ST. LOUIS — Western Michigan and Boston University will play for the national championship on Saturday after the two teams advanced on Thursday.
The USCHO Weekend Review team of Ed Trefzger, Jim Connelly and Derek Schooley are joined by Arizona State coach Greg Powers to break down the two games from St. Louis.
Friday, USCHO will have coverage the the NCAA’s State of the Game press conference and will preview the title game on Saturday.
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ST. LOUIS — For Boston University, the third time really is the charm.
Appearing in its third straight Frozen Four, BU advanced to the finals for the first time in those three attempts, knocking off Cinderella upstart Penn State 3-1 on Thursday at Enterprise Center.
Boston University will face Western Michigan, which upended defending champion Denver, 3-2 in double overtime in Thursday’s opening semifinal.
While Boston University didn’t need to post the dramatic second half of the season that Penn State did, ending the regular season on a 10-1-3 run, it still was forced to turn its season around. That happened with the January arrival of Mikhail Yegorov, who stabilized things in the BU net.
On Thursday, Yegorov was Boston University’s best player, finishing the game with 32 saves.
“We wanted to strengthen the goaltender position,” BU coach Jay Pandolfo said of Yegorov. “We felt he could come in and compete for the starting job. We gave him an opportunity and he never looked back.”
The opening 20 was a feeling-out period, with Boston University holding an 11-7 edge in shots. Neither team found the net, though Penn State’s Aiden Fink had the best look, firing a shot on a 2-on-1 that forced Yegorov to make a moving save with 2:20 left.
Boston University grabbed the game’s first lead, taking advantage of a careless mistake by Penn State goaltender Arsenii Sergeev. Matt Copponi threw the puck toward the net that Sergeev stopped. The rebound, though, wasn’t covered and when Sergeev moved, the loose puck was exposed and Jack Hughes buried it at 1:35 of the second for a 1-0 lead.
That lead doubled nine minutes later when BU came up ice with numbers. The Cole connection struck as Cole Hutson outwaited the defense and slid the puck to Cole Eiserman, who made no mistake, extending the lead to 2-0.
Penn State, however, wasn’t done. Early in the third, Yegorov made back-to-back saves for BU, the second from point-blank range, but a third shot from Nic DeGraves’ stick beat Yegorov high to give the Nittany Lions life with 17:45 left, trailing 2-1.
“It’s hard to end a team’s season,” said Pandolfo. “You knew they were going to push. They’re a team that funnels everything to the net and that’s how they ended up getting that first goal there.
“That gave them life and they started believing. They started putting the pucks through to our net and someone had to do the job and Big Mike [Yegorov] did the job there in the third.”
The Nittany Lions pressed, putting 18 shots on Yegorov in the third, but it was Jack Harvey’s empty-net goal with 59.6 seconds left that sealed Penn State’s fate.
For Penn State, the loss ended a remarkable ride through the season’s second half. Hampered by injuries early in the season, they’re a team that was sitting at 31st in the PairWise Rankings on Jan. 15 yet made a run to the school’s first Frozen Four, an accomplishment nothing short of remarkable.
“We were left for dead not long ago,” said Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky. “For these guys to come back and play in St. Louis is remarkable. Better than that is how they did it.
“They are such great representatives of our university. The way they stuck together in the toughest times was incredible.”
ST. LOUIS — Penn State wasn’t supposed to be here.
Or so people thought.
The Nittany Lions lost their first eight games in the Big Ten before picking up a point in a shootout loss vs. Notre Dame on Jan. 3, outdoors at Wrigley Field.
It probably wasn’t a surprise for the team picked to finish second from last to be sitting at the bottom of the standings.
“We were left for dead not long ago,” said Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky.
But his team still felt it had life.
After a win at Notre Dame on Jan. 5, Penn State began a turnaround for which the coach and players credit senior leadership.
“I learned a lesson from them this year,” said Gadowsky. “I mean, the way that they stuck together and stayed positive in the hardest times — when it would’ve been really easy not to — is just, is really, really impressive.”
“The senior class did an unbelievable job with the leadership this year, showing us the way,” said sophomore forward Aiden Fink, a Hobey Baker Award top 10 finalist and team-leading scorer.
The Nittany Lions went 9-3-3 over the rest of the conference season, finishing in fifth place. They went on to upset Michigan in a first-round sweep in the Big Ten playoffs before losing to Ohio State in overtime.
A successful nonconference schedule and favorable playoff results in other leagues got Penn State into the NCAA tournament as an at-large team.
The Nittany Lions dominated Maine and squeaked by UConn in overtime to advance to Thursday’s semifinal, where Penn State came up short in a 3-1 loss to Boston University.
The team had its chances against BU, including a couple of short-handed breakaways and some grade-A chances.
“We just didn’t finish. So sometimes you don’t have your A game and you finish,” said Gadowsky. “We certainly got momentum later, but when we had chances to — big chances when we weren’t playing our A game — we just didn’t finish.”
“It’s super tough with the outcome that happened, but just to be able to wear the Penn State crest for the past five years — it means everything to me,” said Jimmy Dowd, Jr., a grad student taking advantage of his fifth year.
Gadowsky turned his comments from finishing plays well to finishing well in life.
“I think there’s a lot of eyes on our game, but I hope there are a lot of eyes on what type of men these guys are,” Gadowsky said.
“They’re fantastic students,” said Gadowsky, who pointed out Dowd. “He could be the mayor of State College. He could. Everywhere I go, people look at me and they ask if I know Jimmy Dowd, and that’s a wonderful thing.
“And then [2024 Hockey Humanitarian Award winner] Dylan Lugris, what he did in the community is incredible. The community is going to be a much, much better place because of this senior class and the type of guys they were.”
Penn State checked a box, according to Gadowsky, by making it to the Frozen Four. And he agreed that the step forward will bring more attention to the team on the ice.
But more than that is the way the team responded, learned, and grew amid difficulty.
“It’s not just how we played in the success they had. I think it’s what kind of men they are,” said Gadowsky. “And I think that will be just as impactful.”
ST. LOUIS — Here are five numbers to know from Boston University’s 3-1 win over Penn State in Thursday’s Frozen Four semifinals at Enterprise Center.
The number of minutes the second semifinal was delayed due to the first semifinal going to double overtime. The Denver-Western Michigan game lasted four hours and two minutes, causing the Boston University-Penn State semifinal to start at 8:50 p.m. CT instead of its scheduled start time of 7:30.
Wins by BU in NCAA tournament history. The Terriers are 50-40 all-time in NCAA tournament play. Their 50 wins are fifth most, behind Minnesota (62), Michigan (59), North Dakota (53) and Boston College (52).
All-time meetings between the schools. This was the first ever. Penn State is in its 12th season of varsity play; Boston University is in its 103rd.
The announced attendance for Thursday’s combined session, the second lowest non-COVID number of the 21st Century for a semifinal, behind the 13,051 announced in Buffalo in 2019.
Points by BU’s Hutson brothers. Quinn Hutson (50 points) was held off the score sheet, while younger brother Cole (47) had the primary assist on the Terriers’ second goal.
ST. LOUIS — Here are photos from Boston University’s 3-1 win over Penn State in Thursday’s Frozen Four semifinals at Enterprise Center.
ST. LOUIS — Western Michigan, appearing in its first ever Frozen Four, is one win away from a national championship. But it hardly came easy.
After jumping out to a two-goal lead through two periods, Western Michigan let it slip away and needed double overtime and an Owen Michaels goal 26 seconds into the second extra frame as the Broncos advanced on the backs of a 3-2 victory over Denver at Enterprise Center on Thursday.
Western Michigan will face the winner of Boston University and Penn State in Saturday night’s national title game.
The victory keeps alive a dream season for Western Michigan, which posted its program-record 33rd win of the season. The Broncos won the NCHC regular-season and postseason championships, the latter also coming against Denver.
“Obviously, Denver has a championship pedigree so we knew they weren’t going to go down easy in the third,” said Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler.
The game-winner came on what seemed like an innocent play. Even up through the neutral zone, Matteo Costantini made a drop pass intended for Alex Bump. When the puck went under Bump’s stick, Michaels found himself alone, sniping the shot glove side on goaltender Matt Davis.
“I kind of blacked out a bit,” said Michaels of the game winner. “A bit of a broken play and I just saw the puck squirt out to me. I had some open time and space. Just figured I’d put it on net and pretty happy it went in.”
Both teams had chances early on in regulation, including a hit crossbar for Western Michigan’s Zach Nehring a minute in. Otherwise, the best opportunities for each team came on the power play. Western Michigan’s came in the first period, the Broncos mustering five shots on that man advantage. And early in the second, Denver got its chance with the extra man, getting two shots.
The game’s third power play produced the first goal. After Denver’s Samu Salminen was sent off for holding at 5:32, it took less than a minute for the Broncos to connect.
Tim Washe won a faceoff back to Brian Kramer, who unleashed a wrist shot over Davis’ glove at 6:16 to give Western Michigan a 1-0 lead.
It was the first time Denver trailed in an NCAA tournament game since last year’s regional final against Cornell.
From there, the offensive intensity ratcheted for the Broncos. By the midway point in the game, Western Michigan held a 24-7 shot advantage over the Pioneers.
At 14:32, Western extended the lead. A Pioneers defender fell, turning over the puck directly to Michaels. He wasted little time firing a shot over the glove for the 2-0 advantage.
It was the 15th goal of the year for Michaels.
It easily could’ve been 3-0 headed to the third if not for Denver’s Davis. Late in the second, he stopped three consecutive short-handed attempts that began with Constantini’s breakaway. Able to stop 30 shots through two periods, Davis gave his team a chance.
“They’re a great hockey team,” said Denver coach David Carle. “We felt if we could keep our feet moving a little more, get the puck moving and get them into some more precarious situations, we’d be able to have some success.”
Denver didn’t lie down in the third, coming out aggressive with its forecheck. Eric Pohlkamp had one of the Pioneers’ best looks when he redirected a crossing pass from Aidan Thompson that forced netminder Hampton Slukynsky to make a quick stop.
With 13:09 remaining, Denver finally struck when a blocked shot turned into an open net. Thompson’s original bid was blocked by the Broncos only to return immediately to his stick blade with a gaping net awaiting.
Chances abounded for Denver from there, but all too often the puck simply rolled off a stick or the execution wasn’t clean enough.
That was until the final three minutes. Pohlkamp’s shot from the point hit Slukynsky up high and the rebound sat in the crease. As a pile of players crashed the net, Jared Wright got enough of the puck to tuck it past Slukynsky at 17:39.
The play was challenged for goaltender interference by Western Michigan but after a three-minute video review, the call was upheld.
Shots through regulation heavily favored Western Michigan, 36-17.
In the first overtime, Bump had a glaring chance to end things with 11:30 remaining but a rolling puck jumped over the crossbar with the empty net awaiting.
Seconds later at the other end, Wright and Rieger Lorenz couldn’t connect on a 2-on-0 down low, extending the overtime. With 2 minutes left, Davis made a nifty left pad save to thwart Costantini on a 2-on-1.
Western Michigan held a 10-5 shot advantage in the first overtime.
The Pioneers lost for the first time in their last seven NCAA tournament games. It was the first time in that span that they allowed more than a single goal.
“We had our bumps in the road but we always tried to be able to spin it, use it,” said Carle. “I’m certainly proud of our seniors who came in. We missed the NCAA tournament when they came in and followed it up with arguably the best four-year period of hockey in program history.”
Western Michigan is looking to become a first-time national champion, something that happened two years ago as well when Quinnipiac beat Minnesota in overtime to earn into first national crown.
“Over time, you have to keep doing it right, keep doing it right,” said Ferschweiler. “We talked about being ready to win the game when the time comes. I think Owen Michaels did a good job of that, for sure.”
ST. LOUIS — As a freshman last season, Western Michigan’s Owen Michaels had a pair of goals and seven points in 38 games.
This season, Michaels has 16 goals and 34 points, including two tallies in the Broncos’ 3-2 double-overtime victory over defending national champion Denver on Thursday.
Michaels scored WMU’s second and third goals, and the latter was the game-winner that sent the Broncos to their first national championship game.
Just 26 seconds into the second overtime, Michaels picked up a loose puck in the slot and lifted a shot past Denver goaltender Matt Davis to end the Pioneers’ quest for a second straight national title.
“I blacked out a little bit (after I scored),” said Michaels. “It was a broken play. I saw the puck scoot out to me in the middle of the ice. I had some open time and space and figured I’d put it on net. I’m just happy it went in.”
Broncos coach Pat Ferschweiler said that Michaels’ progression from seven points as a rookie to being the team’s fourth-leading scorer as a sophomore was due to the work he did in the offseason, but that he saw that potential in Michaels last season.
“Owen’s play was better than his point totals last year,” he said. “So we saw offense in him. He did have a huge summer in the gym, so he’s stronger. That (work in the) gym just allows your skills to show, right? And we talked about that. But also getting him to really believe in himself as an offensive player, push him forward, play with Alex Bump, these are good things.”
“I definitely went into the summer trying to take that next step and had a big summer in the gym and on the ice,” said Michaels. “It helps playing for the best coaching staff in college hockey. I just love showing up at the rink every day.”
When asked if his coaches had any specific instructions on what to work on, Michaels said, “Just play Bronco hockey, put it on net and play north, play fast.”
As far as the game-winner, the biggest goal of his career, Michaels said that it was his first overtime goal in quite a while.
“The last one was probably back in youth hockey,” he said.
“This tops that.”
ST. LOUIS — Here are photos from Western Michigan’s 3-2 double-overtime victory against Denver in Thursday’s Frozen Four semifinals at Enterprise Center.
ST. LOUIS — Here are five numbers to know from Western Michigan’s 3-2 overtime victory against Denver on Thursday in the Frozen Four semifinals.
It had been five NCAA tournament games since Denver trailed. The last was against Cornell on March 30, 2024, when the Big Red scored first. Denver tallied the next two to advance from the Springfield Regional to the Frozen Four.
Denver’s NCAA tournament winning streak ended at six games. The Pioneers won eight straight in their back-to-back national championships in 2004 and 2005.
Owen Michaels’ bar down overtime game-winner was his 16th goal of the season. His 15th came in the second period of Thursday’s game to put Western Michigan ahead 2-0.
Denver was outshot by a total of 47 shots on goal in its three NCAA tournament games this postseason. The Pioneers defeated Providence 5-1, being outshot 31-20, and downed Boston College 3-1 after a 36-25 shots deficit. Western Michigan had 47 shots to Denver’s 22 in the national semifinal.
There have been 113 overtime games in the NCAA tournament and 19 multiple-OT games, including Thursday’s semifinal. The last two-OT game in a Frozen Four was Colorado College’s 4-3 win over Vermont in the 1996 semifinal in Cincinnati on deteriorating ice conditions after an ice attendant drilled into the refrigeration system while attempting to clean out the hole for the goal peg. Denver and Western Michigan contributed a two-overtime tournament game in 2011, with DU winning that one 3-2.
ST. LOUIS — Alex Bump scored 22 seconds into double overtime to give Western Michigan the NCHC playoff championship against Denver on March 22. It took Owen Michaels four seconds longer on Thursday in the Frozen Four semifinals.
Michaels’ second goal of the game gave the Broncos a 3-2 win over the Pioneers and a spot in Saturday’s NCAA championship game.
THE BRONCOS ARE HEADED TO THE #MFrozenFour CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!
Owen Michaels with the OT winner!#MFrozenFour x 🎥 ESPN2 / @WMUHockey pic.twitter.com/tHErJIs4xI
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) April 11, 2025
ST. LOUIS — Watch as the USCHO Weekend Review team – Ed Trefzger, Jim Connelly and Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley – preview Thursday’s national semifinals between Denver and Western Michigan and Penn State and Boston University. St. Lawrence coach Brent Brekke, who similar to Schooley is a Western Michigan alum, join the show as does former Bronco and St. Louis Blues forward Jamal Mayers.
Check back after each semifinal game as the crew breaks down each game.
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Rochester Institute of Technology on Thursday announced the hiring of Matt Thomas as its new men’s hockey coach. Thomas will replace Wayne Wilson, who announced his retirement Wednesday after 26 seasons on the Tigers’ bench.
Thomas, the eighth coach in the school’s history, is a former RIT player (1994-98) and captain. His most recent job was an as an assistant coach with the Providence Bruins of the AHL. Prior to that, Thomas held assistant and head coaching roles in pro and college hockey.
“I am excited to welcome Matt back to RIT as our new men’s hockey coach,” said RIT executive director of athletics Jacqueline Nicholson. “He brings a winning pedigree back to his alma mater and I am confident he will carry on the success our program has enjoyed since he was on the RIT bench. We look forward to welcoming him and his family to the RIT community and can’t wait to see what the next chapter of RIT Men’s Hockey will bring.”
Thomas appeared in 102 games during his RIT playing career, totaling 72 points on 25 goals and 47 assists. He helped the Tigers to an ECAC West title and three trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
“I am truly honored and excited to return to my alma mater as the new head coach of the RIT Men’s Hockey program,” said Thomas. “This is a special moment for me, as RIT played a significant role in my development both as a player and as a person. To have the opportunity to give back to the program and the institution that helped shape my career is a dream come true.”
After graduating from RIT, Thomas spent a year as an assistant there before moving on to Maine for three years in the same role, helping the Black Bears to the 1999 national title.
Thomas then moved into the pro ranks, first as an assistant and then coach of the ECHL’s Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies, followed by head coaching and general manager roles at Stockton, Fresno and Cincinnati, where he was named ECHL coach of the year in 2019.
Thomas amassed a 431-255-96 record in 11 total seasons as an ECHL head coach, ranking sixth in league history in wins and games coached.
Thomas was a head coach at the NCAA Division I level at Alaska Anchorage from 2013 to 2018, compiling a 48-105-21 record for the Seawolves. His 18-16-4 record in 2013-14 was the first winning campaign in 20 seasons at UAA.
“I am excited to continue the proud tradition of winning hockey that has defined this program for so many years,” said Thomas. “ I look forward to the first game and the great support our fans and the Corner Crew provide our team.
“I am committed to developing our student-athletes not just as hockey players but as individuals who will excel on and off the ice. The foundation of our success will be built through hard work, discipline and a strong team-first mentality, with a focus on player development in everything we do. … The future is bright, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”
Thomas will be introduced during a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. April 17 in the Gene Polisseni Center on the RIT campus.
ST. LOUIS — The 2025 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four begins Thursday with the national semifinals.
Denver plays Western Michigan at 4 p.m. CT at Enterprise Center. The second game between Boston University and Penn State is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Both games are on ESPN2 and ESPN+ for subscribers, with John Buccigross, Colby Cohen and Quint Kessenich on the call.
Westwood One has rights to radio broadcasts; Brian Tripp, Dave Starman and Shireen Saski are the voices. The broadcasts are on SiriusXM Channel 84.
Read and watch USCHO’s coverage leading into the Frozen Four in the links below.
Watch: Western Michigan practices in St. Louis before its first Frozen Four
Watch: Defending NCAA champion Denver practices in St. Louis before Frozen Four
Watch: Boston University gets ice time in St. Louis before Frozen Four
Watch: Penn State wraps up practices on eve of Frozen Four
Newcomers Western Michigan, Penn State look to break a 37-year drought in NCAA Men’s Frozen Four
Photos: Western Michigan, Denver, Boston University, Penn State on Frozen Four Wednesday
Watch: USCHO Weekend Review crew joined by SLU’s Brekke on practice day in St. Louis
ST. LOUIS — The crew from USCHO Weekend Review – Ed Trefzger, Jim Connelly and Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley kicked things off in St. Louis on Wednesday, joined by St. Lawrence coach Brent Brekke.
Watch Wednesday’s broadcast here:
USCHO will be live from the Frozen Four each day and will have pregame preview and postgame analysis with Schooley, Brekke and Arizona State coach Greg Powers.
Listen:
Denver sophomore defenseman Boston Buckberger has been named the recipient of the NCAA’s Elite 90 award for scholastic achievement at the 2025 Division I men’s ice hockey championship.
Buckberger is an accounting major in DU’s Daniels College of Business and carries a cumulative 4.0 grade-point average. He was presented with the Elite 90 award following Denver’s practice on Wednesday at Enterprise Center ahead of the 2025 NCAA Frozen Four.
Founded by the NCAA, the Elite 90 award recognizes the spirit of a student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships.
Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above academically that have participated in a sport for at least two years with their school. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.
The Saskatoon, Sask., native is the ninth overall Denver student-athlete to earn the Elite 90 award and the fourth member of the hockey program. Buckberger joins teammate Kent Anderson, who earned the accolade last season, as well as Gabe Levin in 2016 and Erich Fear in 2019 as Pioneer hockey players to pick up the honor.
He is the second DU student-athlete in 2024-25 to earn the Elite 90, as men’s soccer’s A.J. Francois was also awarded it during the NCAA College Cup in December in Cary, N.C. The University of Denver is the third institution to have three or more Elite 90 winners since Jan. 1, 2024, joining Arizona State and Oklahoma State.
A two-time member of the NCHC academic all-conference team and an NCHC distinguished scholar-athlete in each of his first two collegiate seasons, Buckberger was also recognized as an AHCA national all-American scholar and a Collegiate Sports Communicator’s academic all-district team member in 2023-24 (this season’s awards will be released later this summer).
On the ice, the defenseman has recorded career highs in 2024-25 with 30 points, ranking third among Pioneer defensemen in both goals (nine) and assists (21). Prior to suffering a season-ending, upper-body injury on March 22 against Western Michigan in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game, Buckberger had played in all 41 contests and had scored three goals in his previous five outings and registered 14 points in his last 13 games (five goals, nine assists).
He also added 36 blocked shots, 22 penalty minutes and was leading the team with a plus-30 plus-minus rating prior to getting hurt. Buckberger had played in each of the first 85 games of his collegiate career before missing the NCAA Northeast Regional semifinals versus Providence on March 28 due to his injury.
ST. LOUIS — Each of the teams playing in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four had time on the Enterprise Center ice and met with the media Wednesday.
The Riley family will continue coaching at Long Island.
The Sharks named Brendan Riley the team’s new head coach Wednesday after his cousin Brett moved from LIU to the head coaching job at Ferris State.
Brendan Riley, whose father Brian is finishing up a 21-year stay as coach at Army West Point, has been an assistant coach at American International for the last three seasons. This will be his first head coaching role.
“I am excited to get started and can’t wait to hit the ground running this spring,” Brendan Riley said. “There is a great opportunity here to capitalize on the momentum of last season and to carry on the culture that was built by Brett.”
The Sharks won 20 games for the first time in 2024-25.
Brendan Riley played four seasons at Mercyhurst before serving as an assistant coach at a prep school for a season and then joining AIC as director of hockey operations in 2021.
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.”
