BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer
Playing in the national spotlight seems to sit fine with Boston College goalie Joe Pearce.
The former standout goalie for Brick Township and his mates are playing in the Frozen Four again this year, gunning for a return trip to the NCAA championship. The Eagles take on the University of North Dakota in the semifinals in St. Louis tonight at 8 p.m. in a game that will be carried live on ESPN2.
“It’s pretty exciting getting out there again,” said the 6-foot-4 goalie who backs up standout Cory Schneider. “It seems like we’re getting to the Frozen Four every year.
“And playing North Dakota is a nice rivalry. They’re a friendlier foe,” he said.
For Pearce, it is his third straight season that he is on a team that has reached the Frozen Four. Boston College three years ago lost to Maine in the semifinals in Boston. Pearce took the following season off to focus more time on schoolwork and enjoying campus life and returned last season to a team that lost to Wisconsin, 2-1, in the finals. Boston College last year edged out North Dakota, 6-5, in the semifinals.
“It’s just playing another game,” said Pearce. “The only difference is that it’s on a bigger stage.”
In the other semifinal on Thursday at 4 p.m., the University of Maine, which plays in Hockey East with champion Boston College, takes on Michigan State. The winner comes back on Saturday night for the national championship.
But Pearce said it is not necessarily a familiar opponent, even schematically, as the two teams collide in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year and sixth time since 1999. Boston College has a 3-2 edge in that stretch, including two national championship matchups. In those games, Boston College won 3-2 in overtime in 2001 in Albany, N.Y., for the school’s second national title, and lost 4-2 the previous year in Providence, R.I.
“Familiar, not really,” said Pearce. “They’re a mostly different team and we have different guys. There are different factors. We’re doing a lot of film work.”
Boston College comes into the game ranked No. 4 in the nation at 28-11-1 and is riding a 12-game winning streak, the longest in the nation by any team this season. Boston College won the Hockey East tournament over New Hampshire, avenging in the semifinals a loss to Boston University (BU) in the popular Beanpot championship game in Boston.
Another Brick player, Kevin Kielt, played on the BU team that lost its NCAA Tournament opener to Michigan State, 5-1. BU, which was ranked No. 8 in the nation, finished 20-10-9.
North Dakota this season won the Western Collegiate Hockey Association championship.
Pearce said having been in the final game last season and teammates such as Schneider who have been there is a help for this game.
“We have confidence,” said Pearce, who will be ready if called upon. He has been on the ice three times this season with one goal allowed – to Notre Dame, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation for much of the season.
“We’ve had a week-and-a-half off and we’re keeping practices short and upbeat,” said Pearce. “We’re still getting a lot accomplished to stay fresh. We don’t have to worry about x’s and o’s at this point, just staying sharp.”
Boston College ripped through its opening-round games in the field of 16, rolling by St. Lawrence, 4-1, and Miami of Ohio, 4-0, as Schneider recorded his sixth shutout of the season. The Eagles are 32-36 in 27 NCAA Tournament appearances that ended seven times in the Frozen Four. They are an impressive 19-7 under current coach Jerry York.
“We have to just stick to the basics, simple hockey and not too crazy,” said Pearce. “We have to grind it out and not put the puck in too deep.
“It should be a lot of fun for the fans to watch,” said Pearce.