I have a few comments and notes on that upset win last night:
 
    It was the first time a #1 seed had lost in the first round in Hockey East
    history.  The previous high seed to lose in the first playoff game was
    Lowell in the 1987 semifinal to Maine.  Before Merrimack entered the
    league last year, the #1 seed got a bye to the semifinals, but they always
    won their semifinal matchup.
 
    The previous low seed to lose in the first round was #6 Providence in 1988
    over #3 BU in a two-game total goals series.
 
    The lowest seeds to ever make the championship game are #3 Providence in
    1985 (defeated #1 BC in double overtime, 2-1) and #3 Maine in 1987 (lost to
    #1 BC, 4-2).
 
    In Division I history, only two other #8 seeds have won their first round
    matchups (against a #1 seed); both came in the ECACs.  In 1974, #8 RPI
    defeated #1 UNH, 7-6 in overtime, and then lost to #2 Harvard in the
    semifinals, 7-2.  In 1980, #8 Cornell defeated #1 Boston College (!) 5-1
    and went on to defeat #2 Providence in the semifinals, 5-2, and #3
    Dartmouth, 5-1, for the ECAC Championship (truly remarkable).
 
    BC was 17-0 at home before the game and had won their last 18 at home,
    with Minnesota winning 2-1 on 3/24/90.  The last Hockey East team to win
    at BC was Merrimack on 3/4/90, 6-3 in Game 2 of the Hockey East
    Quarterfinals.  BC had won the last six games against Northeastern, who
    had only won one game in Conte Forum since it was opened - 3-2 on 10/31/89
    (Huskies were 1-5, including losses to Maine and Providence in the 1989 HE
    Final Four).
 
    Northeastern is 8-24-2 but has won 4 of its last 6 games.
 
Kap writes:
> People have been saying all year that this Husky team is
> more talented than its record would indicate.
 
    This is true; as big an upset as it was, Northeastern is a talented team
    and really should have done better than they did this year.  They fell
    into the cellar in a hurry and just didn't care how they did afterwards.
    Early in February, one NU person told me that the Huskies, then 4-21-2,
    really only had three games left in their season: the Beanpot and the
    quarterfinals.  NU has long been a team that can win games it gets up
    for, no matter who the opponent - but they also lost many games they
    should have won back in 1987-88.  They are a real Jekyll and Hyde team.
 
    I guess this win goes to show just how solid from top-to-bottom HE is...
 
    I also think this win saved Coach Don McKenney's job.  It will be hard to
    get rid of a coach whose team goes at least to the semifinals.  Rumors
    had been that the entire staff was on its way out.
 
>                                       NU tried a new different
> strategy last night, having both defensemen stand up at their
> own blue line,
 
    You're right - that IS a new strategy for the Huskies :-).  They have been
    masters of the matador defense this season.  But last night, they defensed
    the BC power play (1/7) very well and allowed few chances from in front.
    Yet, by my count ALL of NU's goals were from the quality-shot range.  Did
    this game remind anyone of BC's loss to BU in the Beanpot?
 
    If I am correct and BC does still get a bye in the NCAAs, they will end up
    being off for three weeks.  Considering that, I wouldn't mind going to
    BC if I was an opponent.
 
>                          Then at 3:57 Emma became the all-time career
> goals leader in BC history (111), surpassing Joey Mullan,
 
    Emma now leads BC in career goals, assists, and points.  Then again, how
    many other players have stayed at BC long enough to rack up that kind of
    numbers? :-)
 
> Coach Len Ceglarski and captain David Emma must have had some "inspiring"
> words for the Eagles between periods because they came out at the start of
> the third and skated like a team that is ranked 3rd in the nation should.
 
    Emma said on tv in between periods that he thought they would come out
    shooting.  They ended up with 8 shots in the period and 28 in the game,
    unlike the Beanpot when they put 56 on Cole.
 
    Yes, Mr Hobey did get his hat trick, but after that where was he?  Did
    he even play the last 19:45 of the third period? [ :-) ]
 
    LaPlante was my star of the game with two goals and three assists.  His
    line wreaked havoc all night long.  You see, NU really has no offensive
    strategy :-), the forwards just wheel and deal in the zone, and that
    makes it hard for a somewhat disciplined team like BC to defense them
    when even the Huskies themselves don't know what they are going to do.
 
    Northeastern has gone most of the season taking early leads, then
    losing.  I wonder when the last time was they came from behind in the
    third period to win a game.  I don't think it was this season.
 
    General consensus was that for NU to have a shot, a key would be goalie
    Tom Cole.  Cole didn't play badly, allowing by my record one bad goal,
    but the difference was his defense tightening up in front when they had to.
    Except for the short stretch where BC got three straight goals late in
    the second and 15 seconds into the third, NU allowed very few quality
    scoring opportunities, and as long as they do that, they can beat anyone.
 
    Anyone want to bet the best-of-three makes a comeback next year?
 
 
    - mike