San Jose Sharks prospect Will Smith and his Boston College teammates didn’t get the end to the season they were looking for Saturday.
Boston College allowed two second-period goals and couldn’t beat goaltender Matt Davis at the other end in a 2-0 loss to Denver in the NCAA Division I national championship game at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Rieger Lorenz led Denver with a goal and an assist and Davis finished with 34 saves.
Smith, selected fourth overall by the Sharks in last year’s NHL draft, had seven shots on goal, including one on a first-period breakaway that Davis stopped. He finished a remarkable first season in BC with 71 points in 41 games.
Smith is now faced with the decision of whether to turn professional and sign an entry-level contract with the Sharks or return to Chestnut Hill for his second season. The Sharks finish the season with two road games, as they face the Edmonton Oilers on Monday and the Calgary Flames on Thursday.
Sharks general manager Mike Grier was not in Minnesota this week, a team spokesman said, because the organization wanted to give Smith his space as he focused on winning the a national title.
Boston College (35-6-1) was the top-ranked team in college hockey for much of the regular season, as they won the Hockey East regular season and tournament titles and entered the the NCAA Division I tournament as a No. 1 seed.
When the scene has been at its peak over the past few weeks and months, and the lights have been brightest, Smith has often been at his best.
Last month at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden, Smith came alive during the medal round and played a big role for Team USA as the Americans won gold.
Smith was expected to be a major offensive contributor for the under-20 team, but he had just three points in the Americans’ first four games in the preliminary round. That’s when he was challenged by Todd Marchant, the Sharks’ director of player development, to take his game to another level.
Smith responded with two points in each of the next three games, including two assists in Team USA’s 6-2 victory over host Sweden in the gold medal game.
In the Hockey East tournament championship game against Macklin Celebrini and Boston University on March 23, Smith had four goals and an assist in Boston College’s 6–2 victory at TD Garden. He had 10 points in three tournament games.
Boston College advanced to the Frozen Four in Minnesota with wins over Michigan Tech in the first round and Quinnipiac in the quarterfinals.
California Daily Newspapers
