In 2008-09, the Eagles failed to reach their expectations, missing the NCAA Tournament in an unsuccessful defense of their national championship. This season, though, BC rebounded with a truly impressive march to its second title in three years.
"You go from the highest high to one of the lowest lows to back up there," BC senior assistant captain Ben Smith said after Saturday's 5-0 victory against Wisconsin. "It's been quite a journey. I think one of the biggest things was junior year and just not making the tournament. That was the biggest disappointment. We were back on edge, and we really had the motivation to get back here to do this."
It's tough to quantify which season was more surprising — BC's poor year in 2008-09 or its stunning emergence to dominate its way to another championship in 2009-10. After getting back to the top, though, the Eagles allowed themselves to be more reflective of the two-year journey that led them there.
"I can say this now because we won," Smith said. "We lost that edge a little bit. We lost that [mentality of], 'We're going to win this thing. We're going to do it.' I think it could have been the best thing for us. It was tough to lose those seniors, but it was probably the best thing for this 2009-2010 team to have that disappointment. We were back on edge. We worked hard, and here we are."
As gratifying as a national championship can be, it's proven recently that it will turn into a brutal obstacle in the following season. Boston University suffered the same meltdown this year, and after BU's season-ending defeat in the Hockey East tournament, coach Jack Parker lashed out at his team's inconsistency, grand sense of satisfaction and unwillingness to go all out on a nightly basis. While the Terriers had the talent to repeat, their desire to do so was poor.
Parker also mentioned how BC coach Jerry York relayed the same message one season prior.
Now that the Eagles have gone through this three-year roller coaster ride, they believe they're conditioned to avoid a letdown in 2010-11.
"We might have lost some of our motivation," junior forward Brian Gibbons said. "After winning a championship, we might have been satisfied in the offseason, not think you have to work as hard as you do. I think it will be important for this year's team to learn from that, work just as hard this offseason and come back ready next year because we don't want to be out of the tournament."
Gibbons spoke of a desperation they played with in 2007-08. The Eagles had fallen in the national championship in their two previous seasons — the 2007 defeat to heavy underdog Michigan State was particularly difficult to stomach — and BC's dedication and urgency was unmatched. Each of those traits was absent last season.
"[The seniors] expected to get there and win it [in 2007-08]," Gibbons said. "You wanted to win it for them. All year, us freshmen went out, and we wanted to play for the older guys, get them a trophy. Last year was a disappointing year. Nothing went our way, but we wanted to use it as motivation all offseason and all summer to work hard. We wanted to get back into the tournament because we knew if we were in the tournament, we had a chance at winning it."
BC's rededication this season was apparent. Outside expectations weren't all that high for a team that only had seven players from the 2008 title squad and a number of freshmen and sophomores who were relatively unproven. Plus, junior goalie John Muse was coming back from offseason hip surgery and spent two months on crutches over the summer.
The talent was abound, but it's hardly ever possible to forecast a young team's winning mentality. Surely, guys like Smith, Gibbons, Muse, seniors Matt Price, Matt Lombardi and Carl Sneep and junior Joe Whitney have proven their ability. But to be successful by national standards, the Eagles needed serious contributions from sophomores Cam Atkinson and Jimmy Hayes, along with freshmen Chris Kreider, Pat Mullane, Brian Dumoulin and Philip Samuelsson.
"At the beginning and midpoint of the season, we were still a really young team," said Kreider, who turned the corner after winning the gold medal with the American World Juniors team. "We didn't really have an identity yet. We were still learning, still growing. I don't know when we figured it out. It might have been when we made the line changes [in early January]. Our leaders just took the reins and made it that much easier for us. If it hadn't been for them, we'd probably still be adjusting, and we wouldn't be playing right now. We've had tremendous leadership, and at some point, it clicked. Everything just fell into place."
Starting last summer, Price, the team captain, urged togetherness and a family atmosphere. Lombardi was also instrumental, constantly implementing new ways to employ leadership and orchestrate team conformity.
The roster grew together and took shape throughout the regular season, and they gained invaluable experience during their games at Fenway Park and in the Beanpot. BC's improvements were noticeable, and it went 12-0-1 in its final 13 games, displaying a powerhouse offense and a level of depth that destroyed its opposition in the third period of nearly every postseason game.
For that, it might have been York's finest coaching accomplishment.
Yet, next season will be even more difficult. York has won three national titles in the last 10 years –more than any team in the country — but his teams have missed the NCAA Tournament in the season following two of those title runs. This time, the Eagles might be set up with their best opportunity to repeat, and it's already gotten that locker room buzzing about next season.
"That's the hope that there are no lapses like there were in 2002 for BC and also in 2009," Smith said. "I'll be cheering them on from wherever I am."
