DETROIT – Wisconsin played a hockey game at a football stadium and Boston College skated at Fenway Park earlier this season.

Both venues prepared the two teams for Ford Field, where they will meet tonight for the NCAA men’s hockey title in a rematch of the 2006 final won by the Badgers.

“Right from the minute we got out there for warmups, nobody was distracted by the surroundings,” Eagles forward Matt Price said of Ford Field, home to the NFL’s Detroit Lions and last year’s NCAA Final Four in men’s basketball.

Boston College’s focused effort — along with its speed, depth and goaltending — led to a 7-1 stunner over top-seeded Miami of Ohio on Thursday night. Wisconsin routed Rochester Institute of Technology 8-1 in the other semifinal, using its size and balanced scoring to dismantle an overmatched team.

The Eagles and Badgers expect to have a much tougher time when the two powerhouses collide in front of what should be a record-breaking crowd.

An indoor attendance record for hockey was set when a crowd of 34,954 was announced for the two-game session Thursday. Ford Field was prepared for the masses with a rink set up near an end zone and portable seats along the boards opposite the team benches.

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The Badgers and Eagles have played in front of bigger crowds.

Wisconsin beat Michigan 3-2 in front of 55,031 fans at Camp Randall Stadium, and Boston College lost by the same score to Boston University in front of 38,472 at Fenway Park.

The Eagles are in the championship game for the fourth time in five years, shooting for their second title in three seasons and the fourth in school history.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

ST. JOSEPH’S 14, LASELL 10: Lauren Hagerman scored five goals and assisted on two others for the Monks (8-0-1, 5-0 GNAC), who went on a 9-0 run over the final 16 minutes to beat the Lasers (7-5, 3-2) at Newton, Mass.

Alyssa Marchant added three goals and an assist, and Jaimee Brett and Erika Waterhouse scored two goals apiece.

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BASEBALL

TRINITY 10, BATES 7: The Bantams (12-3, 5-2 NESCAC) scored five runs in the first inning and held off the Bobcats (11-6, 1-3) at Hartford, Conn.

Noah Lynd hit a solo home run and an RBI single for Bates, and Josh Linscott added a two-run single.

SOFTBALL

TRINITY 9, COLBY 5: The Bantams (10-7, 4-0 NESCAC) broke the game open with a five-run fourth inning against the White Mules (4-11, 0-1) at Hartford, Conn.

Alyssa Lepore went 3 for 4 with a three-run homer and four RBI to pace the Mules.

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MEN’S BASKETBALL

COLUMBIA: Joe Jones resigned as head coach to become associate head coach at Boston College.

Jones was 86-108 overall and 39-59 in the Ivy League in seven seasons. The Lions were 11-17 this past season.

 

SETON HALL: Former coach Bobby Gonzalez sued the university over his dismissal last month, claiming he was fired without cause and is owed two years of salary under terms of his contract.

The outspoken Gonzalez was fired March 17, the day after the Pirates lost 87-69 to Texas Tech in the opening round of the NIT. Seton Hall finished 19-13, its best season under Gonzalez, who departed with a 66-59 overall record and a 29-45 mark in the Big East. The Pirates failed to reach the NCAA tournament during his four years.

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“Seton Hall had the right to terminate his contract, but Seton Hall doesn’t have the right to walk away from its contractual obligations to him,” said Gerald Krovatin, a lawyer representing Gonzalez.

 

GEORGIA TECH: Derrick Favors is leaving school after only one season to enter the NBA draft.

The 6-foot-10 freshman forward is projected as a top-five pick. He was named ACC rookie of the year after ranking second on the team in scoring (12.4 points per game) and rebounds (8.4).

 


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