DETROIT — Wisconsin enjoyed a dream season where everything seemed to fall into place on its way to the 2010 national championship game. But on the biggest stage, nothing went right for the Badgers.

UW was 60 minutes away from winning their seventh national championship and achieving the goal this senior-laden team set out for itself at the start of the season. But those dreams vanished in the opening minutes of the third period when Boston College scored two quick goals to stretch a one-goal lead to three.

Cam Atkinson, the Eagles’ leading scorer, scored 98 seconds into the final period and Chris Kreider added a goal just over two minutes later to effectively seal the national championship for Boston College. The second-highest scoring team in the nation had no answer for BC goaltender John Muse or the Eagle defense, which held UW scoreless for just the third time all season.

BC senior forward Ben Smith opened the scoring with a power play goal at the 12:57 mark of the first period. John Mitchell was sent to the penalty box for elbowing, and the Eagles took advantage, finding Smith in the slot with plenty of time and space to fire a wrist shot past UW goaltender Scott Gudmandson.

The Badgers were limited to just five shots in that first period, but senior forward Michael Davies had two great scoring chances on centering feeds from Derek Stepan.

Davies was unable to beat Muse, and the Eagles carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

The Badgers’ next great chance in the second period came from Davies once again. After knocking the puck down out of mid-air, the 20-goal scorer was all alone on Muse, but the puck didn’t cooperate and it hopped over the senior’s stick. BC was able to clear.

That was the kind of night it was for the Badgers, who just didn’t see the bounces go their way.

“It just didn’t seem to be our day,” UW head coach Mike Eaves said.

UW showed some life in the second, out-shooting BC 9-6. The Badgers generated solid possessions and were able to cycle the puck deep in the Eagles’ zone.

But UW needed a goal to get itself and the crowd back into it, and unfortunately it never came.

“I thought the last half of the first period and on into the second period we had pretty good momentum going,” senior tri-captain Ben Street said. “We just never found the back of the net.”

At the start of the final period, BC put the game on ice. Atkinson used his terrific speed to get behind the Badger defensemen, and the sophomore forward backhanded a shot through Gudmandson’s legs.

With the UW defensemen pushing forward to create offense, the speedy BC forwards were able to utilize their quickness on the counterattack.

“That [speed] is definitely one of their strengths,” junior tri-captain Ryan McDonagh said. “They used their speed to try to go around us… they made us pay no question about it.”

There was plenty of time left, but with UW’s offensive struggles, that two-goal lead was just too much to overcome.

“In the third period we never got that next goal, which could have possibly changed the game,” Eaves said. “They got the next one and the game was just about over.”

Two minutes later, Krieder added another. The Ford Field crowd of 37,592 — an indoor hockey record, filled with plenty of Wisconsin fans — was in shock, and so were the Badgers, whose season was ending right in front of them.

UW’s frustration was evident as Podge Turnbull took a contact to the head penalty away from the action and once again, the Eagles took advantage of an opportunity. Atkinson tallied his 30th of the season with a power play goal at the 7:20 mark of the period.

An empty net goal from BC forward Matt Price in the final minutes ended the scoring and started the exodus of fans from their seats.

The season was over, and Wisconsin watched the Eagles pour off the bench for their championship celebration. It was a post-game filled with tears and dejection as the Badgers took off their jerseys for the final time.

But as brutal as the ending to this season was, the players understood this tremendous campaign would be appreciated in due time, even though it didn’t end the way they wanted it to.

“We had a great journey, great run with these guys,” senior tri-captain and Hobey Baker award winner Blake Geoffrion said. “Obviously right now we’re pretty disappointed in our play today, and they were the better team on the ice. But we’ll go back and reflect on the past couple of days here and look back on it, and we should be proud of ourselves.”