ST. PAUL, Minnesota — Boston College superstar freshman Ryan Leonard entered the national championship game with 31 goals, the third-most in the country.

He and linemates Gabe Perreault and Will Smith had terrorized opponents basically since puck drop on Day 1 of the season, way back in October. So with his Eagles down two goals and on the power play early in the third period, when he received the cross-crease pass from Perreault and had 20ish square feet of open goal to shoot at, it felt for the briefest of moments like the Eagles were right back in it.

Matt Davis had other ideas. He sprawled back across the goal, made the stop with his glove, and a defender cleared it the length of the ice. He then casually leaned on the crossbar, as though he had made that kind of save on that kind of pla