For some unlucky fans, that nightmare could be a reality. According to the New York Post, each of the two mezzanine end-zone sections has four pillars supporting the upper deck, something that is almost always avoided in modern stadiums.

The article said that 59 seats have completely obstructed views and hundreds more have limited sightlines.

"The fact that there are columns in there and possibly obstructed-view seating is a joke," one Jets season-ticket holder told the paper after walking through the stadium last weekend.

New York architect Peter Eisenman, who designed the Arizona Cardinals' University of Phoenix Stadium that opened in 2006, was miffed as well.

"I'm surprised. I don't know why the columns are there," he told the Post. "Those things are usually worked out when you're working on big projects like that.

"They didn't put [the columns] there because they wanted them there. I can tell you that."

Eisenman speculated that cost or time constraints might be the reason for the steel supports.

"They might have saved a lot of money in terms of the steel needed in the cantilevers," he said. "They might have been under a lot of pressure to bring the cost down or under enormous time pressure."

The article said that the Jets and Giants declined to comment on the beams, but the stadium's designer, George Heinlein, said they were necessary to keep upper-deck seating as close to the field as possible.

"The objective of ownership … was to create the most intimidating home-field advantage in football," he told the paper. "Columns are not needed in other stadiums, which do not have the capacity or the proximity of end-zone seating."

The Post said the Jets and Giants have stopped trying to sell tickets for the seats that are completely obstructed, and Heinlein said some of them will be removed.

Haha. Very funny. Some comedian decided to sign in as an NHL player. Clever joke.

Except last Tuesday at the Pelham Ice Rink in Pelham, Ala., it wasn’t a joke. Afinogenov, the 30-year-old Atlanta Thrashers right wing and a three-time Russian Olympian, was actually there, according to The Birmingham News.

With the Thrashers’ season over, Afinogenov was spending the week in nearby Birmingham to watch his tennis star girlfriend, Elena Dementieva, compete in the Fed Cup.

But Afinogenov had an itch for ice time, so he had his agent call up Jeff Cheeseman, the rink’s director of hockey.

Cheeseman said there was a pickup game every Tuesday night, and sure enough, Afinogenov showed up.

"He was very professional, sharing the puck and everything," Cheeseman told the paper.

But Afinogenov wanted something a little more competitive, so he came back again Thursday night to play with Birmingham Area Select Hockey (BASH), a league consisting of mostly former college and minor league players.

"As a general rule, we don't allow drop-ins. We made an exception," Cheeseman said.

Unlike Tuesday night, Afinogenov did a little less sharing and a little more dominating. Ten minutes in, his "Black team" was leading 7-2, and he had all seven goals.

He was then traded to the "White team," which came back to win 16-13. Afinogenov scored 10 goals in the comeback and was on the ice for the entire second and third periods.

"He told us he was looking for conditioning," Cheeseman said. "And besides, who was going to tell him to come off?"

Although Afinogenov may have skated circles around his competition, the regulars didn’t want to make it easy for the star.

"Not one guy walked away without saying they went after him," Cheeseman said.

"One of the guys asked me, 'What do you think would happen if I give him a shoulder?' I said, 'The guy plays in the same league with Chris Pronger. I think he can take a shoulder from you.'"

To Afinogenov’s credit, he fit right in with "the guys." According to the article, he participated in all the usual locker-room chatter both before and after the game.

As news got out that he was there, local kids began showing up with jerseys, sticks and pictures. Afinogenov hung around until he had signed them all.

"It was a lot of fun," Afinogenov said.

Although the road for an undrafted rookie to NFL stardom is far from easy, there are more than a few who have traveled it successfully and gone on to make an impact in the NFL.

This year, former University of New Hampshire tight end Scott Sicko will not be one of them.

That’s because Sicko decided to walk away from football after not being drafted despite the fact that the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets all came calling after the draft, according to the Albany Times Union.

"Some people will think I’m absolutely out of [my] mind, and I understand it," Sicko told the paper. "I completely see where they’re coming from."

But Sicko’s simply thinking about what’s best for his future. As the draft wound down and his name wasn’t called, he decided that pursuing a post-graduate degree in history was better for him than signing an NFL contract.

"If I were to be drafted I would have had more confidence of a much longer career in the NFL," Sicko said. "I have to look at my life and decide what will make me the happiest. And the thing that will make me the happiest now and in the long run is to pursue my education."

That decision shocked both his agent and NFL teams. Ray Brownell, his agent, got a call from the Cowboys during the seventh round saying they’d be interested in signing him if he wasn’t drafted, according to the article.

When Brownell called Sicko, though, the 6-foot-4 native of Albany told him that he wasn’t going to play if he wasn’t drafted.

"He would have been a Cowboy," Brownell said. "I’m certain he would have made the roster."

Brownell had to explain Sicko’s decision to the Jaguars and Jets, too.

"They were very surprised," he told the paper. "They all felt he had a great opportunity to play in the NFL for years to come."

Will Sicko regret not trying to capitalize on that opportunity?

He told the paper he won’t, adding that it was not an emotional or irrational decision.

"I’m definitely going to say 'What if?'" Sicko said. "It’s not the asking of the question that’s the important thing. It’s the answering of the question that is the important thing."

That’s what Fred Toettcher of 98.5 The Sports Hub compared him to during a recent broadcast of the "Toucher and Rich Show," according to NFL Fanhouse. Toettcher was discussing Tebow’s draft-night gathering when he made the following remark:

"It looked like some kind of Nazi rally … so lily-white is what I'm trying to say. Yeah, Stepford Wives."

Toettcher was joking, but as NFL Fanhouse’s David Whitley points out, so was Don Imus when he was fired for insulting the Rutgers women’s basketball team. The Sports Hub is owned by CBS, the same company that fired Imus.

Writes Whitley:

"When CBS President Leslie Moonves fired Imus, he said "There has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society.'"

Are young men of non-color less important?

CBS has yet to comment or act on Toettcher's ill-advised quip.

Freshman goalie Parker Milner and freshman defensemen Philip Samuelsson and Patrick Wey were three of seven BC students in the Jeep who are facing charges of being minors in possession of alcohol, the Web site said. Milner and two others also allegedly fled the scene of the accident, which took place at the intersection of South and Commonwealth avenues.

The trolley operator told police that the Jeep’s driver, Jane Stanton, 19, pulled in front of him and tried to make a U-turn, leaving him no time to stop. He also said that the three who fled the scene tossed what looked like alcoholic containers before running.

The article said that no one on the trolley was hurt but that three of the Jeep’s occupants were treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Samuelsson played in all 42 games for the Eagles this season, recording one goal and 13 assists. Wey tallied five assists in 27 games. Milner started 13 games in net, going 10-2-1 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

Fans can purchase tickets by going to Celtics.com, by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX or by visiting the Garden box office, which is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. There is a limit of four tickets per customer for $12 seats and a limit of eight tickets per customer for all other seats.

Fans interested in purchasing a private suite, which accommodates 18 people, can call 866-4CELTIX.

Boston acquired the former Cy Young Award winner from the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline in 2007. Gagne had gone 2-0 with 16 saves and a 2.16 ERA in 34 appearances that season with the Rangers, but he struggled with the Sox, going 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 20 appearances as Boston won its second World Series title in four years.

Gagne’s best years came with the Los Angeles Dodgers. From 2002-04, he averaged 51 saves per season with a 1.79 ERA. His 55 saves and 1.20 ERA — both career bests — in 2003 earned him the NL Cy Young Award. From Aug. 26, 2002-July 5, 2004, Gagne converted a major-league record 84 consecutive saves.

After being named in the Mitchell Report in 2007, Gagne admitted that he used human growth hormone during his time with the Dodgers.

Gagne was never the same after undergoing elbow surgery in 2005 and back surgery in 2006. His last major-league season came with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, when he went 4-3 with 10 saves and a 5.44 ERA.

He spent the 2009 season with Quebec Capitales of the independent Can-Am League before signing a minor-league contract with the Dodgers in February. Gagne allowed six earned runs in 2 2/3 innings in spring training before he was assigned to minor-league camp. He accepted the assignment but then decided to retire instead of playing in the minors.

Gagne, 34, ends his career with a 33-26 record, 187 saves and a 3.47 ERA in 10 big-league seasons.

One player whose name keeps popping up in mock drafts as a possible successor to Seymour is Penn State’s Jared Odrick. Although many experts question whether or not he can fit into Bill Belichick’s 3-4 defense — he played defensive tackle in a 4-3 with the Nittany Lions — Odrick is confident he’d be able to make the transition.

“Yeah, I definitely could see myself playing in that system,” Odrick told the Boston Herald. “I think the thing people have a misconception about is that in a 3-4 defense, you’re just sitting there, eating up blocks. I just think football is football.

“There’s a lot of techniques you use in a 4-3 that you can use in a 3-4. There’s a lot of differences, but at the same time, it’s still football. I just think with my size and my skill set, I’ll have success.”

The 6-foot-5, 304-pound Odrick is heralded for his “long arms, his brute strength, his athleticism and his occupying of double teams,” according to the Herald’s Karen Guregian. The projected mid-to-late first-rounder was named the Big Ten defensive player of the year this past season after recording 43 tackles, including 11 for a loss, and a career-high seven sacks.

Odrick was able to meet Belichick in an interview leading up to the draft, and he thinks it went well.

“It was brief. I think he liked me,” Odrick told the paper. “But you just don’t know what to expect, good or bad. We’ll find out.”

Odrick has also met with the New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints.

Kumaritashvili was killed during a training run on Feb. 12 hours before the opening ceremony at the Vancouver Winter Games when he lost control of his sled near the bottom of the track, flew over a wall and slammed the back of his head on a steel beam next to the track. He had been clocked at 89.4 mph milliseconds before the crash.

The report blamed driver error, an unexpected sled reaction and course design for the fatal crash, the first at a sanctioned luge track in 35 years.

It said that Kumaritashvili exited the 15th turn of the 16-turn course too late, throwing him off his line as he entered the final turn. As a result, when he tried to stay low on the curve, he was overcome with too much G-force and started losing control.

He tried to compensate by reaching for the ice with his right hand in order to slow down, but this caused him to make a sharp right turn into the inside wall, the report said.

Normally in a crash like that, the sled’s runners will break or the driver will be thrown off the wall, according to the report. Kumaritashvili, however, was launched upward and across the track.

"No athlete would have control in dealing with this type of 'catapult' effect," the report said.

As he sailed across the track, Kumaritashvili’s hips cleared the outside wall by mere inches. Had the wall been a little higher, he would’ve stayed on the track. The report said that if the crash went as expected, though, the wall would have been high enough.

"Neither the computer simulations nor the technical experts who [certified] the track … foresaw the possibility," it said.

Speed, the report suggested, was the biggest reason for the unusual catapult effect.

"The question is, why did he go out of the track? Part of that is the speed," USA Luge CEO Ron Rossi told the AP. "Lesser speed, he wouldn't have gotten such potential energy and he wouldn't have gone above the line of the wall."

Kumaritashvili’s father, David, agreed.

"No matter what mistake he had committed, he should not have flown off [the track]," he told the AP.

After the crash, the start of the course was lowered to reduce speeds for the remainder of the Olympics. The FIL has also told officials in charge of the 2014 Sochi Games that it will not certify any track that allows speeds to exceed 84 mph, according to the AP. That’s more than 5 mph less than Kumaritashvili’s clocked speed.

FIL secretary general Svein Romstad dismissed concerns that Kumaritashvili, who was ranked 44th in the world and was not considered a medal contender, was not qualified to race the course.

"He deserved to be at the Olympic Games," Romstad told the AP. "There's no doubt in my mind he was absolutely qualified."

Representatives from the 11 schools were planning to meet this week in Washington to discuss that exact question, according to the Chicago Tribune.

If the schools agree to expand, conference commissioner Jim Delany could take the first steps in that process next week at the annual Bowl Championship Series meetings in Phoenix, the article said.

On Dec. 15, Delany stated that he would notify the commissioners of any affected conferences before "engaging in formal expansion discussions with other institutions." That means the Big Ten would have more than a month to negotiate with schools before the conference’s presidents and chancellors meet in Chicago during the first week of June.

The Big Ten, which is also discussing changing its name, would then have until the end of June to make any expansion official. If it wasn’t official by June 30, the last day of the fiscal year, nothing could go into effect until 2011.

Some of the schools in which the conference is rumored to be interested are Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse and Notre Dame.

"I don't think 16 [schools] is scaring anyone off, as long as you can find [five] that are a good enough fit," one source told the paper. "They're looking long-term, across the horizon. What gives them the best shot at keeping value at a high level?"

Notre Dame is the top target, the article said. By joining the Big Ten, the school could increase its annual television revenue from $15 million to $22 million, gain a national platform for sports other than football on the Big Ten Network and decrease travel costs.

Notre Dame’s interest in joining remains unclear, though. In March, athletic director Jack Swarbrick told the media that "it’s not hard" to envision "a scenario that would force our hand."

But then a week later, he told USA Today, "The only things that could make it happen are the sorts of radical change in the industry that would cause upheaval and impact a lot more [schools] than Notre Dame … the big change. I don't see that happening."

While many fans and members of the media are skeptical about the Patriots’ level of interest, former wide receiver Troy Brown, who knows a thing or two about versatility, wouldn’t be surprised to see Bill Belichick draft Tebow.

"He’s shown he can be versatile, he’s shown he can lead a football team in many different ways. He can do things you really can’t teach players to do," Brown told the Boston Herald. "He’s proven he’s a winner. And Bill’s probably seen all that stuff. Then, on top of that, he has a great attitude. He’ll do anything the team asks him to do.

"The thing I like about him," Brown continued, "is he wants to be good. He obviously wants to be a quarterback in the NFL, but I’m sure he’ll do whatever it takes to help his team win. So, yeah, I can definitely see him with the Patriots given that kind of attitude."

Belichick hasn’t made much of an attempt to hide his interest in Tebow. He treated the 22-year-old prospect to dinner in Boston’s North End a couple weeks ago and then spoke highly of him last week during a news conference. However, there is still a widespread belief that Belichick is merely setting up a smoke screen, according to the Herald.

Brown, who played offense, defense and special teams during his 15-year career with the Pats, is taking his former coach at his word, though.

"It’s intriguing. I mean, can you tell me they have a proven backup [quarterback] on that roster?" Brown asked the paper. "The bottom line is Bill just likes football players. And Tebow is a football player. If you put Tim Tebow on the roster as a backup quarterback, I’m sure he’d be on the field doing other things for that team.

"I think he has that kind of ability to do different things. He’s one of those guys, he’ll do anything to help his team win. … Then you throw in his work ethic, someone who is going to work as hard as he is, wherever Bill puts him, I’m sure he’ll attack it with everything he has."

Like everyone else, Brown has heard all about scouts’ concerns with Tebow’s mechanics. That wouldn’t stop him from pulling the trigger, though.

"They can work on his mechanics and teach him to reach defenses. He seems to be a pretty smart guy," Brown said. "You can teach people like that. It’s hard to work with guys who don’t want to learn or do things the right way. He seems to be willing to prove everyone wrong."

David Ortiz

The Red Sox slugger is being sued by rap star Jay-Z and his business partner for naming his night club in the Dominican Republic “Forty/Forty,” according to a Reuters report.

Jay-Z and Juan Perez own 40/40 clubs in New York City, Atlantic City and Las Vegas and plan to open two more in Tokyo and Macau in the near future.

They have accused Ortiz of “trading on the fame, value and goodwill” of their name, resulting in “marketplace confusion and damage,” the report said.

“David Ortiz is fully aware of plaintiff’s Manhattan 40/40 Club, since he had been a patron there on several occasions long before he opened his infringing Forty/Forty Club,” said the lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan federal court.

It’s been a hard knock life for Big Papi at the plate this season, and now he needs to figure things out in the courtroom, too.

If you answered yes to one or more of the above questions, you should consider auditioning for Wicked Summer, a new MTV reality show being billed as the Massachusetts version of Jersey Shore.

Doron Ofir Casting, the same casting company that was involved with Jersey Shore, is now looking for “blue collar, hard working, harder partying, tough talking, damn good looking Mass natives from all over the state” for the show, which will be set on Cape Cod, according to a post on the company’s Web site.

Below is the casting call in full.

You come from all over — Gloucester, Worcester, South End, Charlestown, Chicopee and South Swansea. You share a love for muscle cahs, hair products and little necks on the frickin half shell. You don’t take [crap] from nobody — least of all each othah. You are the hottest girls and proudly buff guys from Massa-freakin-chusetts who believe in God, family, the Red Sox and partying!!

You ready to live togethah, laugh togethah, drink togethah and love togethah?

You’ll pahty on the beaches of the Cape where roast beef subs and cases of Narragansett Light are on every Celtics towel next to a bottle of baby oil and a can of hair spray!

Are you down for one wicked cool summah, and to be a part of the most wicked reality show evah!?

Doron Ofir Casting is looking for blue collar, hard working, harder partying, tough talking, damn good looking Mass natives from all over the state. … Yea we’ll consider preps from Wellesley too if they got what it takes.

Get ready for the summer of your life on the show that will knock the sox off the Red Sox, blow cannons from Lexington to Cornwall and make you wish you remembered where you pahked your frickin cah cause that clunker is in Jersey!

In addition to being a die-hard Boston sports fan, other attributes that will probably help you get selected include:

• A profound love of Sam Adams beer.
• The ability to flawlessly navigate a rotary.
• A refusal to use your blinkah.
• An understanding that a yellow light means you still have five seconds to get through the intersection.
• An understanding that stop signs mean yield, and that yield signs should be ignored.
• The common decency to flip the bird to anyone who cuts you off.
• An understanding of the I-95/Route 128 conundrum.
• An understanding of what a bubblah is.
• The ability to correctly pronounce Worcester, Gloucester, Leominster and Peabody.
• Having friends named Fitzy, Mac and Sully.

Game 1 will take place Thursday night in Buffalo’s HSBC Arena. The B’s won the season series with the Sabres 4-2.

The series schedule is below.

Game 1: Thursday, April 15 in Buffalo at 7 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, April 17 in Buffalo at 1 p.m.
Game 3: Monday, April 19 in Boston at 7 p.m.
Game 4: Wednesday, April 21 in Boston at 7 p.m.
Game 5 (if necessary): Friday, April 23 in Buffalo at 7 p.m.
Game 6 (if necessary): Monday, April 26 in Boston at 7 p.m.
Game 7 (if necessary): Wednesday, April 28 in Buffalo at 7 p.m.

Since 1954, Augusta National has awarded crystal artifacts for memorable feats in the tournament. Each day’s low scorer receives a crystal vase, an eagle earns you a pair of crystal goblets and a hole-in-one or a double-eagle lands you a large crystal bowl.

According to the tournament media guide, crystal was actually first awarded to the legendary Gene Sarazen in 1935 when he received a crystal bowl for making the first double-eagle in tournament history, but it didn’t become a regular prize until 19 years later.

Aside from making a nice addition to the living-room mantel, crystal can provide some consolation for those who miss out on the green jacket.

"For the first couple of years, if I missed the cut, I was just trying to make eagle that last day just to get something," Chad Campbell, who owns three pieces of crystal, told Augusta.com.

No one has ever won the “crystal grand slam” — a low score, an eagle, a hole-in-one and a double-eagle — not even over the course of a career.

Jeff Sluman came the closest to accomplishing it in a single tournament when he got everything except the double-eagle in 1992.

Unsurprisingly, Jack Nicklaus, who won a record six Masters, has the most crystal. He won crystal 39 times — 24 for eagles and 15 for low rounds. The Golden Bear never made a hole-in-one or double-eagle, though. He’s not alone — there have been only 19 holes-in-one and just three double-eagles in tournament history.

No matter how far off the lead a golfer is, there’s never a meaningless shot at the Masters. There’s always crystal up for grabs.

Boston College will face Miami (Ohio) on April 8 in a Frozen Four semifinal tilt at Detroit’s Ford Field.

The two teams have some history, and Boston College is no stranger to pressure.

The Eagles will be appearing in their ninth Frozen Four in the last 13 years. They’ve won two national championships in the past decade, most recently in 2008.

Here are 10 reasons why they can win it all again.

The Eagles average just 12.6 penalty minutes per game, the 16th-fewest in the nation and the fewest of the four teams left standing. By contrast, Miami (Ohio), BC’s next opponent, averages 19.6, the second-most in the country. Although BC’s penalty kill ranks a respectable 18th on the season, it gave up four goals on 12 chances this weekend, so staying out of the sin bin will be crucial in Detroit.

Freshman Brian Dumoulin and senior Carl Sneep comprise arguably the best defensive pairing in the country. Dumoulin, who should be named to the national all-rookie team, is second in the country with a plus-33 rating. Opponents simply have no easy path to the net when he’s on the ice. Sneep, meanwhile, is one of the game’s top offensive defensemen. He ranks sixth nationally among blue liners with 11 goals this season.

The junior goaltender hasn’t been fantastic lately — he’s given up 14 goals in his last three games — but he has a lot of big-game experience, which is always important at this time of the season. Two years ago, as a freshman, Muse backstopped the Eagles to their national title run. He was particularly impressive in the Frozen Four, as he saved 49 of the 51 shots he faced in those two games. A repeat performance, or something close to it, would make BC tough to beat

As the Eagles have proven these past two weekends, they can win both defensive struggles and offensive shootouts. They beat Vermont and Alaska, two teams that like to slow things down, 3-0 and 3-1, respectively. They beat Maine and Yale, two teams that like to run and gun, 7-6 and 9-7. That ability to play both types of games will be critical again in the Frozen Four. Miami likes the slower pace, but Wisconsin and RIT both like to go up and down.

The biggest reason BC is able to play both varieties of games successfully is its speed. Against teams that trap, the Eagles are fast enough to get the puck through the neutral zone quickly and then win footraces to the corner. Against aggressive teams, they’re fast enough to take advantage of turnovers and turn them into odd-man rushes before the opposition’s backcheck can catch up. It might not happen in the Frozen Four because of the high skill level, but BC has literally skated circles around some of its opponents this season.

Seven Eagles were on the national championship squad from two years ago, and the four seniors reached the title game as freshmen, too. They know what it’s like to play on this stage, and they’ll share their experiences with the underclassmen. As for those underclassmen, don’t expect them to be awestruck. They’ve already played in front of big crowds at Fenway Park, the Beanpot, the Hockey East semis and final, and the regionals.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better group of captains in college hockey than seniors Matt Price, Matt Lombardi and Ben Smith. Smith won Hockey East’s Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award this season, but it could’ve gone to any member of this trio. They emanate class both on and off the ice, and their poised, two-way play sets the tone for the entire team.

Where do the players get all that class? From their coach, of course. York’s calm demeanor keeps everyone at ease regardless of the size of the stage or the score of the game. He follows the old cliche about never getting too high or too low, and that keeps everyone focused on the task at hand. And with the most wins of any active coach and three national championships under his belt, why shouldn’t York be at ease in the Frozen Four?

York created a monster when he put Joe Whitney, Brian Gibbons and Cam Atkinson on the same line on a Tuesday night in mid-January. In their 22 games together, they’ve averaged 1.64 goals per game. Atkinson has been particularly beastly. He’s recorded three hat tricks in his last 10 games and is now tied for second in the country with 27 goals on the season. In the regional final against Yale, the trio combined for six goals, four assists and a plus-14 rating.

The only thing scarier than their great top line is the three very good lines that follow it. The next best grouping features two 30-point scorers in Smith and Jimmy Hayes and another 20-point scorer in Chris Kreider. Each member of that line has at least 12 goals. After that is the trio of Paul Carey, Pat Mullane and Steven Whitney, all of whom have reached the 20-point plateau as well. Then there’s the checking line of Price, Lombardi and Barry Almeida, which is used to shut down the opposition’s top threesome. But even that line can score — it has six goals in its last three games.

On March 16, Westmoreland underwent surgery to remove a cavernous malformation in his brain. The 19-year-old spent several days at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix before being cleared to return to Boston to continue his recovery.

A source told the Web site that Rackers was flying to New York on Monday for a meeting Tuesday. He had been in negotiations with the Cardinals before they decided to give Feely a two-year, $3 million contract.

Rackers made 16 of 17 field goals last season while battling a nagging groin injury that cost him two games. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2005 after leading the NFL in field goals attempted (42), field goals made (40) and field-goal percentage (95.2). In his 10 NFL seasons, he has compiled a 78.2 percent conversion rate.

Boston College, Wisconsin, Miami of Ohio and the Rochester Institute of Technology hope to experience the thrill of victory in Detroit at this year’s Frozen Four.

With the games a week away, it’s time to take a look at the top 10 moments in Frozen Four history.

Wisconsin ties Cornell in final seconds

Wisconsin trailed Cornell 5-2 with less than 11 minutes to go in the 1973 semifinals at the old Boston Garden. After the Badgers cut the lead to 5-4 with 3:11 left, Dean Talafous tied the game with just five seconds remaining. Wisconsin went on to win the game 6-5 in overtime and then beat Denver two nights later to win its first national championship.

Denver survives Maine’s 6-on-3

Denver led the 2004 title game at the FleetCenter 1-0 late in the third, but a pair of penalties gave Maine a golden opportunity to tie the game. Maine coach Tim Whitehead pulled his goalie to give the Black Bears a 6-on-3 for 1:18 with less than two minutes left in the game. Maine opened fire, but senior goalie Adam Berkhoel made one save after another — and got some help from the post on one shot — to secure Denver’s first championship in 35 years.

Justin Abdelkader beats BC with late goal

With the 2007 final tied 1-1 in the final minute, Michigan State’s Justin Abdelkader took a pass in the slot and banged it past Boston College goalie Cory Schneider with just 18.9 seconds remaining to give the Spartans their first title in 21 years. It’s the latest go-ahead goal in championship-game history, and it marked the second straight year the Eagles had to settle for the runner-up spot.

(Goal at 2:10)

Maine downs rival UNH in overtime

New Hampshire is notorious for its postseason disappointments, but nothing was more devastating for Wildcats fans than their team’s overtime loss to archrival Maine in the 1999 national championship. Marcus Gustafsson ended UNH’s hopes for its first title when he buried a rebound 10:50 into overtime to give the Black Bears their second championship in seven years.

Krys Kolanos lifts BC over North Dakota

After falling in the title game in two of the previous three seasons, Boston College finally broke through in 2001 to win its first national championship in 52 years. Krys Kolanos netted the game-winner 4:43 into overtime when he raced by two Fighting Sioux defenders and then slid the puck past goalie Karl Goehring while flying through the air.

Harvard shocks Minnesota

After losing in the championship game twice in the previous six seasons, the Crimson finally won their first title in 1989 by beating Minnesota in overtime in front of a partisan St. Paul crowd. Ed Krayer beat 1988 Hobey Baker Award winner Robb Stauber 4:15 into overtime to give Harvard the 4-3 win.

Jim Montgomery’s natural hat trick

Maine was an incredible 41-1-2 entering the 1993 national title game, but the Black Bears found themselves trailing Lake Superior State 4-2 heading into the third period. That’s when Jim Montgomery exploded for three goals in a span of 4:35 (with Hobey Baker winner Paul Kariya assisting on all three) to give Maine a 5-4 lead. The Black Bears hung on for their first championship.

(Comeback starts at 1:40)

Northern Michigan tops BU in wild affair

Neither Northern Michigan nor Boston University had any problem scoring in regulation in the 1991 championship game, as they entered overtime tied 7-7. But then no one scored again until Darryl Plandowski gave the Wildcats their first national title when he took a pass in the slot and beat BU goalie Scott Cashman in the third overtime.

Bowling Green wins longest title game

Gino Cavallini‘s goal celebration says it all. After beating Minnesota-Duluth goalie Rick Kosti with a backhander 7:11 into the fourth overtime, Cavallini simply collapsed to the ice in the corner before being piled on top of by his teammates. The national championship was the first for both Bowling Green and then-head coach, Jerry York.

(Goal at 1:10)

BU’s last-minute comeback

After Miami (Ohio) took what appeared to be a commanding 3-1 lead with just 4:08 remaining in the 2009 title game, Boston University set off some last-minute fireworks. Zach Cohen cut the lead to one with 59.5 seconds left, and then a beautiful deke and pass by Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy set up Nick Bonino‘s tying goal with just 17.4 seconds to go. The Terriers went on to win in overtime when Colby Cohen‘s partially blocked slapper fluttered over goalie Cody Reichard‘s shoulder.

(Comeback starts at 2:50)

Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen is still paying for a mistake he made last season, but the good news is that he's getting closer to righting the ship.

After posting a 1.07 ERA through early June of last season, Delcarmen began feeling pain in his right shoulder. But instead of telling anyone, Delcarmen changed his delivery to take some pressure off the shoulder, according to the Boston Herald. The results were disastrous, as the right-hander's ERA ballooned to 7.08 over his final 40 appearances, ultimately costing him a spot on the playoff roster.

Delcarmen still hasn't completely fixed his mechanics, but he's getting closer. On Monday, he threw 40 pitches in a simulated game, and although his control wasn't great — he threw 26 strikes and 14 balls — his fastball hit 93 mph after being stuck in the 90-91 range most of the spring.

Pitching coach John Farrell told the Herald that the outing was "better" and Delcarmen said that he was "almost there." The Hyde Park, Mass., native will make one more spring training appearance Thursday against the Minnesota Twins.

"[Monday] was really big," Delcarmen told the paper. "Farrell said not to change anything, pretty much. I hope it just carries on to the next time I throw."

Farrell told the Herald that the key to Delcarmen's delivery is when he separates his hands. If he does it at the right moment, his fastball gets more downward movement and greater velocity. If he doesn't, well, ugly things like a 7.08 ERA can happen.

Farrell also wants Delcarmen to be more confident on the mound.

"He's like, 'Dude, I just want you to go in there and get that fiery attitude back that you used to have,'" Delcarmen said. "He wants me to get that attitude like you're going out there and nobody's going to touch you."