The remarkable turnaround season of the BU men’s hockey team came to a painful close April 11 when the Terriers fell to Providence College 4-3 in the NCAA National Division I Championship at Boston’s TD Garden.

Head coach David Quinn (CAS’89), who in two short years has taken the Terriers from unimpressive (10-21-4) to powerhouse (28-8-5) status, had high praise for his team after the heartbreaking loss. “The things we’ve accomplished, when nobody thought we could do any of it, are an incredible testament to…every player, every student manager, every equipment manager. We were a team,” said Quinn. “We were a true team.”

The Terriers’ stunning season included a 30th Beanpot title, the Hockey East regular season title, and their eighth Hockey East tournament championship. Under Quinn’s guidance, the freshman-heavy Terriers produced the best offense in the country, averaging 3.89 goals per game.

Leading those triumphs was freshman forward sensation Jack Eichel (CGS’16), who won the Hobey Baker Award, hockey’s answer to the Heisman Trophy. He is only the second freshman ever named the top NCAA men’s ice hockey player and the third Terrier. Matt Gilroy (MET’09) won it in 2009 and Chris Drury (CAS’98) in 1998. Both went on to careers in the National Hockey League.

In the video above, Jack Eichel (CGS’16) talks about what it’s like to be the number-one player in college hockey. Video by Bill Politis. Photo by Andy Costello

“It was really nice to hear my name,” Eichel said after the April 10 award ceremony. “I got choked up for a minute talking, because I looked down and I saw my mom and she was crying. It choked me up just because of how important my parents are and everything they’ve done for me. I wouldn’t be nearly the player or person I am today if it wasn’t for them.”

Eichel, who as the number-two NHL draft pick was chosen by the Buffalo Sabres, is the 2015 Hockey East scoring champion, Rookie of the Year, and Player of the Year. He and captain Matt Grzelcyk (COM’16) were named 2015 CCM First Team All-Americans, chosen by the American Hockey Coaches Association.

Quinn, the architect of this season’s powerhouse team, drew on his experience as a star defenseman for legendary 40-year BU coach Jack Parker (Questrom’68, Hon.’97) in the 1980s. Quinn also served as an associate coach under Parker at BU.