I have often said that from mid-March to mid-April is the best time of the year for sports. Starting with March Madness and ending with the Master's, you have wall-to-wall excitement, and this year was no different. But unlike years past, this year had an added bonus, the NCAA Division I Hockey Tournament.

While the hockey tournament always comes at this time, this year's tournament was extra special. For those of you who only watch hockey during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, well imagine every game being a Game 7. That's right, win and go on, lose and go home. So forget about five-minute overtimes, and forget about ties, it's all about sudden death in March and April.

On Saturday night, the number 1 ranked Boston University Terriers hosted the Miami University Redhawks in the championship game of the Frozen Four. BU, which was the most talented team all season long, and heavy favorite to win, trailed Miami 3-1 with a minute to play.

The Redhawks, which had never played for a National Title in any sport, was a minute away from pulling off one of the greatest upsets in the history of college sports.  It would have rivaled Villanova beating Georgetown in 1985, or NC State upsetting Houston in 1983, or Fresno State capturing the College World Series crown last year. But with a minute to go, BU pulled off one of the most miraculous comebacks in Championship Game history, in ANY sport.

The Terriers pulled their goalie with 3:32 remaining in the third period, and scored with 59.5 seconds left in the game to make it 3-2. Less than 45 seconds later, with 17.4 seconds on the clock, BU scored another goal to tie it up at three.  That's right, two goals in 42 seconds, having scored only one in the previous 59 minutes!

On the brink of suffering a devastating and potentially embarrassing loss, BU did what few thought they could. They would go on to win the game in the first overtime to capture their first National Title since 1995.

As incredible and remarkable as this was, what even fewer people realize is that the entire Tournament was like this. In the West Regional semi-finals, Minnesota-Duluth trailed 4-2 with a minute to play against Princeton, and scored two goals in 40 seconds, including the game-tying goal with 0.8 seconds remaining to send it into OT! Duluth then won in the extra period.

In the Midwest Regional semi-finals, Cornell trailed Northeastern 2-0 in the third period before scoring three unanswered goals, including the game-winner with 18 seconds left, to stun the Huskies of Northeastern.

In the Northeast Regional semi-finals, New Hampshire trailed the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota 5-4 with 10 seconds to go in the third period. Can you guess what happened? Yep, they scored with 0.1 seconds left to tie it up and send it into overtime! 45 seconds into OT, the Wildcats of New Hampshire once again stunned North Dakota by scoring another goal to send the Fighting Sioux home.

And in the East Regional final between the Air Force Falcons and Vermont Catamounts, UVM thought they scored a goal with one second remaining in the first overtime, but after review, it showed that an Air Force player deflected the puck out of mid-air as it was on the goal-line to prevent it from going in.

The madness would continue in the second overtime when after a 12 minute and 30 second review, the Vermont Catamounts were awarded a goal to a play that occurred minutes before play was even stopped.

So when it was all said and done, it was only fitting that BU won in the fashion that it did. Because of that game, people will remember that Tournament, and I for one, consider myself extremely fortunate to have been a part of it.

Good Things Do Come to Those Who Wait

Congratulations to Matt Gilroy of Boston University and Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina. These are two guys who had the chance to pass up their senior year in college for the riches of professional sports, but instead turned that down in order to chase a National Championship. They both accomplished their goals.

While I understand that neither would have been the top prospect in their respective sport, they certainly had the opportunity to do what many others have done in the past, but instead they realized they only get one shot at college, and it is the best time of their lives.

It's nice to see people rewarded for hard work and dedication, and both of these guys were. Gilroy, who was not even on scholarship this year, won a National Championship and the Hobey Baker Award, and Hansbrough got his National Championship after getting his Player of the Year Award last year.

Quick Hits

• Did anyone else notice that CC Sabathia used a Rawlings glove on Opening Day after using a Nike glove all spring and last season, but switched back to the Nike glove for his second start? Maybe I'm crazy and a bit too superstitious, but there's no way I would have ever changed gloves, and I'm a Rawlings guy!

• Nick Swisher could be the best thing that happened to the Yankees in years. He doesn't try to be corporate like people think Yankee players should be now, but instead he's himself. Joe Girardi needs to get him in the lineup more often than not.

• And speaking of Girardi, I realize the season is young, but one thing he does not want to get into is the habit of is micro-managing his bullpen. I realize he did a fantastic job with the `pen last year, but he shouldn't worry so much about matching up lefties and righties. With guys like Damaso Marte and Phil Coke, he's got lefties that aren't lefty specialists, therefore he can leave them in to get the righties out as well; something he should've done in yesterday's game against the Royals.

• I have to admit, after watching the Master's for 5.5 hours yesterday, I was a bit disappointed in how it ended. For all the drama early on with Tiger and Phil, and then Kenny Perry's great shot at 16, it ended as a dud with Perry missing the green and Angel Cabrera having two putts from 10 or so feet to win.

That's it for now. I'd love to hear your thoughts and questions, so please pass them along. Hope you had a great Holiday.