time on the clock, there's a chance.
With 17 seconds left in the game, Boston's signature puck movement in the Miami zone found a wide open Nick Bonino at the left face off dot. His one-timer beat Reichard to send the Boston fans into apoplexy.
One final push by Miami almost yielded a goal with 1.1 seconds, but Millan melted the loose puck down.
Nothing like National Championship Bonus Hockey!
Miami seemed to forget that they've never been here, and Boston may have forgotten they have. The Redhawks took the game to the Terriers early and often, breaking into the Boston zone while stymying Terrier rushes in the neutral zone.
The Miami jitters that forced overwrought offensive efforts early in the period dissipated as they honed in on Millan. They stopped making extra moves and concentrated on extra shots.
The same persistence that earned them their first goal paid off 12:31 into the 3rd when Tommy Wingels put a second chance opportunity past Millan for the first Miami lead.
Not content to abandon the penalty kill, Jason Lawrence's slashing call at 13:38 kept the Terriers' offensive effort at bay, giving Miami a chance to set up a power play that was mostly about killing clock.
But with the ice tipping toward the Boston goal, even at even strength, Trent Vogelhuber broke free in the high slot and wristed a quick shot past Millan at 15:52.
 With Miami taking the initiative and needing 4 minutes to win their first national championship in any sport, what could go wrong?
Well, that didn't last long. BU's lead going into the break also came with a hooking penalty courtesy of Miami's Tommy Wingels. Not a great way to come out down a goal, but Miami quickly killed off the penalty and took the momentum into Boston's zone.
And just like that, Gary Steffes took a second/third/fourth chance shot, beating a prone Millen to put the Redhawks on the board just 2:01 into the second period. The goal, like many in this Frozen Four, was reviewed by officials -- in this case, looking for a Redhawk in the Boston crease as the Miami forward pounded rebound after rebound at Millen. In the end, the goal stood, and Miami was even.
The teams then found another gear. Things got fast, fast.
Miami had a couple of breakaways stymied by nothing more than what appeared to be jitters. But the fact that they were springing on the Terriers showed that they were willing to jump up.
A cross check by Colby Cohen in front of BU's net gave the Redhawks yet another power play opportunity. But Miami is now 0-6 on man advantage situations, so Coach Parker's reliance on the penalty kill is still working out.
But they are still being outshot 19-16 by an opportunistic Miami squad that spent more time in the BU zone than they'd seen all night. The Redhawks had 5 scoring chances to Boston's 3 in the second.
Knotted at 1 going into the third period. The perfect stage to decide a national championship.
And we're underway here in Washington, DC. The town known for red, white and blue is awash in red and white, at least within the Verizon Center.
It's tough to tell the fans apart without a program -- red and white everywhere, like a Red Wings game.
While the Boston fans have made their presence known all weekend, the Miami fans are trading chants with equal vigor. "Go BU!" is answered with "Let's Go Redhawks!" on each end of the arena. Boston's been here before, and won it last in 1995. In contrast, this is the first Miami squad from any sport to compete in a national championship.
The puck dropped on a packed arena, surely rivaling the 18,427 who attended the two semifinal games. Boston picked up right where it left off against Vermont, showing that it was not afraid to put it's national-best penalty kill to the test. Taking two penalties within the first 5:19 of the game, Boston was able to effectively kill off the infractions, rarely allowing a Miami shot to even reach freshman goalie Millan.
Despite taking 4 penalties in the opening frame, the Terriers hit the back of the net first. Chris Connolly picked the puck out of the scrum in front of the Redhawk crease and danced to the right of the prone goalie Reichard before sweeping the puck in for the Terriers' first tally.
A pair of penalties to either side were killed off, and Miami outshot Boston 10-9 to end the first. It seemed like the first few minutes were spent with both teams feeling each other out, but they quickly found their footing and began executing their respective game plans. Miami's physical game is evident with every hit, including one that sent Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy to the ice when he jumped up into the Miami zone. But Boston's been spending plenty of time in the Miami zone, so a goal was inevitable with this high-powered squad.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Ore
John Ore is Senior Director of Product Management for NCAA.com. Born in Hockeytown but raised in California, he views hockey as his birthright. An avid recreational ice hockey player, John is well-versed in the merits of cycling and the Left Wing Lock. John graduated from the University of California, and currently lives in New York City. Like Miami and Bemidji State, this is his first Frozen Four.
BLOGROLL
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