BC's fourth-liners also showstoppers

Boston College forward Andrew Orpik celebrates his goal over the University of North Dakota with an assist from linemate Kyle Kucharski (rear) in Thursday's Frozen Four semifinal. (John Bohn/Globe Staff)

DENVER - There's not really much diversity among the players on the Boston College hockey team: They're all good.

As the Eagles have soared and slipped through a 24-11-8 season, coasting and cresting on the scoring pizzazz and occasional scoring pffft of Nathan Gerbe, Joe Whitney, and the rest of the headline hogs, as well as the cool-as-a-cucumber goaltending of John Muse, the last line of Matt Lombardi, Andrew Orpik, and Kyle Kucharski has developed into a force that can't be left out. They may play a supporting role, but they have the ability to steal the show.

BC coach Jerry York won't call the combination the fourth line, because he doesn't like the term, but it is true this trio is not the first line, or the second, or the third. BC plays Notre Dame tonight with the national championship on the line, and the coach has confidence in every line, including the one with Lombardi of Milton, Mass., at center, flanked by Kucharski of Saugus, Mass., and Orpik of East Amherst, N.Y.

"Early in the season, they were a stopgap," said York. "It was, 'Give me 30 seconds while I rest my other lines.' As the season progressed, they were doing pretty well with that 30 seconds."

By playing their role well, they made it bigger.

"They took their minutes," said York, "and all of a sudden, they're quality minutes. I said, 'Geez, they're playing seven minutes a game, we've got to get more minutes out of them.' I said, 'When they get more ice time, they're impacting our game.' They're physical players, they're strong, and that's really made us a much better team."

York called Kucharski and Orpik, both 6 feet 3 inches, bookends around the 5-11 Lombardi. All three like to hit hard. "They use their bodies very well," said York.

"We're all pretty big," said Kucharski. "We cycle the puck and maintain control of the puck in the offensive zone and just wear teams down. Orps got a big goal early there and all three guys were hitting guys and playing a good defensive game and that's what we need to do."

Anything can shake loose with a well-timed hit. Orpik scored BC's first goal in its 6-1 semifinal victory over North Dakota Thursday, set up by Kucharski, before the natural scorers - Gerbe, Ben Smith, and Dan Bertram - took over.

"The older you get, you understand your star players are going to get the most attention, and we understand that," said Orpik, who is tied for ninth in team scoring with 13 points (seven goals). "The older you get, the more you understand what a role player is. Nate's role on this team is to score goals. Our job is to get the puck down low, be physical on the ice, not get scored on, be a good defensive line, and try and throw some bodies around. The way we play, we know we're not going to be in the spotlight, and that's fine with us."

The fact is, BC has just one "spare" player - Joe Adams, who can play forward or defense, which is a good thing because he's the only replacement part available.

"He's not really looked at as an extra forward," said Lombardi. "He's been just as important to the team as anybody."

The Eagles are a tight bunch, and they have to be. After losing four expected key players before the season (goalie Cory Schneider to the pros, Brock Bradford to injury, Brett Motherwell and Brian O'Hanley to disciplinary dismissal), the Eagles have made what they have work.

"You always try to stay healthy," said York. "[When everyone plays], it helps boost team camaraderie and you get more reps in practice, but it's a scary proposition."

The three Eagles on the last line knew each other before they got to The Heights. Lombardi, who went to Governor Dummer, and Kucharski, who went to Phillips Andover, are local boys, and Orpik spent his senior year at Thayer Academy. They are part of BC's Massachusetts contingent that is nine players strong.

"You want to see Massachusetts kids do well compared to, like, Michigan and Minnesota kids," admitted Kucharski (3-6 -9). "I loved it, growing up and playing in Massachusetts. I know a lot of the kids I played with are playing D1 now and D3, playing college hockey. You grow up in Boston, you want to play in Boston."

"It's definitely a sense of pride to see a lot of those guys playing for Boston College," said Lombardi (1-3 -4). "I've always had my heart set on BC. My dad's a BC graduate and that was my goal as a kid."

Now the goal is a national championship, and the Eagles expect contributions from the entire lineup.

"With the group of guys this year, it's a team," said Orpik. "Everyone knows it, everyone's just as valuable as everyone else. That makes it that much easier to not be in the spotlight. You look at our best player: Nate. There's no ego whatsoever, he's the nicest kid on the team."

It's experience, not ego, that the Eagles want to spotlight.

"There's no jitters in us this time, there's no nervousness," Lombardi said. "We're focused on what we have to do.

"I think last year there was a little more nervousness and this year it's more like nervous-excited. There's a little more confidence this year. I think that's a major part of it. There's a lot of experience."

Barbara Matson can be reached at matson@globe.com.