New Hampshire uses magic of its own to advance to semis

And because of that goal, UNH will play in its first final four since 1982 and its fourth ever, and the entire history of the UNH men's hockey program has changed.

UNH, which has long been labeled as a team that didn't get it done in March, got it done and then some Sunday. Playing Boston University and one of the greatest traditions in college hockey, UNH drove back the ghosts of NCAA tournaments past and finally broke through against the team that it was said the Wildcats could never beat.

By beating BU in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats finally got to find out what it was like in 1996 when the Catamounts got into the final four. This is how it felt in Colorado Springs last year when No. 5 Colorado College made it into the final four. This is what it felt like in BU and Michigan and Maine and Lake Superior State all those years.

Now, it's another hockey behemoth that lies ahead: Michigan, which is playing in its fourth straight Final Four.

And maybe after that, Ohio State or Boston College for what one week ago seemed as likely as a UNH tuition decrease.

With four of the greatest forwards in the nation, improved defense and big-time goaltending, UNH has put itself in position to match the Wildcat women with a championship of its own.

If the Wildcats can win two games, and if they can silence each and every one of their critics, and if they can go where no UNH team has gone before, then this team will take its place where it belongs in men's hock

04-02-98