(Photo by Bob Snow, Bruins Daily)

TAMPA – Outside, it’s 82 under azure blue for the eclectic gathering of college-hockey purists from Falmouth to Fargo; St. Cloud to St. Petersburg.

Inside Amalie Arena, four ounces of galvanized rubber becomes the epicenter for the clash of two teams separated by 100 miles between Chestnut Hill, Mass., and Hamden, Conn.

It’s Boston College vs. Quinnipiac University for a shot at college hockey’s holy grail in their very first meeting in respective history. Jerry York’s Eagles a perennial presence in April; Rand Pecknold’s Bobcats emerging with a like profile.

A few hours hence, one moves onto Saturday’s championship game against either North Dakota or Denver in the second semifinal game; the other, well, just moves on to next year.

Quinnipiac survived in the 3-2 win to play in the last game of the 2015-16 season.

Just 2:31 into the game, the Eagles’ talented D-corps hiccupped behind goaltender Thatcher Demko. The Bobcats’ Kevin McKernan jumped on the loose puck for the 15-footer past Demko’s short side for the 1-0 lead. A second BC lapse at 7:20 put Quinnipiac up a pair when Andrew Taverner sent a cross-crease pass from Travis St. Denis past Demko.

“We started a little bit slow and they forced two turnovers,” said York, “and it was 2-0.”

Two BC power-play opportunities followed, but the Q’s PK kept the Eagles scoreless.

“They were very aggressive and did a nice job on the PK,” York said.

BC came out quick in the second when Minnesota Wild’s first-round pick Alex Tuch deflected a shot by Colin White past Quinnipiac goaltender Michael Garteig to cut deficit in half.

One of BC’s primary objectives was keeping Quinnipiac’s best-in-the-country power play off the ice. The Bobcats made good on that ranking when it took just five seconds into their first man-advantage for Landon Smith to bat a fluttering puck past Demko at 4:28; St. Denis again assisting for the 3-1 lead.

Quinnipiac killed off a key penalty to end the period while the Eagles took two with 25 seconds left to send the Bobcats on the power play to begin the final frame. After being outshot, 8-5, in the first period, the Eagles turned that table around, putting up 15 shots in the second to Quinnipiac’s 13.

The Eagles’ season came down to a final 20 minutes with the Bobcats 20 minutes away from a second trip to the championship game in program history.

A choppy and turnover-paced early third impacted a BC comeback.

At 10:22, however, BC got its next chance to get back in the game when Quinnipiac’s Tim Clifton was whistled for slashing. The Q’s key kill kept the score at 3-1. But another BC power play with 6:07 left forced the Bobcats back on the PK.

And they almost escaped.

With just nine ticks left, however, BC’s leading goal scorer and Bruins’ pick Ryan Fitzgerald made it a one-goal game with Teddy Doherty and Ian McCoshen assisting at 15:44.

“Rotations were good; neutral zone control good,” Pecknold said about his team killing five of six infractions. “Our PK is better than it showed but it was good tonight. I thought we took bad penalties all night but the compete level was superb.”

The frantic finish included York pulling Demko with 1:30 to go. Garteig made the save of the game to that point with 1:15 left – then the biggest with two ticks left.

“He made some exceptional saves,” York said about Quinnipiac’s ironman in goal; Garteig has played all of his team’s games with a nation’s best 32 wins.

“He a winner,” Pecknold said about Garteig.

“We’re built to come back,” York said about falling behind early.

It was not to be for Boston College Thursday night.

“Not the prettiest game on the planet,” Pecknold said, “but we find ways to win and we did that tonight. If we play to our identity we will be rewarded.”

Qunnipiac plays Saturday night with a chance to become the fourth consecutive team, and fifth in the last six years, to win the NCAA title for the first time in school history following Providence (2015), Union (2014), Yale (2013) and Minnesota Duluth (2011). Prior to Minnesota Duluth’s championship, there had not been a first-time winner since Maine in 1993.