2015 Frozen Four Preview: BU Aims To Raise Another Banner
BOSTON (CBS) - The city of Boston may have their sights set on the NHL playoffs, but college hockey is about to take over the Hub.
The NCAA Frozen Four takes over the TD Garden on Thursday night, with a pair of New England teams battling for a spot in Saturday's title game. First at 5:30pm, Providence will play Omaha, with Boston University and North Dakota battling in the second game.
Here is a look at the four remaining teams, and what each of them bring to the table -- or in this case, ice.
Boston University (22nd Frozen Four Appearance) – In Coach David Quinn's second season behind the bench, the Terriers have resurfaced as one of the nation's top college hockey programs. Led by Hobey Baker finalist and North Chelmsford native Jack Eichel, BU has claimed both the Beanpot Championship and the Hockey East Championship this season.
The Terriers have scored 150 times so far this year making them the second highest rated offensive team in the country behind only Michigan. All of that scoring has landed three BU players in the top ten in points in the nation.
With only two seniors, inexperience was a concern early in the season, but that fear was quickly erased. This BU squad features ten freshmen who have combined for a NCAA leading 144 points. The high powered offense has been nicely complimented with strong defensive play lead by junior captain Matt Grzelcyk and goalie Matt O'Connor's .928 save percentage.
BU is riding a seven game win streak into TD Garden and don't have any plans on slowing down. They will face North Dakota in the second semifinal game on Thursday.
North Dakota (21st Frozen Four Appearance) – North Dakota finds themselves back in the Frozen Four for the third time in five years. This has nearly become routine for Coach Dave Hakstol who is taking his 8th team to a Frozen Four.
UND had a strong season this year going 29-9-3 and winning the NCHC regular season title.
Bruins prospect Zane McIntyre will be in net for North Dakota as they look to win their eighth national title. McIntyre has been a work horse in net all year long and posted a .929 save percentage. Junior forward Drake Caggiula leads the offense with 18 goals and 36 points through 41 games.
Something else to watch out for is UND's success killing penalties. They currently lead the nation with 11 shorthanded goals, but it will be difficult to take risky short-handed chances against Boston University's potent power play.
UND will play BU in the second semifinal game at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday night.
Providence (4th Frozen Four Appearance) – Providence has caught fire towards the end of the regular season and has carried it into the national tournament.
If Providence wins their first national championship it will have a lot to do with junior goalie Jon Gillies. The 6-foot-5 Gillies has been stellar in net for Providence and leads all Frozen Four goalies with 13 shutouts this season. However, before the Friars can set their sights on a trophy, they will have to face a Nebraska- Omaha team that has some of the most skilled forwards in the country.
One area where Providence had trouble during the regular season was goal scoring. Noel Acciari and Trevor Mingoia both lead the team in scoring with only 14 goals each through 39 games. However, putting the puck in the net hasn't been an issue during the playoffs.
The Friars combined to score eleven goals in two games in the East Regional.
Nebraska-Omaha (1st Frozen Four Appearance) - This is Nebraska-Omaha's first trip to the Frozen Four. Although this is a new level of success for the program, it is familiar territory for their coach Dean Blais who won two national championships with North Dakota in 1997 and 2000.
Omaha's goaltender Ryan Massa is a major reason for Omaha's success. Massa stopped 73 of the 74 shots he saw in the Midwest Regional. He is also the all-time UNO leader in both save percentages and goals against average.
It also doesn't hurt that there are seven players on the Mavericks roster that have more than 20 points. Look out for sophomore forward Austin Ortega. Ortega has lit the lamp a team high 20 times this season including scoring a goal against R.I.T. that helped seal their ticket to Boston.
The Mavericks combined for eight goals in the regional round and will look to continue their strong offensive presence against Providence in the first semifinal game on Thursday.
