BU was able to raise its game

Miami University had a 3-1 lead and the RedHawks could practically taste the NCAA championship they were about to earn over the heavily favored Hockey East champion. But junior left wing Zach Cohen backhanded a shot from just outside the left post with 59.5 seconds remaining to make it 3-2, and sophomore center Nick Bonino brought his team all the way back with 17.4 ticks left on the clock. Bonino, reaping the rewards of senior blue liner Matt Gilroy's deft stickhandling, one-timed Gilroy's pass and scored from the right circle.

The Terriers were, as coach Jack Parker put it, "all jacked up," when they went into the locker room before overtime and needed to calm down a little while the RedHawks were stunned but determined.

At 11:47 of overtime, sophomore defenseman Colby Cohen - he of the booming low slapper - ripped a shot from the left circle. It hit the pads of Miami defenseman Kevin Roeder, popped into the air, and sailed over freshman goaltender Cody Reichard and inside the right post. It was an astonishing end to a historic season for both teams.

The BU seniors, so instrumental in the success of the squad, earned their 100th career victory and the 35 wins in a season (35-6-4) were the most in school history. For Miami it was devastating, but it ultimately will be viewed as a building block for the program, which made it to the Frozen Four for the first time.

Although the win Saturday night, which gave BU its fifth NCAA hockey title and first since 1995, was the one that fans who were fortunate enough to witness will remember forever, there were other turning points in BU's season that led to the Terriers achieving the ultimate prize.

BU was actually fortunate to drop a pair to Vermont at Agganis Arena on Nov. 21 and 22. At the time, the Terriers were 7-2 and coming off a shutout of Northeastern. They were feeling very good about themselves until the smackdown from the Catamounts. Had they not lost those contests, their mind-set while facing Vermont in the Frozen Four might have been altered slightly. Instead, they banked the information and waited until there was another opportunity against the Boys from Burlington, and then they used it in a 5-4 win in the national semis.

Another wakeup call came Jan. 13 in a home loss against Providence. At that point, BU had won the IceBreaker Tournament and the Denver Cup, and three days before facing the Friars the Terriers had throttled Maine, 4-1, at Agganis to run their mark to 14-4-1. But when several players turned in subpar performances against Providence, Parker used his prerogative to bench them in the team's next game against Merrimack. One of those was Colby Cohen, who responded with an excellent game against Boston College Jan. 17 and never looked back.

The only perceived stumble later in the season was after winning the Beanpot title. From Feb. 14-21, the Terriers had three ties in a row - one at Maine and two during a home-and-home series with Northeastern. From there, it looked like BU would run the table all the way to the national title. In the final four regular-season contests, BU went 4-0 and outscored opponents by a 24-7 margin. Enter Maine.

The young Black Bears embarrassed the Terriers, 6-3, at Agganis in the second game of the league quarterfinals, tying the series at a game apiece and giving BU a boot in the behind. The team rebounded strongly in the deciding contest, 6-2, to advance to the semifinals, where the games were tighter than tight. The Terriers edged BC, 3-2, at TD Banknorth Garden and won the Hockey East tournament with a 1-0 victory over UMass-Lowell.

The only blowout in the NCAAs came March 28 in the Northeast Regional semifinal when BU rolled past Ohio State, 8-3. The next night, in the final against New Hampshire, freshman goaltender Kieran Millan saved his squad in a 2-1 win, setting the stage for the Frozen Four heroics.

Now, for the BU coaches, players, and fans, it's time to look back and savor the journey, the results, and the inspiring 2008-09 campaign that resulted in the most extraordinary of championships.

"I think the way we did it might give Coach a heart attack," said Gilroy, who was named the Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Friday night. "But I wouldn't want it any other way. The dramatics of it. I'm still in awe over it and it's a great feeling."

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell can be reached at marrapese@globe.com.