Michigan State rallies to win championship

Apr 8, 2007 - 3:53 AM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Boston College was half a period away from its third NCAA hockey championship. Its hopes slipped away, thanks to Tim Kennedy and Justin Abdelkader.

Kennedy tied the game midway through the third period with his fifth goal in seven games and Abdelkader scored the winning tally with 18.9 seconds remaining as Michigan State skated to a 3-1 victory over the Eagles in the Frozen Four title game.

Trailing, 1-0, after two periods, the Spartans (26-13-3) forged a tie during a power play at 9:53 of the third. After Michigan State won a faceoff just outside the blue line, Kennedy picked up the puck and skated in before firing a shot inside the left goalpost for his 18th goal of the season.

With the contest seemingly headed to overtime, Abdelkader received a second chance moments after ringing a shot off the right post. He made the most of it, receiving a feed from behind the net by Kennedy and beating goaltender Cory Schneider from the doorstep to give the Spartans a 2-1 edge.

Chris Mueller's empty-netter sealed the win for Michigan State, which won its third championship and first since 1986.

Brian Boyle netted the lone tally for Boston College (29-11-2), which had its 13-game winning streak snapped in losing in the title game for the second straight season.