ALLENTOWN REGIONAL
When: Friday, March 24 & Sunday, March 26
Where: PPL Center, Allentown, Penn.
Matchups (all times Eastern): Penn State vs. Michigan Tech, March 24, 5 p.m., ESPNU; Michigan vs. Colgate, March 24, 8:30 p.m., ESPNU; championship, March 26, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
1. MICHIGAN
How they got here: Won the Big Ten tournament
Overall season record: 24-11-3
Top players: F Adam Fantilli (24-37–61), F Mackie Samoskevich (19-21–40), F T.J. Hughes (13-20–33), D Luke Hughes (9-33–42), G Erik Portillo (23-10-2, 3.08 GAA, .907 SV%)
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: The Wolverines can seemingly score at will and from nearly anywhere on the ice. They can turn the heat up on opponents and come from behind. They this tournament having beaten Minnesota, arguably the best team in the country, in the Big Ten title game. They’ve been through a few things this season that have solidified them as a team, in spite of their youth. They’re wicked talented and five-on-five, they’re as good as anybody.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: There are two things that could prevent the Wolverines from reaching the Frozen Four. Michigan lets in a lot of goals, but the Wolverines have been able to outscore their opponents – outscore their mistakes – for the entire second half of the season. If they run into a wall in net, they’re in trouble. Also, if they can’t stay out of the penalty box, they won’t go to Tampa.
2. PENN STATE
How they got here: At-large bid
Overall season record: 21-15-1
Top players: F Kevin Wall (16-13–29), F Ture Linden (11-17–28), F Conner MacEachern (11-13–24), D Jimmy Dowd (4-13–17), G Liam Souliere (18-14-1, 2.52 GAA, .913 SV%)
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: The Nittany Lions can score and when they dictate the pace of the game, they open it up for end-to-end action that opponents find difficult to match. They’re a team with something to prove after the previous two disappointing seasons, and they’re playing in front of what will essentially be a home crowd. Souliere is solid in net, too. All of that may carry them to Tampa.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: Penn State hasn’t played since March 5, and that can certainly be problematic for the Nittany Lions. They are 3-8-0 in their last 11 games, a stretch that began with two losses against Michigan and ended losing two of three games to Ohio State in Big Ten semifinal play. If they haven’t fixed whatever plagued them in that stretch, they’re going nowhere.
3. MICHIGAN TECH
How they got here: At-large bid
Overall season record: 24-10-4
Top players: G Blake Pietila (23-10-3, 1.99 GAA, .929 SV%); F Ryland Mosley (12-19-31); F Kyle Kukkonen (18-19-27); F Logan Pietila (11-11-22); D Brett Thorne (3-15-18)
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: Blake Pietila. One could argue that there’s no single player in college hockey this year who is more important to his team than the senior goaltender. The Huskies have some offensive weapons, but it’s Pietila – the CCHA player and goaltender of the year – who keeps the team in games. He leads the nation with 10 shutouts, and most of those have been low-scoring affairs – five 2-0 results and, most recently, a 1-0 win against St. Thomas in the CCHA semifinals. Essentially, when Pietila is on his game, Tech is extremely difficult to beat.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: Playing essentially a road game against hosts Penn State in Allentown is going to be tricky, and the Huskies don’t have a great track record in the NCAA tournament since their return to prominence in the past decade. They’ve made the tourney four times since the 2014-15 season and have yet to make it out of the first round. Will this fifth time finally be the charm?
4. COLGATE
How they got here: Won ECAC Hockey tournament
Overall season record: 19-5-5
Top players: F Alex Young (21-18-39), F Matt Verboon (16-19-35), F Colton Young (11-16-27), F Ross Mitton (9-18-27), D Nick Anderson (3-26-29), G Carter Gylander (19-14-5, 2.31 GAA, .918 SV%)
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: Colgate was the team with no business winning in Lake Placid, but the Raiders defeated ECAC’s two best teams because they kept games close with a solid, team-based approach. This team is flawed, but it beat Merrimack in October and didn’t lose any of its last 10 games leading into the tournament. All except one of its postseason wins were one-goal games, and two went to overtime. That’s a leather-skinned, battle-tested team with a blazing hot goaltender and a roster that doesn’t know how to lose.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: Cinderella stories are great, but the first game of the tournament is against Michigan, a team that just beat Ohio State and Minnesota to win the Big Ten. The Wolverines are the No. 1 seed in Allentown, but they might as well hold the top seed in the tournament right now. Even with an upset, Penn State’s high-powered offense is nothing that exists in ECAC, and Michigan Tech poses a stingy threat against a team that didn’t have the depth scoring of other tournament-bound programs.
