While there aren't any New England teams in the NCAA men's Frozen Four, there are some big names.
Michigan vs. Denver. North Dakota vs. Wisconsin. Ask any random person on the street. They know those four teams.
The New England teams didn't do so hot this year. Of the six that made the tournament, five (Providence College, UConn, Dartmouth, Merrimack and Bentley) were all bounced in the first round of regionals.
Quinnipiac was the lone team to make it to the regional final, but got trounced by North Dakota, 5-0.
To get here, Michigan beat Bentley (5-1) and Minnesota Duluth (4-3), while Denver steamrolled Cornell (5-0) and Western Michigan (6-2). Wisconsin took down Dartmouth (5-1) before eliminating Michigan State (4-3), and North Dakota beat Merrimack (3-0) and Quinnipiac (5-0).
So those are the paths. Who advances?
Patrick went nuts with his picks in regionals, going 10-for-12, while Evan wasn't as hot, but posted a very respectable 7-for-12 (Guess who wrote this).
Let's dive in.
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Semifinal: North Dakota vs. Wisconsin
Marinofsky:Â I had both of these teams losing in the first round, so...yeah. Not great. These are two high-powered offenses, both ranking in the top 10 in the country in goals for. Where the X-factor lies is in net. North Dakota freshman Jan Å punar has been spectacular this season with a dazzling 1.90 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. The freshman is coming off two shutouts in regionals, too. Wisconsin also has a freshman in net with Daniel Hauser, but Å punar has the edge. That sends the Fighting Hawks to the national title game.
North Dakota wins, 3-1.Â
Donnelly: Both sides stack up evenly in terms of goals per game (3.8) and both power plays are just shy of a 27 percent success rate. NoDak is going to need to take advantage of Wisconsin’s penalty kill. At 70.9 percent, the Badgers rank second-to-last in the nation. Wisconsin does, however, have a very experienced roster, including Ben Dexheimer and Quinn Finley, who are coming off strong regionals. Špunar gives the Fighting Hawks an edge in net, though, as does their high-end depth. The third line was a difference-maker at regionals. I wouldn’t expect a repeat defensive performance from regionals (North Dakota shut out Merrimack and Quinnipiac by a combined 8-0 margin), but I do expect NoDak to move on. Wisconsin will be its toughest test of the tournament so far, though.
North Dakota wins, 4-2
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Semifinal: Michigan vs. Denver
Marinofsky:Â Michigan has been the best team in the country this season, while Denver has been the best team in college hockey this decade. Both of these teams have high-flying, top-five offenses (Michigan has the edge). Both are upper-echelon defensive teams (Denver has the edge). In net, Denver has the slight edge with freshman Johnny Hicks, while Michigan has gotten fantastic netminding from freshman Jack Ivankovic. The x-factor: I don't see Denver going to two straight Frozen Fours and losing in the semifinals.
Denver wins, 2-1.
Donnelly: There isn’t a better offense in college hockey than Michigan, which had no trouble scoring in the regionals. If anyone can keep up with the Wolverines, though, it’s Denver, even though the Pioneers are averaging a full goal per game less (4.6 to 3.6) and operating at just 19.5 percent on the power play, the second-lowest mark of any team in the tournament. Nevertheless, the Pios are capable of playing up-tempo, and they put up big-time offense in the regionals. Most importantly, they have the details to slow Michigan down. Not to mention Hicks is playing at an unthinkable level for DU right now. He’s got a leg up on Ivankovic, who has been strong in his own right. But no one has been on Hicks’ level of late.
Denver wins, 4-3
National championship
Marinofsky:Â I have North Dakota vs. Denver. A classic NCHC matchup that I know our phenomenal New England Hockey Journal subscribers were absolutely clamoring for. These two teams never met in the NCHC playoffs, so their only meetings this year came in a weekend series on Jan. 16 and 17. North Dakota won the first game, 5-0, while Denver won the second, 3-2. While picking against Denver is stupid this time of year (the Pioneers have national championships in 2022 and 2024), this is North Dakota's first Frozen Four appearance since winning it all in 2016. They're due.
North Dakota wins, 4-3, in double overtime.Â
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Donnelly: It’ll be a meeting between some of the bluest bloods of college hockey. Both sides are capable of playing structured, stingy hockey. Just look at North Dakota’s 23.5 shots allowed per game, which is second in the nation and just 0.1 shy of the top spot. This will come down to who can get the timely save and the timely goal. It’s hard to pick against Hicks right now, and it’s even harder to pick against a David Carle team in April.
Denver wins, 3-2, in overtime
