The first thing to mention about this of Championship Weekend is that all three men's titles were claimed by first-time champions. That is an incredible statistic; especially when considering some of the opponents that Yale, Merrimack and Wesleyan each had to play en-route to their respective victories. The fans who were in attendance braved some unseasonably cold weather on Sunday and Monday, but were treated to unbelievable performances at all three levels.

This game delivered everything a fan could want. It somehow featured excellent defense and goaltending, while still having room for momentum-changing runs sparked by high-flying offense. The Yale defense and their goalie, Jack Starr, did a fantastic job of taking away the "enemies they knew" and forcing other players to step up for Duke, and daring those comparatively unknowns to beat them. Most coaches would prefer to entirely shut down an opposing offense, but with a team as deep and athletic as Duke, that just wasn't a conceivable option. So hats off to Andy Shay and his staff for the faith they showed in their defense, and the brilliant game planning that included momentary zone looks that gave Duke fits at key moments, such as right before the half as they were trying to make it a one goal game. I think the true unsung heroes of this National Championship victory were Tyler Warner and Jason Alessi, who, in addition to holding Duke's freshman phenom Nakeie Montgomery without a shot, played an integral role in the clearing game nearly every time Yale regained possession.

Go to 1:10 below to see what Happen when Andy Shay realizes he's won the national championship...