Sophomore Cutter Gauthier gathers himself after final horn in BC’s 2-0 loss in national title game yesterday. David Berding/Getty Images

Well, that was unexpected. And disappointing.

The two highest-scoring teams in college men’s hockey met for the national championship yesterday in St. Paul, Minn., and the game ended with Denver the victor, 2-0. Boston College, ranked #1 in the country and winner of 15 straight games, was shut out for the first time this season.

Perhaps being the runner-up was somewhat foretold. On Friday, major awards for individual performance in college hockey were announced. In the balloting for the Hobey Baker Award to the nation’s best player, BC’s Cutter Gauthier was runner-up. In the contest for best goalie, BC’s Jacob Fowler was runner-up.

That was opinion, however. When the game on the ice finished yesterday, the Eagles had laid a goose egg. Runner-up.

Only once in the season had BC been held to fewer than two goals and that was a 1-0 win over New Hampshire.

“They played a tight trap game against us, limiting our speed,” Gauthier told The Boston Globe. “We’re a team that likes to play off the rush, and they slowed us down a lot, created a lot of turnovers, and shoved it down our throats.”

The Eagles had only 12 shots on goal entering the final period, with Denver ahead after scoring two goals in the second period. BC peppered Denver goalie Matt Davis with 23 shots on goal in the period, including on two power plays, but Davis, with two shutouts earlier in the season, stopped them all. Davis turned away 68 of 69 shots during this year’s Frozen Four, holding Boston University to a single goal in Denver’s 2-1 win in double overtime in the semifinal. He was named the tournament’s “most outstanding player.”

One of Davis’s saves was described later by one commentator as the most amazing in the history of the NCAA tournament.

Denver had 26 shots on goal for the game.

The win brought Denver its 10th national championship, most of any team, and its second NCAA title in three years. Michigan, the team BC beat 4-0 in the semifinal, has nine championships. Wisconsin has six titles, while BC and BU are tied with five.

“[Denver] played a heck of a game tonight,” BC coach Greg Brown told the Globe. “It was a championship battle, and they were as stingy and tight defensively as we’ve seen this year. They did a great job. Played a lot of winning hockey. They played like a championship team. So that being said, proud of our guys, too. It was not only the season they had, but the game they had tonight. We made a great push in the third. Had a lot of chances. Their goalie played great. They got some blocks. Hit a post or two.

“When it’s a one-game series, you need some breaks in there. So our guys gave everything they had, and tonight wasn’t their night.”

The Eagles finished the season with a school record 34 wins, six losses, and a tie.

The game attracted the year’s largest contingent of San Diego Eagles, family, and friends at our gamewatch at The Corner Drafthouse. Go Eagles!

Will Smith scores early opening goal in BC’s 4-0 shutout of Michigan yesterday. David Berding/Getty

Well, it’s not BC-BU, but BC-DU.

Boston College moves into the national championship game tomorrow after defeating Michigan, 4-0, yesterday in St. Paul, Minn. Boston University fell to Denver, 2-1, in overtime earlier in the day to deny an all-Boston final.

This will be BC’s 12th appearance in the NCAA championship game and first since 2015. A win would bring them their sixth national crown and first since 2012.

The Eagles and Pioneers already met once this season, in the fourth game of the season October 21 in Conte Forum. Then #2 Denver scored three goals in the final period to beat then #3 BC, 4-3.

Yesterday, freshman Will Smith scored two goals and classmate Jacob Fowler made 32 saves in goal, first ever shutout of the Wolverines in the Frozen Four. Freshman Gabe Perreault scored one goal and added three assists, while sophomore Cutter Gauthier scored a goal.

Overall, the Eagles were outshot 32-22 by Michigan, but much of the action took place in mid-ice as BC thwarted Wolverine advances.

“It was a track meet, which we kind of expected. A lot of rushes going both ways,” said BC coach Greg Brown in the Boston Globe. “I think our rush defense was probably the best part of our game tonight. They did a great job there.”

After Smith’s first early goal, the Eagles had only five more shots on goal in the first period. They exploded for two goals in 49 seconds during the second period and added the final score early in the final period. For the rest of the game, BC kept the clock moving, clearing the puck, and refreshing lines frequently.

“Anytime someone commits to Boston College, it’s to win championships, and we have an opportunity for that on Saturday,” Gauthier told the Globe. “Been super proud of our group up to this point. And [alluding to the earlier loss to Denver] we owe these guys.”

BC’s win was its 15th straight this season, improving its record to 34-5-1. Total victories are the most in program history. One more to go.

Seven members of the BC men’s hockey team won gold medals today as members of the USA National Junior Team that defeated Sweden, 6-2, in Gotheburg, Sweden, for the world junior championship.

The contingent of Eagles — forwards Cutter Gauthier, Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault, and Will Smith; defensemen Drew Fortescue and Aram Minnetian; and goaltender Jacob Fowler — is the largest number of players from a single team ever to be members of the USA squad.

Gauthier was named the tournament’s best forward. He tied for the scoring lead in the tournament with 12 points, including 10 assists. He scored the winning goal in the USA comeback 3-2 victory over Finland to reach the final. In his 2022-23 freshman year at BC, he led the team in scoring with 16 goals and 21 assists. The Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League picked Gauthier fifth overall in the 2022 NHL draft.

Interestingly, Gauthier was born in Sweden, during his father’s playing career for a professional Swedish hockey team. His family now resides in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The USA featured a forward line of Perreault, Leonard, and Smith. Perreault and Leonard both scored goals in the gold medal game, while Smith had two assists.

BC, ranked #1 in the country in NCAA hockey, has been on hiatus during the tournament because of the absence of so many team members. The team returns to the ice tomorrow for an exhibition game with Simon Frazier University of BC (British Columbia), Canada. They return to Hockey East play next Friday against Providence.