ST. LOUIS — It’s business as usual for Penn State and Western Michigan, two newcomers to the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four.
At least that’s what they hope.
It’s hard to know for sure until things get going on semifinal Thursday and players and coaches get a taste of the full experience.
Western Michigan will feel it first in a 4 p.m. CT game against NCHC counterpart Denver, and Penn State will appear on college hockey’s big stage afterward against Boston University.
The matchups are Frozen Four first-timers against seasoned veterans, and the debutants are trying to look at it in the simplest terms possible.
“It’s our philosophy that it’s business as usual,” Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said. “I know that’s a little bit harder to execute with the lights on but I think it’s something the team talked about and we understand pretty well.”
It’s the first Frozen Four with multiple first-timers since 2013, when St. Cloud State, UMass Lowell and Quinnipiac all were bested by Yale.
It has been 37 years since a team has done what Western Michigan and Penn State are trying to this week: win the NCAA title in their first Frozen Four appearance.
Lake Superior State defeated Maine and St. Lawrence in Lake Placid, N.Y., for the 1988 championship. It was its first time in the semifinals but it launched a run of success: The Lakers also won in 1992 and 1994 around a runner-up finish in 1993.
Since that 1988 tournament, 15 teams have made a Frozen Four debut. Six have won their semifinal — Colgate in 1990, Notre Dame in 2008, Miami in 2009, Ferris State in 2012, Quinnipiac in 2013 and UMass in 2019 — but none has won the championship.
Western Michigan and Penn State will be the 42nd and 43rd teams to play in a Frozen Four. Of the 41 already in the club, only four won the title in their first try. Only Lake Superior State has done it since the NCAA tournament field expanded beyond four teams in 1977. The others were Michigan in the inaugural 1948 event, Denver in 1958 and Cornell in 1967.
The last first-time entrant was Minnesota State in 2021, and then-Mavericks coach Mike Hastings turned to those who had been to the Frozen Four before for advice on how to handle it.
Minnesota Duluth coach Scott Sandelin acknowledged to Hastings being more comfortable the second time he took a team than the first but offered a suggestion that living in the moment was critical.
“Yes, the moment is different because it’s the Frozen Four, the lights are a little brighter,” said Hastings, now the coach at Wisconsin. “But you’ve had some first-time accomplishments. Don’t hold onto those. They’ll still be there when you’re done. Move onto the next one. If you get caught looking in the rear-view mirror at what just happened for the first time, you’ll lose the opportunity for the next one.”
Western Michigan’s Pat Ferschweiler made similar calls in the last week and a half since the Broncos clinched their spot in the semifinals with a 2-1 win over UMass in the Fargo Regional final on March 29.
Playing in the Frozen Four is a “big-time experience,” he said, and needs to be enjoyed as such. But there’s a time to lock in.
“I think a superpower of this team so far this year has been staying in the moment,” Ferschweiler said. “Be 100% every day, right here. And that means great practices, a singular focus on Thursday’s game, not get ahead of ourselves and certainly not look back because we know we can’t change the past. Being present has been a great thing for this team. We’re going to continue to do that.”
There’s another element of Frozen Four preparation that applies to everyone, regardless of whether it’s the first time there or the third straight season (as it is for Boston University) or third in four years (as it is for Denver): the bye week in the middle.
Denver coach David Carle said experience has helped him and his staff dial in how to handle the extra time, especially as it relates to recovery. He credited the team’s sports science staff led by Matt Shaw for crafting the plan to recover from the regional and ramp up toward the trip to St. Louis.
“The first time going through it you’re more shooting from the hip, and now there’s a bit of a knowledge base behind it and a comfort level behind it,” Carle said.
Boston University coach Jay Pandolfo said there’s no “magic recipe” to overcome the time off. Keeping focused is one of the biggest challenges.
“It’s a bit of a tough task this time of year when you’re on a high that you were on coming off the regionals and knowing you have to practice for 10 days,” he said. “It’s not fun for anyone.”
<i>This</i> part of it is fun, especially for those who’ve never experienced it before. Penn State got to regional finals in 2017 and 2023 before finally reaching a Frozen Four. Western Michigan was a step away in 1986 and 2022.
“We’ve been there in the tournament, had some success a couple years back,” Broncos forward Tim Washe said. “But it feels great breaking through there and getting a chance to be here.”
