Penguins coaches reflect on epic win
Played on NCAA champion 20 years ago
J.D. Forrest and Ty Hennes sat stunned and silent inside the locker room at Pepsi Arena in Albany, N.Y., waiting to see how the upperclassmen would respond.
The Boston College Eagles were back at the Frozen Four in 2001 after crushing playoff defeats the previous three years. That Saturday night, they let the elusive NCAA championship slip through their mitts again. They blew a late 2-0 lead to North Dakota, which had defeated them in the NCAA final a year earlier.
Hennes and Forrest, current Penguins coaches, were wide-eyed freshmen then. “We had such a great group of seniors,” Forrest said. “I clearly remember sitting there in the locker room thinking, ‘We can’t let it happen to these guys again.’ ”
Finally, Rob Scuderi and other seniors spoke up. One of them was Marty Hughes, whose emotional words still give Hennes goose bumps all these years later.
What happened next would end a 52-year drought for Boston College, solidify Jerry York’s reputation as one of the greatest coaches of all time and give college hockey fans one of the most memorable moments in Frozen Four history.
That championship run and the rest of their time at B.C. also instilled leadership lessons and a winning mentality in four young men who over the next two decades would help the Penguins win the Stanley Cup three times.
Meeting the team
Growing up outside Seattle, Hennes watched the Frozen Four, which he calls the “Mecca of college hockey,” on television every year. As he started getting interest from colleges, one coach who kept showing up on his TV screen was York.
During the 1999-2000 season, York invited Hennes to Boston for an official visit. “It was a rainy day and he had the trench coat and the top hat and the umbrella,” said Hennes, who is now the Penguins skills development coach said. “It was like walking around campus with the Godfather.”
Hennes and Forrest have vivid memories
of their first dry-land workouts with the Eagles, whose crew of upperclassmen included junior Brooks Orpik, the bruising blue-liner who had been drafted by the Penguins in the first round in 2000.
“I remember the first day, when we got on the track to run. It was a hot day. We had to do our 300-yard shuttle test. And all of the older guys took their shirts off,” said Hennes, starting to chuckle. “I remember all of us freshmen at the back of the line thinking, ‘Holy [expletive]. Is this the football team or the hockey team?’ ”
The Eagles were stacked. Forward Brian Gionta was a Hobey Baker finalist. Orpik and Scuderi were their top defensive pair.
Scott Clemmensen, a future NHL player, started in goal. Future Penguins Ben Eaves and Chuck Kobasew were on that team, too.
“We had some very high-end college hockey players that season,” said Scuderi, now an assistant coach for the Nashville Predators. “We were consistently very good the entire year. I can’t remember us going through any extended slump.”
In February, B.C. beat Boston University to win its first Beanpot tournament since 1994.
“Looking back on it, I still think some of the Boston guys were more excited to win the Beanpot than when we won the national championship,” Hennes said.
The tipping point
The Beanpot title propelled the Eagles into what Hennes called “trophy-hunting season.” They powered into the Hockey East championship and punched their ticket to Albany. It was their fourth Frozen Four in a row.
In the previous three years, the Eagles couldn’t get over the hump. Twice, they lost in the championship, including an overtime heartbreaker in 1998.
In the semifinals, they avenged that loss to Michigan, setting up a title game rematch
(PPG Paints Arena)
Matchup: St. Cloud State Huskies (20-10) vs. Massachusetts
Minutemen (19-5-4), PPG Paints Arena.
TV: 7 p.m. Saturday, ESPN.
Key players: Massachusetts F Carson Gicewicz and G Filip Lindberg -- The Minutemen’s leading goal scorer (17 in 27 games) and starter in net, respectively, were cleared to travel to Pittsburgh after missing the semifinal due to COVID-related protocols. ... Massachusetts G Matt Murray -- if Lindberg doesn’t produce a negative test on Saturday, Murray, the program’s wins recordholder (51), will start. ... St. Cloud State F Nolan Walker -- Tied for the team lead in points on the season, Walker has four assists and two goals in three NCAA tournament games, including the semifinal-winning redirect with 53 seconds left in regulation. Noteworthy: Both teams are pursuing their first national title after Massachusetts knocked out two-time defending champion Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State stunned Minnesota State. ... Ten of St. Cloud State’s 20 wins have been by one goal, including its semifinal comeback. ... Massachusetts hasn’t lost in its past 13 games, with Lindberg in net for all of them but Thursday’s semifinal.