ST. LOUIS — Winning a national championship game is exhilarating. Losing one is agonizing.
Jay Pandolfo did both as a player at Boston University, falling short against Lake Superior State in 1994 before getting the trophy against Maine a year later.
The difference? Pandolfo struggled to find words adequate to describe it.
“There’s nothing better than winning and there’s nothing worse than losing,” Pandolfo said Friday. “I’ve been on both sides of it. When you lose, you think of everything that maybe you could have done different to help find a way to win a game. When you win, you’re so excited. The feelings are so much different.”
Boston University and Western Michigan will play Saturday at Enterprise Center for the right to have the positive side of the final game of the NCAA hockey season (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN2).
The Terriers (24-13-2) are in the championship game for the first time since 2015, when they lost to Providence in Boston. They’re looking for their sixth title, first since 2009 and only the second since Pandolfo helped win the 1995 crown in Providence.
He looked back fondly on the bus ride home that night.
“It was so much fun with your teammates, guys you spend so much time with day in, day out, your best friends,” Pandolfo said. “The bus ride was something I’ll never forget. That’s what you get at this level. It’s different than the pro level.”
Western Michigan (33-7-1) doesn’t have that kind of experience to reflect on heading into the championship game. It’s just starting to write its Frozen Four history.
But the Broncos can complete a sweep of conference and national championships this season. They won the NCHC regular-season and tournament titles and have set a program record for wins in a season.
“We’ve earned the right to be in this moment,” Broncos coach Pat Ferschweiler said. “We’ve earned the right to play for the championship, so we’re excited about that. We’re going to focus on being the best version of the Broncos we can and not worry about outcomes until after the game.”
Saturday will be the third NCAA championship game played in St. Louis, and a team from Michigan has won the first two: Michigan Tech against Minnesota in 1975 and Michigan State against Boston College in 2007.
The Broncos have built a solid resume through the season, ranking in the top six nationally in offense, defense, power play and penalty kill. The Terriers have the fourth-best offense but are below average in defense (33rd) and penalty kill (37th).
There’s little chance of either team playing a perfect game Saturday to skate away with the trophy but there are ways of understanding what kind of style benefits each side.
“Us playing to the best of our ability would be us just playing north,” Western Michigan forward Grant Slukynsky said. “We preach that. That’s getting the puck and going to the other end as quick as possible, not spending a ton of time in our own zone, defending quickly. Being hard on their top players.”
Slukynsky, who’s tied for second on the Broncos behind Alex Bump in scoring with 36 points, said BU’s 6-foot-5 freshman goalie Mikhail Yegorov poses a challenge that requires getting bodies in front of the net.
“In these tight playoff games, sometimes the goals aren’t the prettiest,” Slukynsky said. “I know we had some nice shots (Thursday) night. But just getting pucks to net when possible and finishing our chances.”
Boston University’s preferred style uses a quick pace bolstered by skilled skaters.
“We’re a really skilled team, a lot of fast players,” Terriers forward Ryan Greene said. “So I think when we’re able to be good in transition and we’re making plays in the offensive zone, I think that’s tough to contain and I think that’s when we’re at our best.”
The Terriers are expecting to see a heavier, structured Western Michigan team on the other side Saturday.
“So I think if we can blend that skill and speed game with a structured and physical game as well, similar to Cornell (in the regional final), I think we’ll get a good result,” Greene said.
Only one of them will get the result they’ve hoped for all season.
