With the Frozen Four set to begin this Thursday in Philadelphia, there has been plenty of talk about how Minnesota and North Dakota hate each other, about how good “Johnny Hockey” is and how resilient and dominant Union has been this season. With all that being said, does all of that banter really matter? Remember folks, this is college hockey where the unpredictable tends to become a reality. Below, I preview all four teams and provide some interesting facts about the four squads.
Union vs. Boston College
When: Thursday April 10th
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
Time: 5:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Union
Regardless of what happens in the Frozen Four, Union will be only team to hit the 30-win plateau this season. The Dutchmen are the lone team in the Frozen Four without an NCAA Championship, but Union has made the NCAA Tournament four straight seasons after never making it prior to 2011. This is also the second time in three years they have made it the Frozen Four.
Senior forward Cole Ikkala, who is graduate of Downingtown West, is one of three Southeastern Pennsylvania connections on Union. Fellow forwards Max Novak (Oak Ridge, N.J., Hill School graduate) and Nick Cruice (Dresher, PA , La Salle grad) are the others.
The first thing one will notice about Union is their team speed. Their speed up front is prevalent, and Daniel Carr is one player to keep an eye on. He has a cannon of a shot and is terrific on the half wall. He’s a dangerous threat on the power play as well as in open space in five-on-five play. Carr is the only player on the roster with more than twenty goals.
Defensively, Rick Bennett’s team can skate. I think they’re the best skating corps of defense in the country. Their blue line pushes the pace and can start the transition with ease. They’re led by senior Mat Bodie and junior Shayne Gostisbehere (PHI). Gostisbehere is arguably the best defenseman in the country.
Goaltending was a major question mark heading into the season, but Colin Stevens has proven to be a more than adequate replacement for Troy Grosenick who is now property of the San Jose Sharks. Union’s 2.07 GAA ranks fourth in the country.
They don’t have the high-end names like Minnesota and Boston College do, but top to bottom they may be the best overall team in the country. They’re fast, experienced, and will give Boston College all they can handle.
Boston College
BC’s top line of Johnny Gaudreau (CGY), Kevin Hayes (CHI), and Bill Arnold (CGY) is the best trio of players in college hockey. Heck, they’re the best line college hockey has seen in quite a few years. They were grouped together earlier this season and have combined for a whopping 53 goals, 73 assists, and 126 points in 25 games. This is the seventh time in the last 11 years that the Eagles have advanced to the Frozen Four. Gaudreau, a native of Carney’s Point, NJ, is one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player.
The core of BC’s success starts on the blueline and in goal. Freshman goalie Thatcher Demko has been stellar this season. He posted a .920 save percentage and will almost certainly be a first-round pick come June. He’s the future of American goaltending. In front of him is a very young and impressive group of defensemen that has size, speed, and skill. Florida Panthers prospect Michael Matheson is a treat to watch. Throw in Steve Santini (NJ) and Ian McCoshen (FLA), and Jerry York has a pretty solid corps.
The aforementioned York is the oldest coach in the tournament at 68 year-old. He’s also college hockey’s all-time winningest coach.
If there is one flaw with this BC squad it could be their lack of scoring depth. They did lead the nation in scoring (thanks to their top line), but when teams have found a way to limit their top line, BC becomes beatable. We saw this when Notre Dame beat the Eagles in the Hockey East quarterfinals. The Gaudreau line was held to one five-on-five goal for the weekend.
North Dakota vs. Minnesota
When: Thursday April 10th
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
Time: 8:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
North Dakota
North Dakota snuck into the NCAA tournament on the last day of the regular season with some help from other teams around the country. Dave Hakstol’s squad is trying to pull off the same feat Yale did last season. It’s the program’s 20th Frozen Four appearance since 1958, which is more than any other team in college hockey over that time.
NoDak won a pair of close games in the Midwest regional. Mark MacMillan (MTL) broke a 2-2 tie against Wisconsin in the first round with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, and North Dakota added two empty net goals for a 5-2 victory. In the regional final, goalie Zane Gothberg (BOS) was terrific. He stopped 44 of 45 shots as North Dakota beat Ferris State for a 2-1 double-overtime victory.
Blocking shots has become a staple for North Dakota this season and leading the way has been Dillon Simpson (EDM), who paced the nation in blocked shots with 107. His partner on the blueline, St. Louis Blues first-round draft pick Jordan Schmaltz, is second on the team with 58.
One player to watch for North Dakota up front is speedy Rocco Grimaldi (FLA). The California native stands only 5’6 tall, and is as elusive and quick as anyone in the country. His hat trick against the Badgers was Grimaldi’s first multi-goal performance of his career. Grimaldi has played a pivotal role on a North Dakota penalty killing unit that has killed off 45 of the last 49 opposing power play opportunities.
Interesting to note that North Dakota has the most Canadians (14) of any team in the Frozen Four, and the most NHL draft picks with 15.
It’s going to be difficult to beat their hated rivals from Minnesota, (these two programs hate each other like Bruins vs. Canadiens or Flyers vs. Penguins) but it can happen. They lack the firepower compared to the other three teams in the field, but nobody wants to play them and I think they know that. They’re a pain in the rear to play against and if Gothberg can deliver another performance like he did against Ferris State, then NoDak will be in business.
Minnesota
The Golden Gophers enter the Frozen Four as the No. 1 overall seed after winning the first Big Ten regular season title this year. Though the Gophers lost to Ohio State in the conference semis, they beat Atlantic Hockey tournament champion Robert Morris (7-3) and NCHC regular season champion St. Cloud State (4-0) at the NCAA West Regional last weekend.
They have a great defense, a great goaltender, and a load of weapons up front.
Minnesota’s offense is led by freshman Justin Kloos, who scored three of his team leading 15 goals last weekend. The top line of Kyle Rau (FLA) and Sam Warning, lead the team with 37 and 32 points, respectively. Freshman Hudson Fasching (BUF) is also a player to watch. Rau has goals in seven of his last nine games, including three straight.
Goalie Adam Wilcox (TB) has a 25-5-6 record with a 1.89 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. Minnesota’s defense is led by smooth-skating defenseman Brady Skeji (NYR). 21 of the 25 players on Minnesota's roster hail from the state of Minnesota.
Minnesota played North Dakota in the 1979 national championship game with Herb Brooks’ Gophers coming out on top. Don Lucia’s squad are the heavy favorites to beat North Dakota and the favorites to win the entire tournament. They have been college hockey’s best team all-season long, and we shall see if they can continue their success in Philadelphia. The Gophers are seeking their first national title since 2003 and the program’s sixth overall.
