Men’s Frozen Four: Minnesota, Quinnipiac on to title game

1:00 PM ET

The NCAA men’s Frozen Four in Tampa, Florida, is loaded with star power as Minnesota, Michigan, Quinnipiac and Boston University vie for the national championship.

Minnesota, Michigan and Quinnipiac all were No. 1 seeds in their respective regionals, while BU was a No. 2 seed. The Frozen Four has plenty of offensive punch, as the national semifinalists all rank in the top four in the country in scoring (Michigan, 4.22 goals per game; Minnesota, 4.21; Quinnipiac, 3.95; BU, 3.90). Quinnipiac also is No. 1 in scoring defense, allowing just 1.54 goals per game. Minnesota ranks sixth at 2.24, BU 16th (2.56) and Michigan 42nd (3.08).

The Wolverines, who were extended to overtime by Penn State before winning the Allentown Regional final 2-1, are making their NCAA-record 27th Frozen Four appearance. The other programs in Tampa are no strangers to the big stage, either, with Minnesota and BU both making the Frozen Four for the 23rd time. Quinnipiac, which has the best record in the country at 32-4-3, will make its third appearance. The combined 76 Frozen Four appearances is by far the most of all time.

The four teams have a total of 40 NHL draft picks on their rosters, including eight first-rounders.

The Frozen Four will be at Amalie Arena, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning, with the national semifinals Thursday and the national championship game Saturday. Every Frozen Four game will be on ESPN2 and will be available to stream on the ESPN app and ESPN+.

Below is the schedule and a look at each team, including how they can win it all, from college hockey analysts Andrew Raycroft, Paul Caponigri, Colby Cohen and Sean Ritchlin. For a bracket that will update as games are completed, click here.

Every game of the NCAA men’s hockey tournament, including the Frozen Four and championship game will be available on ESPN+. Subscribe to watch!

Schedule

All times Eastern

Frozen Four
at Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida

April 6: National semifinals (ESPN2/ESPN+)
Boston University vs. Minnesota, 5 p.m.
Quinnipiac vs. Michigan, 8:30 p.m.

April 8: National championship game, 8 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN+)

Frozen Four teams at a glance

Minnesota (28-9-1)

How the Gophers got to Tampa: Minnesota, the top overall seed, trailed upstart Canisius midway through their regional semifinal, but it always seemed like it was just a matter of time before order was restored. That happened in the second period, when the Gophers embarked on an 8-0 spurt, with three of the goals coming on the power play, for a 9-2 final.

Minnesota handled St. Cloud State in the Fargo final, with freshman star Logan Cooley giving the Gophers a 2-1 lead early in the second period and setting up a big insurance goal midway through the third. Cooley has 30 points while in the midst of a 15-game scoring streak.

History lesson: The Gophers are in the Frozen Four for the fifth time since their last national title in 2003. They played BU in the 1995 Frozen Four semifinals at Providence, a 7-3 win for the Terriers.

Andrew Raycroft’s Fargo takeaways

The No. 1 overall seed looked the part. Minnesota outscored its opponents 13-3 over two games in Fargo and never really seemed to be threatened. If not for the brilliance of St. Cloud State goaltender Jaxon Castor in the first period of Saturday’s regional final, the Gophers would have run away with it.

Minnesota is the favorite for a reason. It has a dynamic forward group, led by Bryce Brodzinski (four goals, one assist) this weekend, and an extremely deep back end anchored by Jackson LaCombe and Brock Faber, and the big-save goaltending of Justen Close (45 saves).

How Minnesota can win it all: With all their depth and talent, Minnesota is the team to beat, but at the Frozen Four, the Gophers will need to be more disciplined with the puck in their own zone and do a better job staying out of the box (eight minor penalties over two games in Fargo).

Boston University (29-10-0)

How the Terriers got to Tampa: After cruising past Western Michigan, BU put the clamps on Cornell — which had upset Denver, the Manchester Regional’s top seed — and edged the Big Red, 2-1. Drew Commesso had 37 saves while giving up just two goals over the weekend.

The win puts Jay Pandolfo in the Frozen Four in his first year as head coach of his alma mater. Pandolfo helped lead BU past Minnesota en route to the national championship in 1995.

History lesson: Manchester has been a kind regional for the Terriers. Their past three Frozen Four appearances have come out of the New Hampshire site (this year, 2015 and 2009, when they won it all). This is BU’s 23 Frozen Four appearance but only its third since 1998.

Paul Caponigri’s Manchester takeaways

Cornell pulled off the biggest upset. Cornell came out flying against No. 1 seed and defending national champion Denver, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Denver really didn’t find its game until the third period, but Cornell was able to lock down defensively in front of Ian Shane, who was solid in net for the Big Red.

BU is very deep upfront offensively. Yes, Lane Hutson and Dom Fensore are dynamic offensive weapons from the blue line for the Terriers. But BU’s depth at forward really showed this weekend. Case in point, senior winger Ethan Phillips came into the regional with seven points in 26 games, but after being elevated to the top line in Manchester due to injury, he notched four points, including two goals to double his total for the entire season.

How BU can win it all: The Terriers are battle tested, and Pandolfo has pushed the right buttons for the most part all season long. Commesso has been a rock in net and Lane Hutson might be the most dynamic player in the country as a true freshman. BU rolls four lines and can get scoring from any one of them at any time. That can be key when you are playing the best of the best.

Michigan (26-11-3)

How the Wolverines got to Tampa: The high-powered Wolverines blitzed Colgate 11-1 in the regional semis, scoring the most goals in an NCAA tournament game since 1961, but their matchup with Penn State was much different. The Nittany Lions kept Michigan in check, but freshman Adam Fantilli finally broke through with a power-play goal midway through the third period to tie the score 1-1.

Mackie Samoskevich then fired a heat-seeking wrister past Penn State goalie Liam Souliere, who had a fabulous game, 52 seconds into overtime to win it.

History lesson: This is Michigan’s eighth Frozen Four since its most recent national championship in 1998. The Wolverines are 1-6 in their past seven national semifinals. Overall, Michigan is making its 27th Frozen Four appearance (the most ever) and has won nine national titles (tied with Denver for most ever).

Sean Ritchlin’s Allentown takeaways

Michigan-Penn State was a serious slugfest. After an offensive show for the Big Ten on Friday night (19 goals scored in two games), the final was more indicative of NCAA tournament hockey. Penn State played its heart out in a tough overtime loss to the Wolverines. Michigan’s star offensive players showed up when needed, as the nation’s leading scorer, Adam Fantilli, and sophomore Mackie Samoskevich delivered. Both goaltenders, Michigan’s Erik Portillo and Penn State’s Liam Souliere, were sharp and consistently made important saves.

PPL Center had an electric environment. Having the host school, Penn State, playing in the regional made for a fantastic atmosphere. The Nittany Lions faithful showed up in big numbers, and the PPL Center was jam-packed creating a memorable scene for both schools. Penn State’s hockey culture and fan base makes it seem like the school has played the sport for 60 years, not 10. Coach Guy Gadowsky has a great thing going in Happy Valley.

How Michigan can win it all: The Wolverines are elite offensively, but at times have struggled with turnovers and clearing out pucks in front of the net, which can be dangerous in one-and-done hockey. Against Penn State, they did a better job of layering pressure and keeping an eye on turnovers. At 6-foot-6, Portillo made some timely saves and looked as sharp as he has been all year. Fantilli’s confidence and ability continue to grow as he was a dominant force in both games, but Michigan also has a deep bench. If the Wolverines can eliminate turnovers and get the goaltending they saw in Allentown, they have a great chance to win their first national title since 1998.

Quinnipiac (32-4-3)

How the Bobcats got to Tampa: After blanking Merrimack in the semis, Quinnipiac erased an early deficit against Ohio State with a pair of goals, from Christophe Fillion and Skyler Brind’Amour, 15 seconds apart midway through the first period. The Bobcats then turned on their trademark defense (1.54 goals per game, best in the country) and hung on to beat the Buckeyes despite being outshot 26-9 over the last two periods.

Sophomore Yaniv Perets stopped 49 of 50 shots over the weekend, and Quinnipiac improved to 8-3 on the season when its opponent scores first.

History lesson: This is the third Frozen Four for Quinnipiac. The Bobcats were national runners-up in 2013 (beat St. Cloud State, lost to Yale) and 2016 (beat Boston College, lost to North Dakota).

Colby Cohen’s Bridgeport takeaways

Quinnipiac’s neutral and defensive zone play is top notch. The Bobcats seem to play a 1-1-3 or a 1-3-1 at times and they force teams into turnover after turnover. This weekend, the teams they played created zero offense for themselves. The one goal Quinnipiac gave up to Ohio State was off a bad turnover that turned into a breakaway, but otherwise I am not sure I have seen more dominant defensive hockey in a regional for as long as I have been covering them. Their entire team is full of older, stronger, 200-foot players, and they are going to give Michigan a look that they have not seen this season.

Quinnipiac’s Sam Lipkin is a star. Lipkin’s size and strength are notable for a true freshman, and the touch he has on the puck created some goals for the Bobcats. Lipkin also possesses the confidence to call his own number and shoot the puck, which isn’t always easy when you are surrounded by fourth- and fifth-year players. His play creates a ton of space for linemate Colin Graf, who is one of the nation’s top scorers.

How Quinnipiac can win it all: No Division I team has won more games in the last decade than the Bobcats, and over the last two seasons they have a .795 winning percentage. The next step for this program is to hang a national championship banner. They will face Goliath in Michigan, but Quinnipiac cannot be discounted because of their ability to dominate in the neutral zone. The Bobcats are comfortable in low-scoring games and when playing in their own end, which they will need to be in order to beat Michigan and then either BU or Minnesota. It will come down to goaltending and frustrating their opponents with their stingy trap.