NCAA Frozen Four: Open line Thursday

Semifinal 1

UMass Lowell 28-10-2 vs. Yale 20-12-3

Semifinal 3:30 p.m. (CT) ESPN2 (209 DirecTV/144 Dish).

Semifinal 2

Quinnipiac 29-7-5 vs. St. Cloud State 25-15-1

Semifinal 7:00 p.m. (CT) ESPN2 (209 DirecTV/144 Dish).

The NCAA’s Frozen Four takes center stage at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Looking at the weather outside, you would think that it’s the middle of February and we should be gearing up for another weekend of college hockey and not the final two games of the season.

Like I have said numerous times, I don’t really know what to make of this season; it’s been hard to put a finger on it. There has really been no one team that was really dominate this year, except maybe for UMass Lowell after December 8^th and there has been a lot of parity among the leagues.

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say, that the other smaller schools in college hockey are catching up with the big name schools; it’s also getting harder to win a NCAA title.  

Looking at the Frozen Four field this season, there will be no traditional power house teams in Pittsburgh this year. In other words, there will be no teams named Boston College, Boston University, Denver, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Dakota or Wisconsin.

None of the current teams in the Frozen Four this year are what I would consider really big schools. In this year’s Frozen Four, you have a mix of two state schools and two private schools, Quinnipiac (private) 6,262 students, Saint Cloud State (state) 15,536 students, UMass Lowell (state) 11,729 Students, Yale (private) students 5,349.  

Yale and Quinnipiac’s campuses are separated by a distance of 10.7 miles.

There will be a new NCAA champion in 2013.

Who’s your pick for 2013? I am going with the UMass Lowell River Hawks. Back in the late 1980’s, when I lived in Massachusetts, I used to attend University of Lowell Chiefs games in the old Joe Tully Forum. Yes, UMass Lowell, then the University of Lowell, used to be called the Chiefs before they changed their name to the River Hawks in the early 1990’s.  

Good luck to all of the teams in this year’s Frozen Four.

My prediction for the Frozen Four

When I listen to the Gopher Puck Live I usually send in a tweet to the show. This week I sent in this prediction for the Gophers in the Frozen Four.

Before you shoot me full of holes, I don’t think it’s that far off of the mark. Apparently, some Gopher fans didn’t like my bold prediction, one thin skinned person called me an idiot. However, I will stand by this prediction and here is why. I have put a lot of thought into this prediction.

I have also watched my favorite team go down the Eagles in more than one Frozen Four.

Having watched a lot of college hockey this season, Boston College is hands down the best hockey team that I have seen play this season. I have not seen many teams that can match B.C.’s speed, not even the Gophers can.

Last week a couple of Bulldogs fans took issue with my prediction that I thought UMD would get rolled in the Northeast Regional championship game. I guess I wasn’t that far off the mark eh?

Last weekend the Boston College Eagles dismantled the UMD Bulldogs who had two of the best forward lines that I have seen in college hockey this season. The Eagles held the top line of Joe Basaraba, Jack Connolly and Mike Seidel off of the score sheet. That’s almost unheard of and not many teams can saw that they accomplished that this past season.

If History tells us anything the Boston College Eagles are deadly when they get to the NCAA Frozen Four. Here are some recent results.

2010 Frozen Four (Ford Field)

April 8th 2010 B.C. 7 Miami 1
April 10th 2010 B.C. 5 Wisconsin 0

*Miami was 27-7-7 and Wisconsin was 25-10-4

2008 Frozen Four (Denver)

April 10th 2008 B.C. 6 UND 1
April 12th 2008 Boston College 4 Notre Dame 1

*UND was 26-10-4 and Notre Dame was 24-15-4

Power Play

5 Minnesota 43/185 4 23.2
6 Boston University 45/197 2 22.8

Penalty Kill

3 Boston College 162/184 11 88.0
36 Minnesota 149/184 7 81.0

Scoring Defense

2 Boston College 42 87 2.07
9 Minnesota 42 93 2.21

Scoring Offense

1 Minnesota 42 154 3.67
6 Boston College 42 147 3.50

Links to the Frozen Four...

There are a lot of news stories out there on tomorrow’s Frozen Four. In reading some of the Michigan based new articles on the Sioux versus the Wolverines I do think that there is a lot of “sandbagging” coming out of Michigan as well. The Fighting Sioux and Michigan Wolverines are both good hockey teams and either team is capable of winning.

Contrary to public belief the UND Fighting Sioux hockey team is not looking past the Michigan Wolverines as some fans from other college hockey programs have suggested. While some UND Fighting Sioux fans might be talking about potential match-ups; because we can, we don’t play the games, this shouldn’t be equated to the Fighting Sioux hockey team looking past anyone. Having watched the Fighting Sioux hockey team for a very long time, this team is as focused as any Fighting Sioux hockey team that I have seen in some time; I would probably say since the 2000 team that won it all.

UMD looks for home-state advantage... [ESPN.COM]

U-M hoping to end tourney run with title... [ESPN.COM]

Here is this week's INCH Podcast [click to listen]

UND aims to take its best shot Morden's Chay Genoway gets his final chance at NCAA title... [Winnipeg Free Press]

INCH has the Frozen Four coaches take [INCH.COM]

Hockey key part of Minnesota culture [ESPN.COM]

Brad Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald; has a story about the Fighting Sioux being comfortable playing at Xcel Energy Center... [Grand Forks Herald]

Dave Campbell, WDAZ ;Frattin Carries UND to Frozen Four... [WDAZ.COM]

Notre Dame hockey: NCAA tourney points piling up for center Riley Sheahan... [South Bend Tribune]

Notre Dame hockey: Senior trio 'Frozen' again... [South Bend Tribune]

Notre Dame hockey: Three Irish icers returning home... [South Bend Tribune]

Brad Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald; Duluth’s Forbort helping North Dakota’s quest for title... [Duluth News Tribune]

Notre Dame hockey audio: Jackson looks ahead to Frozen Four... [Click to listen]

Tale of the Tape and match up courtesy of College Hockey News… [Click to view] The Sioux are 3-0 against Michigan in their last three games.

So you want tickets? Be prepared to pay.

Stub Hub Frozen Four Tickets

I have a bunch of people asking me about tickets, I know no one with tickets that are trying to sell theirs but here is a good place to go if your interested in going to the Frozen Four, it's going to cost you a lot of money though. I am sitting this one out but I am watching the Frozen Four in my brother-in-laws basement where we watched the UND Fighting Sioux go 2-0 this past weekend. [Check out this link for Stub Hub], [Tennessee Ticket Company]