ESPN

NEWTON, Mass. -- As far as Steve Addazio is concerned, there’s no room for “my bad” at Boston College.

The new coach of the Eagles, one of the last people off the Alumni Stadium field on Thursday after practice, said he’s encouraged with how the players have responded so far this spring. But he knows there’s a long, long way to go.

As the team went through scrimmage situations late in the day’s session, shadows creeping farther and farther across the turf, the energy level was noticeably different from years past. Players on the sidelines were shouting encouragement to teammates on the field. Coaches were shouting instructions and exhortations, and voicing their pleasure (or displeasure) with results as they happened.

“I think it’s important that there’s energy, that there’s passion, there’s energy and they’re holding each other accountable,” Addazio said afterward about the noise level. “There’s no such thing as my bad. You gotta count on the guy on your left and the guy on your right, and they’ve gotta perform, when their number’s called they’ve gotta get the job done.

“Not being able to just brush off, ‘Oh, yeah, I made a mistake.’ Well that’s not acceptable. Can’t have that. It’s a fine line in football. It’s creating that atmosphere, and putting that pressure on and finding out who can really make a play when the pressure’s really on.”

For a program coming off a 2-10 finish, changing the mindset is important. So far Addazio has been pleased with the players’ attitudes.

“It’s important,” he said of seeing the offense and defense competing as hard as they did Thursday. “We’re trying to reestablish [a mindset of] winning is all that matters and losing is not tolerable. You’ve gotta fight for every inch, for every win. And how hard it is, how fragile it is to win a major college football game.

“We have to get back into that mindset, because we’ve had two years when we have not been bowl eligible. This is all about changing that and establishing that atmosphere. This is just the start.”

Asked where the team is in the process of installing new offensive and defensive systems, Addazio said the focus this spring is more fundamental than that.

“We don’t really know exactly which system it’s gonna be,” the coach said. “We’re really hunting and pecking to find our identity right now. It’s hard to know [what system you’ll run] until you really see what you have and what you can do. I know we can run some power football.”

Addazio said the staff is still figuring out how best to deploy the personnel at its disposal.

“We’ve got a lot of ball left to go. This was practice seven,” he said with a short laugh. “We’ve got a long way to go. But I like the attitude, I like the effort, I like where we’re headed. I really do. I do. I’d like to get a little bit more explosive, make a few more plays. Although we made a few today, [Alex] Amidon had a few today.”

The last hour of practice was devoted to game situations, complete with officials and down-and-distance markers. In one sequence, Amidon caught a ball from the left slot and exploded up the left side for a touchdown.

His offensive teammates chased him, cheering, all the way to the end zone to celebrate the practice score.

And later, when Sean Sylvia delivered a hit that produced a loud “Pop” of pad-on-pad, it was the defense‘s turn to turn up the volume.

It’s instances like those that have Addazio excited. But the veteran coach isn’t getting ahead of himself.

“I’m realistic about where we are,” he said. “I know where we need to be, and we’re not there. But I like our effort. I like our willingness, I like our energy.

“I know where we are, though, we’ve got a long way to go,” he said, with another short laugh. “But I like the fact that we’re scratching and clawing to get there. And my experience is we’ll get there.

“I don’t have a time clock on it. We’ll just keep working, building this thing the right way: on a good foundation of physical toughness and accountability.”

There’s no more room for “my bad” in Chestnut Hill, and that can only be a good thing.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

When UMass Lowell coach Norm Bazin sat before the media alongside players Connor Hellebuyck, Chad Ruhwedel and Scott Wilson on Saturday, the second-year bench boss looked almost bewildered.

"It's almost like a surreal experience for us," Bazin said after his River Hawks dispatched the New Hampshire Wildcats, securing Lowell's spot in the Frozen Four for the first time in school history.

Don't believe it. Bazin knows exactly what he's doing, and that's a credit to not only Bazin, but the school administrators who believed this Hockey East also-ran could rise from its old mill city surroundings and be a force in college hockey. Bazin began molding this team to be a winner from the moment he left Hamilton College (where he crafted a 48-31-7 mark in three seasons) and returned to his alma mater two years ago.

"He came in and he believed in us from day one, and he got us to believe in each other as well and he instilled some great work habits for everybody," said junior Josh Holmstrom, who was a freshman on the 2010-11 Lowell squad that went 5-25-4. "Every day that we come to the rink, we're trying to get better. That's been the goal the past two years. We didn't have anything really set in stone [as far as goals]. It was improve every day, and the results will take care of themselves. That's been one of the biggest things that he's taught everybody on the team -- just always work and try to get better every day."

Bazin not only has registered the best two-year win total ever at Lowell (52), but he has done it against a tough backdrop. Some state university trustees openly questioned whether the school should have a Division I hockey team as recently as 2007 (when the River Hawks went 8-21-7). That was before chancellor Marty Meehan -- a Lowell native and former U.S. congressman -- took the reins and empowered athletic director Dana Skinner to bolster the hockey program.

Former coach Blaise MacDonald did a commendable job, compiling winning records in 2008-09 and 2009-10, and recruited a number of the players who are now leading the current Lowell squad, including captain Riley Wetmore. However, the disastrous 2010-11 campaign resulted in MacDonald's ouster, and Bazin was brought home.

"We've got an outstanding school. I am very fortunate to be working at UMass Lowell," said Bazin, who graduated from Lowell in 1994. "We might be the storefront for the program, however there are so many exciting changes happening on campus. The tagline is 'progress in motion,' and that applies to the hockey club also."

Bazin and his River Hawks wasted little time putting Lowell back on the map, earning the program's first NCAA bid since 1996 with a 24-13-1 mark last season. They defeated Miami (Ohio) before falling to Union in the East Regional. This season, riding the momentum of a best-in-the-nation 22-3-1 stretch since Christmas, the River Hawks have taken the next step and are preparing to meet Yale in Pittsburgh on April 11.

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MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The UMass Lowell River Hawks prolonged decades of frustration for New Hampshire hockey fans, ending the Wildcats season with a 2-0 victory in the NCAA Northeast Regional final before 8,357 at the Verizon Wireless Center on Saturday.

In the first-ever meeting between the schools in the NCAA tournament, the top-seeded River Hawks (28-10-2) upended a game-but-undermanned Wildcats squad (20-12-7), and they did it with a stifling defense and clutch scoring. The Lowell victory avenges three losses to UNH during the Hockey East regular season and guarantees the program's first-ever trip to the Frozen Four. They'll square off against the Yale Bulldogs in Pittsburgh on April 11.

The win was particularly sweet for second-year River Hawks coach Norm Bazin, who was on the 1994 Lowell team that was denied a chance to get to the Frozen Four, losing to Minnesota in double overtime, 2-1, in the regional finals at Michigan State. The current Lowell squad, said Bazin, is capable of creating its own legacy.

"I think this team is starting to show people that they're capable of something special," he said. "And we hope this continues."

Lowell goaltender Connor Hellebuyck again was a wall for the River Hawks, stopping 28 shots to record his second shutout of the postseason (sixth of the season) and capture Most Outstanding Player honors for the regional. In six playoff games since the end of the end of the regular season -- all victories -- the freshman from Michigan has given up a grand total of five goals, and only two in his last four.

"Connor's an exceptional goalie. Obviously, he's had two great weekends, and he's been strong most of the second half," said Bazin, noting that he has the luxury of two superb goaltenders in Hellebuyck and junior Doug Carr. "You don't get very far, and you certainly don't get to a final four, without great goaltending. And he's been providing that."

Meanwhile, UNH -- known derisively in some circles as the University of No Hardware -- suffered another bitter NCAA exit, and will have another offseason to contemplate what went wrong. It was the fifth straight time the Wildcats have lost in the regional final (2005, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013).

"We've been here one too many times, in this situation, where we won the first game and then lost," said UNH captain Connor Hardowa. "A lot of credit to [Lowell]. They played an unbelievable game. They forced us to dump pucks when we didn't want to, and made it hard for us to break the puck out.

"I thought we played a pretty good game," said Hardowa. "There were just a couple of mistakes here and there that cost us the game, and that's just how the game goes. In this tournament, you make one mistake, it costs you the season."

After exploding for a combined 11 goals in their two semifinal wins on Friday, the River Hawks and Wildcats locked in a defensive struggle for the first 39 minutes. Then, with 30 seconds remaining in the second period, the tide turned dramatically in favor of the River Hawks. UML defender Chad Ruhwedel fired a shot from the right point, which caromed off the backboards to sophomore Scott Wilson. Wilson saw his first chip shot blocked, but he collected his own rebound and tucked it past UNH goaltender Casey DeSmith for a 1-0 Lowell lead.

"It was something we actually pre-scouted," said Bazin. "We felt that [DeSmith] was vulnerable from underneath the goal line. Whether it's true or not, we were aiming to get pucks down low. They've got such a good defensive corps, we didn't get that opportunity too many times tonight. Sometimes it works as you scripted it.

"On that goal, we certainly were aiming for that all game long, and it finally happened for us."

The Wildcats started the game behind the 8-ball, having lost top scorer Kevin Goumas (42 points) and top goal-getter Grayson Downing (15 tallies) to injuries in Friday's opening match against Denver. Still, UNH had the best early chance, with freshman Collin MacDonald narrowly missing a tap-in just minutes into the contest. For the remainder of the period, Lowell kept the Wildcats to the outside, giving Hellebuyck an unobstructed view, until UNH's Austin Block got a last-chance bid with less than 10 seconds remaining that skittered just wide.

"They play a really tough game," said UNH's John Henrion. "They strive off their forecheck. Anything in the neutral zone gets deep. It's tough for our defensemen, as it would be for any team to constantly have to go back and fetch pucks. And from there, they get on the puck. They forecheck hard."

The middle stanza produced more of the same, with both teams employing a grinding, responsible defensive style, and few first-rate scoring chances. Shots that did get through were either gobbled up or easily deflected by Hellebuyck and DeSmith. With almost 14 minutes gone, UNH's Jay Camper was set up nicely inside the right face-off circle by freshman Dan Correale, but his one-timer was blocked by Hellebuyck's right arm.

Lowell's Josh Holmstrom was got the puck between the hash marks two minutes later, but misfired on his shot and failed to put the puck on net. Finally, Wilson broke the deadlock at 19:30, finishing off a 20-second Lowell flurry. Collecting the puck at the left corner of the crease, Wilson snapped a shot that DeSmith blocked. But the sophomore from Ontario jumped on the rebound, and slipped in past the sprawling UNH netminder to give Lowell the game's first lead.

Wilson's strike was a foreboding harbinger for the Wildcats, who had managed only a 7-9-4 record when surrendering the game's first goal (compared to a 13-2-2 mark when taking the lead). The Wildcats ramped up the pressure in the third period, only to see the River Hawks match their intensity. Specifically, the Lowell forwards were tenacious in their backchecking, rarely giving their UNH counterparts any room to move and constantly harassing the Wildcats defenders.

"Discipline has really been a key word for us this season," said Ruhwedel, a junior assistant captain. "I think our team has really showed true character, and tonight was definitely one of those games."

At 13:58 Lowell freshman Adam Chapie gave the River Hawks some breathing room. Picking up the puck at his own blue line, Chapie drove down the left wing, getting position on UNH's Brett Kostolansky. Just as DeSmith attempted a poke check, Chapie flipped the puck underneath the right arm of the UNH netminder, giving Lowell a 2-0 lead.

"It was a big goal for us. He's somebody, oddly enough, who seems to flourish in tough situations," said Bazin. "He seems to excel along the wall. Credit to him, he doesn't quit on pucks. That was a big goal to add to our cushion, because a one-goal lead against UNH isn't very settling when you're a coach standing behind the bench."

The Wildcats threw caution to the wind with 2:47 remaining, pulling DeSmith for the extra attacker. In the last minute, UNH stormed the Lowell defensive zone, but Dick Umile's troops couldn't get a puck past Hellebuyck.

"He's a big boy," said Umile. "Obviously, we saw two pretty talented goaltenders in our last games in [Hellebuyck and Providence freshman John] Gillies. I'm going to have nightmares about the two of them. It's a big difference when they're that big and that quick.

"He just towers over the net," said the UNH bench boss. "He reminds me of my old days, and Kenny Dryden. He's that type of goaltender."

Next stop for the Lowell freight train? Pittsburgh.

"We'll let these guys enjoy it for a night, but that's about it," said Bazin. "Then we'll get back to work."

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- One of the refrains repeated by UMass Lowell River Hawks coach Norm Bazin during last week's Hockey East finals was simple but direct: "Why not Lowell?"

After a 6-1 dismantling of Wisconsin on Friday night, and a Saturday date in the finals of the NCAA Northeast Regional, with a chance for the program's first Frozen Four appearance hanging in the balance, the question seems more relevant than ever. "Why not the River Hawks?"

New Hampshire (20-11-7) knocked out the Denver Pioneers in Friday's nightcap with a come-from-behind win, 5-2 win, so Lowell will face the Wildcats in an all-Hockey East final on Saturday night, with the goal of improving a program-best 27-10-2 record.

"I believed in this team since day one," Bazin said Friday.

Lowell, however, started at a glacial pace this season, stumbling out of the gates with a 4-7-1 record. Among those seven losses were three defeats suffered at the hands of the Wildcats, the last on Dec. 8. After that loss, Lowell went on a 23-3-1 tear, the best in the country.

"They're a very gritty team," said UNH forward John Henrion. "They're a really tough team to play against. They're really hard-nosed. They're skilled. They've got some big, strong defensemen. And obviously their goalie [Connor Hellebuyck]. They've been playing their best hockey. It's going to be a tough test for us."

Given their success over the second half of the season, it's not surprising that the River Hawks are drawing comparisons to defending national champs Boston College, the team that Lowell edged to take the Hockey East regular-season crown. Many see Lowell's composure under pressure, and quick-strike capabilities, as a carbon copy of Eagles squads of recent vintage.

"I've got a lot of concerns [with Lowell]. They're a real good hockey team, obviously," said UNH coach Dick Umile, who lost forwards Kevin Goumas and Grayson Downing in Friday's win. "They're a very well-coached team. They've got balance throughout. They've got skilled forwards, they've got defensemen. We'll have our hands full."

Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves said it was Lowell's defensive structure that reminded him most of the BC Eagles, who defeated the Badgers in the 2010 NCAA title game.

"They do a good job of fronting, getting in front of your guys and blocking shots," said Eaves. "The other thing they did well tonight was take advantage of moments when we gave them odd-man rushes. They put the puck away."

Bazin said as long as his squad remains committed to playing team defense, he likes its chances against any opponent. "I think the guys are truly believing that they can help out every single shift, and the forwards drive the bus," said Bazin. "When their back pressure is strong, we're very good defensively. When their back pressure isn't as strong, we're not as good."

"It's a team effort," he said. "We don't go very far when we're not aggressive. But when we're aggressive on the puck, we're a good hockey club."

After a dominating finish to Friday's win over Wisconsin, the No. 1 seed River Hawks appear to be sitting in the driver's seat. "They play hard, they play as a team, and they know what it takes to win," said Wisconsin senior defenseman John Ramage. "Obviously, look at their record. They are a hot team, too. They know how to win, and they showed it in this game."

In New Hampshire, the River Hawks face an opponent with good team speed, very good special teams, a solid netminder in sophomore Casey DeSmith, but an occasional penchant for turnovers. Just the recipe for an opportunistic squad like Lowell. Still, judging from his comments after the Wisconsin rout, Bazin is focusing on his own team, not the Wildcats.

"We concentrate on our own game, and we feel if we concentrate on our own game, we have a chance against anybody. That's been the M.O. for us," said the second-year Lowell bench boss. "For us, it's about executing our team systems. And we're focused on that."

Lowell's run may have the River Hawks feeling like world-beaters, but one of Friday's stars said the team won't get ahead of itself.

"We do have a lot of confidence right now," said Lowell sophomore forward Scott Wilson. "The coaches and captains kept us pretty level-headed throughout the whole run here. Even tonight, a great win for us but [Riley] Wetmore, our captain, just pulled us aside and said tonight, 'Enjoy it for five minutes, but tomorrow we have to do business again.' It's just been a process all year, that we focus on the next one."

The next one is a big one, with a trip to the Frozen Four in Pittsburgh -- the first Frozen Four appearance in Lowell's history -- on the line. Conversely, the Wildcats have been to seven Frozen Fours, the last in 2003, so it appears that history might be on New Hampshire's side.

To which Lowell's Bazin would probably reply, "Why not Lowell?"

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- UMass-Lowell (27-10-2) served notice on Friday: not only do they deserve the Northeast Regional's No. 1 seed, but they are gunning for a spot in the Frozen Four after dismantling a white-hot Wisconsin Badgers squad, 6-1.

Norm Bazin's troops didn't have a huge edge in shots on goal (30 to 28), but they were ruthlessly efficient. Joe Pendenza got the River Hawks on the board just 7:11 into the opening period, firing a dart from the left wing that squeezed under the glove of Wisconsin's Joel Rumpel. The River Hawks doubled up shortly after intermission, when Scott Wilson feathered a deft pass to defender Christian Folin, who immediately snapped a shot that beat Rumpel low on the glove side for a 2-0 lead at 3:12. Lowell's Shayne Thompson delivered the backbreaker at 14:08 of the middle stanza, completing a sensational rush by shoveling a forehand shot past Rumpel an instant before Wisconsin defender Joe Faust sent him crashing into Rumpel, giving Lowell a 3-0 lead. In the third period, Derek Arnold's tap-in of a super Ryan McGrath feed at 13:56, finishing off another Lowell odd-man rush, gave the River Hawks an insurmountable 4-1 lead. Lowell's Adam Chapie added an empty-netter at 19:12, and Ryan McGrath buried a breakaway chance with less than four seconds remaining to finish off the Badgers.

CLUTCH PERFORMANCE: Lowell freshman goaltender Connor Hellebuyck showed the same impressive form that won him MVP honors in the Hockey East playoffs last weekend. While the River Hawks were opportunistic on offense, Hellebuyck repeatedly shut the door on the Badgers with several huge stops to protect Lowell's leads early in the game.

UNSUNG HEROES: Though not flashy, the rugged River Hawks defensive corps, led by Chad Ruhwedel, Joe Houk, Greg Amlong, Zack Kamrass, Jake Suter and Folin, constantly put a body on Wisconsin's forwards, making them pay for any play, and making crisp, clean outlet passes that kept the Badgers on their heels.

TURNING POINTS: Hellebuyck not only made the big saves, but also made timely saves. The first came 17 seconds after Lowell took a 1-0 lead, when Hellebuyck stuffed Badger Joseph Labate's cross-crease bid with his right pad. He stopped Wisconsin's Jefferson Dahl on a penalty shot to preserve that one-goal lead, and then robbed Tyler Barnes on a wraparound bid shortly after Lowell took a 2-0 lead in the second period. Even after Wisconsin finally scored a power-play goal at 8:19 of the third, trimming Lowell's lead to 3-1, Hellebuyck's calm, confident play between the pipes had to demoralize the Badgers.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Tommy Amaker believes the possibilities are endless for his Harvard Crimson.

That shouldn't be surprising. What else do you expect him to say?

The Crimson won their third straight Ivy League title, played in their second straight NCAA tournament and won their first NCAA tourney game in 2012-13, even though they lost two key players before the season even started.

And now that the dust has settled for Harvard after a 74-51 loss to No. 6-seed Arizona in the third round of the NCAAs, it's time to look ahead to 2013-14.

The picture does look fairly rosy for the Crimson.

Amaker and his staff had to scramble in September when Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry withdrew from school after being implicated in an academic cheating scandal that involved more than 100 students.

Young players like Wesley Saunders, Steve Moundou-Missi and Kenyatta Smith had to take on larger roles than they would've, and freshman Siyani Chambers was thrust into the starting lineup at the point. Laurent Rivard and Christian Webster, the only senior on the roster and as such the only player the Crimson will lose this offseason, were named co-captains.

The coaches called it an opportunity and started a mantra that went like this: "We may not have what we had, but we have enough."

Did they ever.

In his postseason wrap-up session with the media Wednesday in the lounge at Lavietes Pavilion, Amaker said he wasn't surprised by the improvements players like Saunders and Chambers made.

"One of the things that you try not to do is have something as a cap, or what you think could be the ceiling of something," Amaker said. "I've learned that through the years: You learn to put your philosophy in and put your blueprint down and then who knows where this thing could go?

"We believe that being here at Harvard allows us that opportunity that anything is possible."

Without Casey and Curry, the Crimson offense actually improved. In 2011-12, the Crimson averaged 65.6 points per game, third in the Ivy League; in 2012-13, the Crimson averaged 68.3 points per game, first in the Ivy League.

Though the defense slipped a bit, falling from first in the Ivy (55.6 points allowed per game) to third (64.1 points allowed per game), the Crimson made up for it with better 3-point shooting (39.8 percent as a team, first in the Ivy, up from 35.7 percent, fifth).

Chambers won the Ivy Rookie of the Year award, and Saunders led the Ivy in scoring. And now the Crimson get to add Casey (former Ivy Rookie of the Year, Harvard's leading scorer in 2011-12) and Curry (Ivy leader in assist-to-turnover ratio and Harvard's assist leader in 2011-12) to the mix, along with top recruit Zena Edosomwan.

"They've been as good as anybody in our league when they were here," Amaker said of Casey and Curry. "So having those guys return -- we have open arms.

"And [we] can't be any more excited for their return, for them to come back and be a part of our program, our school, our community and to finish what they came here to do, which is to be a Harvard graduate. Those things are very exciting to think about."

As to how exactly the pair will fit in with the new dynamic (Curry and Chambers play the same position; Casey and Saunders both have proven they can be go-to scorers), Amaker wasn't sure. And at this point, he's not getting hung up on the details.

After all, the Crimson haven't even started their offseason workout program yet.

"I haven't given it as much thought, certainly as you can imagine, as to the pieces of the puzzle for our team, but we certainly know they're going to be good players," he said. "They've done that throughout their time here and I don't anticipate that changing in the least bit when we get those guys back."

How much of a difference might having those two players back make? It's hard to say for sure, but at the very least the addition lengthens the rotation and spreads the burden a little more broadly.

In 2011-12, Harvard didn't have a single player among the top 10 in the Ivy in minutes played; in 2012-13, Harvard had four players among the top 10, including three of the top 5 (Chambers, first, 37.8 minutes per game; Saunders, third, 37.3; Rivard, fifth, 35.4).

Though Amaker praised his players for being responsible and preserving their strength throughout the season -- hinting that often players get worn down as much for off-the-court activities as they do on the court -- and admitted the Crimson got lucky not to suffer any serious injuries, the shortened rotation had to affect the team's play at times.

"I think we've had moments this past season where we weren't as sharp, we weren't as good. And that's gonna happen," Amaker said. "But certainly we're hopeful that we can learn and grow from moments that we weren't as good, we weren't as ready. We certainly can do a lot better and be a lot better. We had a handful of games that we felt we controlled down the end and couldn't close."

Of the Crimson's 10 losses, six were by eight points or fewer.

"There are a lot of things there that I think we can certainly look toward as areas where we can get better," Amaker said. "The depth of our team, the roster, the different combination of things that we're hoping to be able to present next year, [all those are areas] that can be possibilities for us to be a better basketball team and program."

Perhaps, as Amaker said, the possibilities really are endless.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

Boston College may have lost its first Hockey East playoff game in four years this past weekend, but the Eagles still have an ace up their sleeve as they get their head coach back just in time for the opening round of NCAA tournament play on Saturday

In the East Regional, held in Providence, R.I., the second-seeded Eagles (22-11-4) will begin defense of their 2012 national championship against the Union Dutchmen (21-12-5) late Saturday night. Like Wisconsin, Rick Bennett's Dutchmen punched their ticket into the NCAAs by catapulting from a regular-season 4th-place finish to capture the ECAC Hockey crown last weekend in Atlantic, City, N.J.

"We're concerned about any team you play in the national tournament because you know they're a good club – they've all qualified," said BC coach Jerry York, who will return to the bench after another surgical procedure on his right eye. "Union certainly is one of those teams with a legitimate chance to win a national title. We watched them play last year and they're gritty. They're very well schooled in fundamentals. Rick has them playing from the goal out -- really good defense. They move pucks through -- excellent special teams, so they concern me."

York also said the Eagles will take steps this week to limit the stretch passes that Boston University used so effectively to create multiple scoring opportunities -- and five straight goals -- while knocking BC out of the Hockey east semifinals, 6-3, last Friday.

"You learn from every game, from wins and losses," said York. "You look at them and say, ‘How can we get better here?' We're certainly not a finished product by any means. This week we'll try to really make sure we balance our practice sessions with offense and defense. Defensively, to win at this level we'll need strong play from our defense and strong play from our goaltender.

"We are going to have to score when we have great chances," he said. "We had some terrific chances against the Terriers but could not score. We can say, ‘Hey, that goalie played well,' but from our perspective we have to really make sure to bury some pucks. BU was able to get some breakaways on us, and we've looked at that and talked about pucks that are flipped up in the neutral zone. There are different areas that we have to tighten up on."

Bennett's squad was dominating in the ECAC playoffs, strafing Dartmouth twice in the quarters, 4-1 and 5-2, before knocking out Yale in the semifinals, 5-0, and Brown, 3-1, in the championship game. Though his Eagles have never faced Union, York knows his defense will need to step up its game.

"We're going to look to our two seniors in Pat Wey and Patch Alber to really settle us down. We've seen continued improvement this year from Isaac MacLeod, Mike Matheson, and Teddy Doherty is going to give us some good minutes also," said York. "They have to play better as a unit … and that helps our goaltender, that helps our offense with their breakouts. They are the keys to whether we can get passed Union. "

If Saturday's Hockey East final in Boston proved anything, it was that everyone loves a winner. UMass Lowell, just two years past missing the league playoffs altogether, had its fair share of the 13,738 fans at TD Garden, matching the Boston University faithful chant-for-chant during the River Hawks' gripping 1-0 championship-clinching victory over the Terriers.

On Friday, the River Hawks will take to the ice at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H. against Wisconsin, a short 32 miles north of the UMass Lowell campus. At stake is the a birth in the regional finals, and the possibility of the River Hawks first-ever trip to the Frozen Four. Lowell's second-year coach Norman Bazin said he expects a home-crowd atmosphere.

"We're ecstatic that we're able to allow our fans to become part of the experience," he said. "It allows the River Hawk Nation to be part of our run, and it can't do anything but help us.

"[Manchester] could be one of the great sites in the NCAA Tournament," said Bazin, who led the River Hawks to the East Regional in Bridgewater, Mass., last season. "Our fans have been great all year long. Both the students and community really bring it to life. We're ecstatic they get to share in this opportunity with us and give us a lift."

The River Hawks (26-10-2), the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Northeast Regional, won't mind any edge they can find, as they face one of the hottest teams in college hockey, the Wisconsin Badgers (22-12-7). Mike Eaves' Badgers roared through the WCHA playoffs, vaulting from fourth place to claim the league's Final Five playoff championship.

That run helped erase any memories of Wisconsin's dismal 1-7-2 start to the season. The Badgers are 21-5-2 since Dec. 13, and have many hockey observers considering them one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament. Not to be outdone, the UML River Hawks have gone 22-3-1 since Dec. 8.

"Wisconsin is going to be a great opponent. We feel our bracket is chock full of great teams," said Bazin. "We feel Hockey East has been such a great league this year that it has prepared us well. They're the WHCA Champions. They're going to give all we can handle, we're sure of that."

Though Lowell hasn't lined up against the Badgers since 1989, when the River Hawks were called the Chiefs, Bazin said he knows Wisconsin's culture.

"Having been at Colorado College for eight years, I'm familiar with what they do. Team defense is their pillar," said Bazin. "They have strong goalkeeping and great team defense."

Like the River Hawks and their outstanding freshman goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck (18-2-0, with a 1.39 goals against average and .949 save percentage), who took MVP honors in the Hockey East tournament, the Badgers are solid between the pipes. Wisconsin's sophomore goaltender Joel Rumpel is 16-8-4 with a 1.85 GAA and a .933 save percentage.

Bazin said he's been impressed with his young squad's composure, especially in two one-goal victories in the Hockey East semifinals and finals.

"I think it's been very strong the whole second half [of the season]. Our goaltending has been stellar, no question," he said. "Our defense, with some added size, has kept some shots outside and when you do that you have a chance. They're pretty poised under pressure. They're playing beyond their years right now. Chad [Ruhwedel] has certainly led the way and has been a calming influence for the kids."

While Bazin said the play of his young squad has been encouraging, he knows that the key to the River Hawks offense still runs through guys who were with him in Bridgewater last year, notably forwards Riley Whetmore, Joseph Pendenza, Scott Wilson, and Derek Arnold (Wilson got the game-winner against Providence in the Hockey East semis, while Arnold's lone goal was the difference in the finals).

If the River Hawks get past the Badgers, it sets up the possibility of an all-Hockey East regional final, with the host UNH Wildcats (19-11-7) taking on the Denver Pioneers (20-13-5) in the other semifinal. The Wildcats have already faced the Pioneers this season, in Denver, pinning a 6-4 loss of George Gwozdecky's squad.

"We know a little bit about Denver from playing out there on Thanksgiving," said UNH coach Dick Umile. "We were able to get a win after falling behind 3-0. That was probably a very important time for our team. Playing Colorado College and Denver really brought the team together.

"George plays a more defensive style with good transition opportunities off good defense," he said. "We need to make sure we can control odd-man rushes and face-off plays, areas where you can hurt yourself and beat yourself. They've got it all. They've got balance throughout their team, experience, tradition, so it should be a heck of a game."

However, Umile has been concerned with his squad's inconsistency over the second half of the season, and said he hopes the Wildcats can take advantage of the extra practice after getting eliminated from the Hockey east playoffs by Providence.

"Overall we know what we are capable of doing; that we need to put together 60-minute games and not have lapses," he said. "Sometimes it's the way the puck bounces, but I don't think that's taken away from our confidence."

New Hampshire's senior class, including captain Connor Hardowa, Brett Kostolansky, and forwards Austin Block, John Henrion, and Scott Pavelski could play a crucial role.

"They've been a strong class, and they were determined after not making it to the NCAAs as juniors last year to get us back in there," said Umile. "They are a big reason why we've made it back to the NCAA tournament."

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Their season's final buzzer having sounded, the sweat from the last game long since washed away, it was finally OK to admit it: the losses hurt.

When Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry were implicated in an academic cheating scandal and chose to withdraw from school in September to protect their eligibility, the Crimson's chances to repeat as Ivy League champions and to return to the NCAA tournament seemed to take a body blow.

But when Tommy Amaker looks back now, he sees that moment differently.

"Really neat, terrific stories generally are created or come about because of something unusual," the Harvard coach said Wednesday at Lavietes Pavilion. "Adversity. Those are the moments that [make] special things happen. And that's what we kinda embraced."

The 2012-13 Crimson had a saying, one that stayed with them as the season unwound, day by day, game by game: "We may not have what we had, but we have enough."

"We emphasized that within our locker room, within our team, there was still enough in here to accomplish everything that we had set out to accomplish," Amaker said. "And boy, did they ever do that."

In 2012-13, Harvard:

• won its third straight Ivy League title (second straight outright title, after a share in 2010-11)
• played in its second straight NCAA tournament (after going 65 years between its first and second appearances)
• won its first NCAA tournament game (beating No. 3 seed New Mexico 68-62)

"To win a game and advance in the tournament was pretty special," Amaker said. "Obviously, the circumstances surrounding our team at the start of the year ... to overcome adversity, to have young guys step into different roles ... I couldn't be prouder of our guys.

"There's no doubt that they made some special moments for our ballclub and our program and hopefully we can grow it and use it as we move forward to get better."

The special moments the Crimson produced in 2012-13 were made possible in large part by huge contributions from two underclassmen, Siyani Chambers (a freshman) and Wesley Saunders (a sophomore).

Chambers, a native of Golden Valley, Minn., was brilliant from the get-go. Forced into the starting lineup from the tip -- thanks to the withdrawals of would-be co-captains Curry and Casey -- Chambers proved mature beyond his 19 years, ending up leading the Ivy League in assists and minutes per game and winning the rookie of the year award.

Before the season began, Amaker called Saunders the Crimson's best player. The Los Angeles native lived up to that billing in his second season in Cambridge, leading the Ivy League in scoring and totaling double digits in points in all but the Crimson's last game (the 74-51 shellacking by No. 6 seed Arizona in the NCAA's round of 32, when he finished with eight).

And while technically Amaker named Laurent Rivard and Christian Webster co-captains, Webster admitted to reporters after the No. 14 seed Crimson upset the Lobos that Chambers led the team this season. Chambers' dazzling debut and the performances of Saunders and fellow sophomores Steve Moundou-Missi and Kenyatta Smith give Harvard high hopes going forward, especially considering that Casey and Curry are expected to be back for next season.

On Wednesday, Amaker said the coaching staff preached the losses of Casey and Curry as an opportunity for other players to step forward.

Then there was that phrase again, "We may not have what we had, but we have enough."

"We used that, we embraced that, we believed in that and we knew that it was an opportunity for us to possibly create something that could be very special," Amaker said.

After a whirlwind few days as Big Dance darlings because of their upset win, the Crimson came back down to earth courtesy of the 74-51 dispatching by the Wildcats. Looking back at the two games now, Amaker admitted that the Crimson needed everything to line up perfectly -- they had to play their best at the same time as their favored opponent faltered -- to win these kinds of games as currently constituted.

But the coach hinted that perhaps that won't always be the case. That perhaps there's room for these Crimson to get to a point where a win in mid-to-late March won't be quite so shocking to the general populace.

"We talk about possibilities are endless, and that's the beauty of being here at Harvard," Amaker said. "We have literally seen here at this place that anything is possible. And that includes basketball. We do play for Harvard, so that includes us.

"So we [try never] to feel like we're putting a cap or ceiling on what is possible. We want to do the best we can and maximize who we are and where we are, and I think live up to our standards and identity, and we can live with it after that. Whatever that is. And sometimes you find, as we found this year, that some of those growth opportunities are enormous."

So, yes, losses hurt. But upon reflection people sometimes find that it's the hardest blows that taught them the biggest lessons in sports, as in life.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

Boston University introduced David Quinn as the school’s new men’s hockey coach Tuesday, replacing Jack Parker, who is retiring after 40 season behind the Terriers’ bench.

Quinn, who played at BU from 1984-87 and was an assistant coach at the school from 2004-2009, was most recently an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche

The 46-year-old Quinn was selected from a short list of candidates that reportedly included former Terrier Mike Sullivan and current associate head coach Mike Bavis.

"David Quinn is the ideal candidate for this job," said athletic director Mike Lynch. "His resume is filled with great experiences at every level and he is a proven head coach and a consummate professional. He is also a BU man, an important consideration as we deliberated. Jack Parker is in many ways irreplaceable, but I'm absolutely convinced that the future of BU hockey is in great hands."

"I'd like to thank President Brown and Mike Lynch for giving me this incredible opportunity and entrusting me with the BU hockey program," said Quinn. "I surely wouldn't be in this position if it were not for Jack Parkerand I'm very lucky to be able to call him my coach, mentor and friend. One of the things that makes this job so unique is that beyond all the success here, the former players have such a loyalty towards the program. I look forward to continuing that and the legacy that Coach Parker leaves behind."

Quinn, a native of Cranston, R.I., was a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota North Stars (No. 13 overall) in the 1984 draft. After his junior year, he tried out for the 1988 Olympic team but was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, temporarily forcing his retirement from the game.
Four years later, with his disease under control, Quinn tried out for the 1992 Olympic team. Although he failed to make the national squad, Quinn caught the eye of New York Rangers scouts, and played 19 games for New York's American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Rangers, in 1991-92.

The next season, he played 60 games with the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League. He retired permanently after that season moved into coaching, getting a job as an assistant coach for Northeastern.

For more, check out BU's website.

Brion O’Connor, who is a contributor to ESPNBoston.com, contributed to this report

Boston University didn't waste much time in choosing a successor to legendary hockey coach Jack Parker. And the Terriers kept it in the family.

On Tuesday morning, just three days after Parker's career ended with a loss in the Hockey East championship game, the school will introduce David Quinn, a former Terrier player and assistant coach and current Colorado Avalanche assistant, as the first new head coach of the BU hockey team in 40 years, according to multiple sources.

The 46-year-old Quinn was selected from a short list of candidates that reportedly included former Terrier Mike Sullivan and current associate head coach Mike Bavis.

Quinn, a native of Cranston, R.I., was a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota North Stars (No. 13 overall), and played for Parker from three seasons, from 1984-85 to 1986-87. After his junior year, he tried out for the 1988 Olympic team, but was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, temporarily forcing his retirement from the game.

Four years later, with his disease under control, Quinn tried out for the 1992 Olympic team. Although he failed to make the national squad, Quinn caught the eye of New York Ranger scouts, and played 19 games for New York's American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Rangers, in 1991-92. The next season, he played 60 games with the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League, notching 21 points on eight goals and 13 assists. He retired permanently after that season and went to work as an assistant coach for the Northeastern Huskies.

After Northeastern, Quinn joined the staff of Mike Kemp's fledgling Nebraska-Omaha program, earning a reputation as a solid recruiter before leaving to take a development coaching post with USA Hockey, eventually becoming the head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 team. In 2004, Quinn joined Parker's staff at BU, along with current associate head coach Bavis, playing a key role in bringing in the players that won Parker's third and final national championship in 2009.

After that championship season, Quinn left BU to take the head coaching job with Lake Erie in the American Hockey League, where he went 115-94-27 in three seasons, before being promoted last year to his current post as an assistant coach for the Avalanche under fellow BU alum Joe Sacco.

After Parker's retirement announcement on March 11, BU athletic director Mike Lynch said, "We're looking for the best possible guy for the job."

"We're going to look for a guy who has a great deal of experience, not only handling the public pressures of this job, which is a lot different from the job [Parker] took in the 1970s," Lynch said. "There's a lot more expectations, there's a lot more hype around BU hockey now than there ever has been. Jack's handled it well for 40 years, but the next guy coming in is replacing a legend. That's going to be a very challenging opportunity for someone, but we think it's a great opportunity for someone too."

For former Terrier David Quinn, that opportunity starts on Tuesday.

Hockey East champion UMass-Lowell landed the No. 1 seed in the Northeast (Manchester, N.H.) region, while defending national champ Boston College is the No. 2 seed in the East (Providence) in the NCAA hockey tournament pairings announced Sunday night.

BC, hoping to become the first repeat champion since Denver in 2004-05, opens play against No. 3 Union on Saturday (9 p.m.). The Eagles are in the same region as Quinnipiac, the No. 1 overall seed.

UMass-Lowell will face No. 4 Wisconsin on Friday (4:30 p.m.). The other first-round game in Manchester pits No. 2 New Hampshire against No. 3 Denver.

CLICK HERE for more on the tournament. CLICK HERE to see the tourney bracket.

MINNEAPOLIS -- This wasn't just another title game. Minnesota had the sport's first perfect season in sight.

This women's hockey championship even generated enough buzz to produce a few ticket scalpers outside.

Amanda Kessel scored twice, and the Gophers beat Boston University 6-3 on Sunday to become the first undefeated team in the 13-year history of NCAA women's hockey.

"We made the impossible possible," Kessel said. "It goes to everyone on our team. It's not just one or two people."

Mira Jalosuo, Hannah Brandt, Milica McMillen and Rachel Ramsey also scored for the Gophers (41-0), who won their second straight national championship -- and fourth overall -- and stretched their record winning streak to 49 games. Their last loss was to North Dakota on Feb. 17, 2012, more than 13 months ago.

"I don't think a lot of us focused on the record, which was nice," defender Megan Bozek said. "There was a bigger task at hand. It was just great that our nerves didn't get the best of us."

Sarah Lefort, Marie-Philip Poulin and Jenelle Kohanchuk had goals for the Terriers (28-6-3), whose 10-game winning streak ended. They also lost in the title game in 2011.

Three Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams have won all 13 championships. Minnesota Duluth has five and Wisconsin has four.

Noora Raty made 21 saves for the Gophers, who never trailed after needing overtime to outlast Boston College in the semifinals and triple overtime to top North Dakota in the quarterfinals. This was more like most of Minnesota's regular season matchups. The Gophers trailed in only a handful of games while cruising through the WCHA.

Now they've made a convincing case as the best team ever in this young sport. Wisconsin went 36-1-4 in 2007 and 37-2-2 in 2011 to win national titles, but never has one school dominated from October through March quite like this Minnesota bunch.

Raty, the senior from Finland, proudly held up her jersey No. 41 -- matching her team's win total -- at the podium for the news conference afterward. She never gave up more than three goals this season and only did so three times.

Kessel, who won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award on Saturday as the top player in the country, added two assists. Maryanne Menefee had three helpers, and Ramsey had two. McMillen might've had the most impressive sequence of the afternoon when she hustled back to thwart a short-handed breakaway by BU late in the second period. McMillen stole the puck, sent it back to Minnesota's offensive zone and polished off the power play by one-timing a slap shot past goalie Kerrin Sperry for a 4-1 lead with 12 seconds remaining before the intermission.

Jalosuo scored on a power play and Brandt had a short-handed goal in the first period to put the Gophers in front. Ramsey scored in the final frame to add to the cushion and Kessel fittingly capped her performance with an empty-netter.

BU coach Brian Durocher noted that three of Minnesota's first four goals were one-timed shots.

"You could put a bucket of pucks out there, and there are lot of people who couldn't hit one one-timer in that situation," Durocher said. "We were making the plays, but they made better ones."

Kessel, the sister of Toronto Maple Leafs star Phil Kessel, finished her junior year with 46 goals and 55 assists. Raty and Bozek were the other finalists for the Kazmaier honor. Raty received the Most Outstanding Player award for the NCAA tournament.

The capacity crowd of 3,400 at cozy Ridder Arena, home ice for the Gophers, chanted "Perfect season! Perfect season!" as the final seconds ticked down before the entire Gophers team flung helmets and sticks in the air on the way to pile on Raty in celebration in front of the net. The game sold out weeks ago.

"I heard $150," Durocher said about the market price. "I was nervous maybe my assistant coaches were going to be out there on the street," Durocher said, deadpanning. "Thankfully, they were on the bench. We don't have any violations to report."

Gophers coach Brad Frost couldn't stop praising the atmosphere.

"It's very surreal. I'll probably have to pinch myself when I actually get back home and put my head on the pillow," he said.

The Terriers, who set a program record for single-season wins, tried their best to appreciate what they did to get this far and give the Minnesota machine at least some moments of tension.

"That's a testament to the heart in our locker room," captain Jill Cardella said, praising Kaleigh Fratkin's blocked shot in the closing seconds as one of many examples of BU's relentlessness. "That pretty much tells the whole story."

Poulin, who finished with 19 goals and 36 assists this season, took a slap shot by Bozek off her kneecap early in the game and hobbled off the ice only to return for her next shift. Bozek, smiling, said Poulin got her back on the ankle a little later.

"We're all proud of each other," a teary-eyed Poulin said, "and we stood up together."

The Gophers were just too good.

"They earned what they got," Durocher said. "Great team. I tip my cap to them. ... It's not easy to go with a zero in two columns."

BOSTON -- Adieu, Coach Parker.

There would be no storybook ending in the storied career of the best hockey coach in Boston University history. Faced with a must-win scenario, and his Terriers unable to duplicate Friday's stunning comeback victory against Boston College, BU coach Jack Parker saw his 40-year career come to an end during the Hockey East finals on Friday at the hands of a determined Lowell River Hawks squad in a 1-0 thriller.

"From the opening faceoff, I thought both teams played extremely well. It was a great college hockey game," said Parker, employing one of his favorite assessments. "It was unbelievable that it was a 1-0 game, with all the chances going on. I was very, very pleased with our effort. I thought it was one of the best games we played all year. A real 60-minute effort.

"I was really happy with my team. I was really happy with everything that happened, except we couldn't put it by their goaltender, and they got one by ours. Both teams played extremely well. We got 36 shots. We had our chances. I guess it wasn't to be."

Instead, an unmistakable sense of "a changing of the guard" permeated the TD Garden after the final whistle. It was a fairytale run for Lowell (26-10-2), led by second-year coach Norm Bazin, as the top-seeded River Hawks captured their first Hockey East title. It was the exact opposite result of the 2009 title game, when Lowell needed to beat BU to advance to the NCAAs, only to lose 1-0. It was also particularly sweet for Bazin, who was a senior on the 1994 Lowell team that lost to BU in the 1994 Hockey East finals, 3-2.

"I congratulate UMass Lowell for a terrific season. I thought they were a terrific team all year long," said Parker. "I thought we gave them one heck of a game tonight, but they had a heck of a year. Winning the league, and then winning the playoffs, is quite an accomplishment for them, and for Norman. He's had a great year as a coach and deserves that Coach of the Year award."

Parker admitted that, when the game ended and he watched the Hockey East banner lowered so Lowell could be added, he thought of how the competition in the league had gotten progressively tougher over his tenure.

"When I first started coaching, and a good friend of mine [and former BU teammate], Billy Riley, was the coach at Lowell Tech," said Parker. "BU hockey was something special when I got the job here. Lowell Tech, now UMass Lowell, has come a long way, to the point where they're now the dominating team in Hockey East."

While the sentimental vote may have been in Parker's corner, the see-saw game turned in Lowell's favor with one dramatic play halfway through the third period, after the River Hawks had withstood a dogged BU attack.

With just over nine minutes left in the game, UML's Derek Arnold broke the heart of Terrier Nation. The junior from Foxboro, Mass., finishing a rare 3-on-2 break, spun around the back of the net and flicked a backhander that caromed off BU netminder Sean Maguire and into the net. It was the last goal that Parker would see scored from his viewpoint behind the BU bench.

Arnold, in the handshake line after the game, even managed to draw a laugh out of the outgoing BU coach.

"He said he wished he played for me. And I told him, I wished he did, too," said Parker with a wry smile. "He's a really good kid and a really good player."

The loss means Parker's Terriers (21-16-2) won't get an invitation to the NCAA tournament, which starts next weekend. Parker finishes his four-decade run with 897 wins, third all-time (behind BC's Jerry York, 935, and Ron Mason, 924) and the most by any coach at a single institution. He already has a record 24 NCAA appearances, but while disappointed the Terriers couldn't get a 25th, he said he left the TD Garden without regrets.

"I couldn't ask for more of my team," said Parker. "I couldn't ask for a better weekend for us. We played really well. We played really hard."

The Terriers kept the game close with a gritty, relentless style that Parker loves to preach. It was the same style he played with when he suited up for BU for three years, 1966-68.

"He was a very good skater. The best part of his game was his faceoffs and his forechecking," said longtime rival and friend, BC's York. "He was tenacious forechecking. So you could see some of the fire that he's had in his coaching career as a player."

For his players, the loss was compounded by the fact they weren't able to send their coach out on top.

"Obviously, we wanted to extend the season for Coach Parker for as long as we possibly could," said BU captain Wade Megan, a member of the senior class that will be the first in 40 years to leave the program at the same time as its coach. "At the end of the day, we played as hard as we possibly could, and we left it all on the ice. It's tough to have regrets when you play like we did tonight. We just couldn't solve their goaltender. That was the bottom line. It would have meant a lot to extend the season, especially for Coach Parker, but it wasn't meant to be."

Ryan Ruikka, an assistant captain, echoed Megan's sentiments. "This is my fifth year with Coach," said the Michigan native. "It's been a great time. He's an unbelievable coach, unbelievable person.

"We wanted to make the run as long as we could for him. We pushed hard at the end. We didn't get what we wanted, but he had a great 40 years here," said Ruikka, prompting a chuckle from his coach. "Some kids say he's the face of BU hockey, and I just thank him for all he's done for me and this organization."

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SALT LAKE CITY -- Mark Lyons has been to the Sweet 16 before. But earning another trip, with his new team, felt different Saturday -- maybe even a bit more special -- because of the position he plays.

“I’m the point guard now,” the Arizona senior (and former guard at Xavier) said after he tied his career high with 27 points to help beat Harvard 74-51. “Last year I was playing off the ball with a great point guard, and I learned from him. And now, I’m back … we’re back.”

The 6-foot-1 playmaker made sure the Wildcats were back -- and on to Los Angeles for the West Regional semifinal -- by pumping up his defense as well as making 12 of 17 field goals.

Lyons and the Wildcats controlled the game from the get-go. While the 14^th-seeded Crimson missed shot after shot -- their first 13, to be exact -- sixth-seeded Arizona built a 17-2 lead. Lyons had seven points before Harvard freshman point guard Siyani Chambers finally buried the Crimson’s first field goal, a 3, with 12:16 left in the first half. But the Wildcats led by as many as 22 before taking a 40-22 halftime lead.

“I think in order for us to make this a magical moment for our team and program -- which we have been able to do at other points in this season -- you’ve got to get off to a good start against a team like that,” said Harvard coach Tommy Amaker, whose team shot just 27.6 percent against the taller, more aggressive, more confident-looking Wildcats. “We had our chances. We had some open opportunities early, and once we missed some we kind of got our heads down and they took advantage of it.”

Indeed, even when Harvard tried to chip back -- and Chambers got a chipped tooth in the process -- Lyons was there, doing what a point guard does: leading.

When a Chambers 3 cut the deficit to 44-30 with 17:22 to go, Lyons made a layup.

And when two free throws by Harvard’s Wesley Saunders cut it to 16 with 13:16 left? Lyons scored on another drive.

Harvard never really threatened, but key for the Wildcats was that they never allowed it.

“When we got the lead, Coach [Sean Miller] said, ‘Don’t let up. Don’t start walking the ball up,’ because we have a tendency to let up,” Lyons said.

Not this time.

Lyons also finished with three assists, two turnovers, a steal and a rebound. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he now will become the first player ever to compete in the Sweet 16 in back-to-back years with different teams. He also played on two Xavier squads that reached the Sweet 16, and practiced with another when he was a partial qualifier as a freshman.

“I think it’s remarkable, really,” Miller said. “It shows you how talented he is, and it also shows you the bigger the game, [it] can really bring out the best in him.”

Lyons, who averaged about 15 points during the regular season, is now averaging 25 points in this year’s NCAA tournament. And he thinks the best is yet to come.

“You know, it’s a great feeling,” Lyons said. “I’m playing for my original coach who recruited me, playing with a bunch of guys who believe in me and got faith in me. We’ve been coming together as a team. It’s great to be back in the Sweet 16 and trying to advance.”