The magical Penn State men's ice hockey run finally ended, just one step short of a national championship shot.
Of course, the Nittany Lions drove hard to the very end of Thursday's late-night defeat in the opening of the Frozen Four, much like they had done throughout their improbable run the past three months.
The Lions fell behind to powerhouse Boston University, clawed back and appeared on the verge of one more dramatic rally. Only this time, a blueblood opponent stocked with NHL draft picks proved too much in the end.
Penn State yielded a clinching, empty net goal while desperately pressing to tie in the final minute. Their best season in program history ended with the 3-1 defeat in the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
The Nittany Lions (22-14-4) couldn't cash in on their offensive opportunities around the net against standout BU goalie Mikhail Yegorov and, almost as expected, couldn't shut out Cole Eiserman. The first-round pick of the New York Islanders scored midway through the second period, giving Boston a 2-0 lead that proved too much to overcome.
Penn State finally answered early in the third period and continued to pressure hard but couldn't find the net again. Boston will now look to win its sixth NCAA Championship Saturday evening against Western Michigan.
Still, it's a landmark NCAA semifinal appearance and season worth celebrating for the Nittany Lions − including one of the more remarkable in-season turnarounds possible. After starting 0-8 in Big Ten play by mid-January, the Lions lost just twice more in regulation and won four postseason games to make to their first Frozen Four.
