This Day in BU Hockey: March 30

1995: In the NCAA Frozen Four semifinal in Providence, BU broke a 3-3 tie with four unanswered goals in the final period, en route to a 7-3 win against Minnesota. The win sent BU to the national championship game for the third time in five seasons.

Captain Jacques Joubert’s power play goal knotted the score at 1-1 following an early Gopher tally. Minnesota went back on top, 2-1, before Doug Wood scored with just nine seconds left in the opening period. Matt Wright’s goal in the second period was matched by a Gopher score. Bob Lachance’s third-period game winner was followed by goals from Chris O’Sullivan, Sean Bates and Mike Sylvia. Minnesota native Derek Herlofsky stopped 30 Gopher shots to earn his 50^th career win for BU.

1991: In perhaps the most gut-wrenching BU loss in an NCAA tournament game, the Terriers fell to Northern Michigan in triple overtime, 8-7, in the national championship game in St. Paul. BU sprinted to a 3-0 lead after one period on a pair of Ed Ronan goals and one by David Sacco. The second period was all NMU as the Wildcats exploded for five goals and chased John Bradley from the BU cage.

Two NMU goals early in the third period sandwiched around a Dave Tomlinson goal made the score 7-4 with less than 12 minutes left. Shawn McEachern set up Tony Amone for a tally, then Amonte returned the favor, cutting the deficit to one. With goalie Scott Cashman pulled for an extra attacker, a lunging pass by Scott Lachance set up Sacco for the equalizer. In the period’s final seconds, Amonte took a headman pass, raced into the NMU zone and fired from the high slot. Goalie Billy Pye snared it with a second left on the clock.

In the final minute of the first overtime, defenseman Kevin O’Sullivan rushed the puck into the Wildcats’ zone and rang a shot off the crossbar. McEachern’s follow-up attempt hit the left post, skittered along the goal line and went off a defender’s skate before Pye smothered it. Moments later, a Wildcat shot from the blue line sailed past Cashman and clanged off the crossbar.

Two minutes into the third overtime, NMU skated into the BU zone. Darryl Plandowski took a centering pass in the slot and beat Cashman for the Wildcats’ first-ever NCAA title. BU, which had won both the Beanpot and Hockey East title, finished at 28-11-2.

● Sports Illustrated report

● New York Times report

●The Hockey News report

● Video: Sacco’s game-tying goal, Amonte’s near game-winner and more

● Video: Final minute of first overtime

● Video: Third overtime