Boston College wins NCAA men's ice hockey title

Chockey Betting Lines

04/10/2010 - Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cam Atkinson's two goals and 20 saves from John Muse led Boston College to a 5-0 victory over Wisconsin in the 2010 NCAA men's ice hockey championship game from Ford Field.

Muse, who recorded his third shutout of the season, improved to 8-0 in NCAA Tournament games after unbeaten performances in the 2008 and 2010 national championship runs.

Chris Kreider and Matt Price also tallied for the Eagles (29-10-3), who won the fourth hockey title in school history and third in the last 10 seasons.

Ben Smith, voted the tourney's Most Outstanding Player, also added a goal for Boston College, which topped Alaska-Fairbanks, Yale and Miami-Ohio to reach the national final for the fourth time in five years.

Scott Gudmandson allowed four goals on 25 shots for the Badgers (28-11-4), who were bidding for their seventh national title and first since beating BC in 2006.

Wisconsin, which had bested Vermont, St. Cloud State and RIT, finished 0-for-3 on the man advantage and were shut out for the first time since a 2-0 setback to St. Cloud State in the WCHA playoffs on March 19.

The Eagles went up 2-0 at 1:38 of the third period when Atkinson's rush down the left side resulted in a backhander that slid through Gudmandson's legs.

Kreider's deft tip of a lead pass from Jimmy Hayes at 3:40 put BC ahead by three, then Atkinson's second of the period -- another backhander -- made it 4-0 for the Eagles at 7:20.

Wisconsin decided to pull its goaltender with 5 1/2 minutes to play, but the move backfired as Price tallied with 4:31 remaining.

Steven Whitney's slick cross-ice pass found Smith in the slot for a high wrister at 12:57 of the opening period and a 1-0 BC lead on the power play.

Muse made five saves in a defensively-oriented first 20 minutes, then stopped nine more pucks in the second period against a more opportunistic Wisconsin attack.

Game Notes

BC leads the all-time series with Wisconsin, 12-9-0, and has won three straight since losing in the 2006 title game...Wisconsin forward Derek Stepan left the game after suffering an injury during a collision on BC's third goal and did not return...Boston College head coach Jerry York won his fourth career national title (three with BC, one with Bowling Green)...This was the first men's hockey title game decided with a shutout since Denver beat Maine, 1-0, back in 2004...Attendance was 37,592, setting an all-time record for a college playoff contest.

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Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.