The NCAA Frozen Four is heating up the world of college hockey.
The tournament is set for April 11 and 13 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. No. 2 ranked Boston University will play No. 3 Denver, while No. 1 Boston College will take on Michigan. Michigan, Boston College, and Boston University are one, two, and three in all-time Frozen Four appearances with 28, 25, and 24 respectively.
Denver follows the pack at fifth with 19 appearances, though they do have the most all-time national titles with nine. Denver is also the most recent champion of the pack, winning it back in 2022. Boston College was ranked number one for the last nine weeks of the regular season heading into the playoffs, according to USCHO.com.
Varsity Hockey coach Derek Cunha thinks Boston College will take the title, despite some close calls along the way.
“I think the eventual national champion will be BC, and I think they have their biggest scare of the tournament sneaking by Quinnipiac and in a game,” said Cunha. “They should have lost, so I think that was probably their wake-up call.”
Cunha added that he was surprised by Denver’s resilience in a nailbiter with the University of Massachusetts Minutemen.
“The biggest upset probably would be Denver, who is the number one seed in the Springfield bracket, beating Massachusetts in a double overtime game where Massachusetts carried the play,” he said. “Similar to BC, Denver found a way to win that game, and so I kind of see that as Denver upsetting Massachusetts because Massachusetts probably should have had them.”
Hockey player Lukas Machan is going with the favorites to win it.
“I think BC is just the best team,” Lukas, a sophomore from Beaconsfield, Canada, said. “They might be a young team, but they have so much talent that I think that they are an unstoppable team.”
Lukas also added that he thinks there will be a Hockey East matchup in the National Championship.
“I think it will be a super exciting game to see if we get a BU vs BC matchup,” he said. “It’s a big rivalry that will make for an exciting game. I think it would be a huge upset if either team lost.”
Lukas was shocked that Michigan made it in after tough regional play.
“I think Michigan got lucky,” he said. “I don’t think that Michigan could do that again. Michigan State was a way better team, and they dominated the game. Michigan had a really good third period and they took over at the very end of the game.”
Assistant Varsity Hockey coach Brandon Borges is also rooting for the top ranked Eagles.
“I think Boston college is going to win,” Borges said. “They’ve got four guys that have over 60 points, and their power plays are incredible and their goaltenders are really good.”
Borges thinks Michigan State is a very good team with a bright future.
“I thought Michigan State was going to make a deep run at it this year,” he said. “They have Isaac Howard and they’re getting really good, and I thought that they were going to definitely make a deep run and they lost to Michigan.”
Varsity forward Declan Grenache also likes the Eagles to win it.
“I think BC is going to win because their first line of freshman is so good,” the sophomore from Worcester said. “On top of that line, they have a nasty second line of Cutter Gautier Andre Gasseau and Oscar Jellvik, and then they follow it up with some fifth years that are very good. They’re such a well-balanced team and have a great coach.”
Declan also thinks that BU got lucky to slip by the Minnesota Golden Gophers with a win.
“A game that shocked me in the tournament was BU’s 6-3 win over Minnesota in the regional finals,” Declan said. “I really thought Minnesota was going to take this … I thought it was interesting because Minnesota really was pressing them [and] with 10 minutes left made it 4-3 after a 4-2.deficit.”
New Hockey Fan Zh’Ky Johnson-Tuzo likes the unranked underdogs in Michigan.
“I think that Michigan will win,” said Zh’ky, a 10th grader from Bermuda. “They are a very good team that was counted out for a Frozen Four appearance, and they are going in with something to prove.”
As a long time college hockey fan and someone that tunes in every weekend, I think that a Boston College vs. Boston University final is very likely, and I think that the Terriers will come out on top. The season series goes to the Eagles with a 3-1 head-to-head record as well as a dominant performance in the Hockey East Championship.
The Terriers will come out firing in a final match-up showing that they win when it matters. I think the Eagles are a better team, but BU has something to prove and wants to take home some hardware in a potential final match up of the season. I don’t think either Denver or Michigan is going to be able to hold on to BU or BC in the semifinals, as BC and BU both have incredibly high-powered offenses that can put the puck in the net.
