The month of April brings a lot of change. For college hockey fans, it means the end of the road for a season full of ups and downs across the country.
We finally know the four schools that are going to the Frozen Four held at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa., over three days, April 10-12th.
After shutting out St. Cloud State University 4-0, Minnesota punched its ticket to the tourney on March 30. Meanwhile, a much closer matchup was happening between No. 2 ranked Boston College and No. 5 ranked UMass-Lowell. Freshman defenseman Ian McCoshen got the game-winner for the Eagles to send them to Philadelphia. The Faribault, Minn., native and company will now face Union College to see who will go to the finals, playing against either Minnesota or the University of North Dakota.
North Dakota made the Frozen Four after besting Ferris State University 2-1. Union College was able to hold off top-ranked Providence in a tight game, ending with a 2-1 score. It was a Cinderella story of sorts for North Dakota.
In the first round, North Dakota faced No. 4 Wisconsin, winners of the inaugural Big Ten Tournament. After beating the Badgers 5-2 in round one, the Ferris State Bulldogs were the next obstacle for North Dakota. The second-round match-up was a bit closer than the first, but again North Dakota were the victors, winning 2-1 to secure its place in the Frozen Four.
All four teams – North Dakota, Minnesota, Union College and Boston College – will have nearly a week off to prepare. The semifinals start with the two teams representing the Northeast, Union College and Boston College, facing off at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 10. Following that, Minnesota and North Dakota will fight in a battle of the Upper-Midwest at 7:30 p.m.
The final will be oh-so-very fitting: One team will represent the Midwest in the final tilt, while another will represent the Northeast.
Be sure to tune in to ESPN2 on April 10th to see both semifinal games. The final will air on ESPN on Saturday, April 12th at 7:30 p.m.
