ST. PAUL, Minn. — The 2024 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four begins Thursday with the national semifinals.
Boston University plays Denver at 4 p.m. CT at Xcel Energy Center. The second game between Boston College and Michigan is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Both games are on ESPN2 and ESPN+ for subscribers, with John Buccigross and Colby Cohen on the call.
Westwood One has rights to radio broadcasts. Brian Tripp, Dave Starman and Shireen Saski are the radio voices.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — It takes more than a strong offense to win championships.
For No. 2 overall seed Boston University and No. 3 overall seed Denver, set to face off in the first NCAA Men’s Frozen Four semifinal Thursday, defense isn’t typically the first thought. But it just might come down to who has the better overall play. Disrupting the other team’s rhythm will be what it takes.
Staying focused on the ultimate goal and having a short memory was the key for BU after a blowout loss to archrival and top overall seed Boston College in the Hockey East championship on March 23.
Head coach Jay Pandolfo credited the short turnaround and the long trip halfway across the country to Sioux Falls, S.D., for the regionals the next week as a big part of his team’s success in advancing to St. Paul.
“We were certainly disappointed but we knew we weren’t done,” he said. “Our guys, they took it upon ourselves to move on.”
Macklin Celebrini leads the way for the Terriers as the nation’s No. 2 scorer (32 goals, 32 assists). While the talented 17-year-old Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist is expected to be the top overall pick in the next NHL draft, he insisted Wednesday that his focus is bringing home the program’s sixth national championship and first since 2009.
The same goes for his teammates. So what will it take to keep pace with Denver’s top-ranked offense of 4.71 goals per game?
“I think for us it’s dictating the way we want to play,” said defenseman Case McCarthy. “I think when we’re playing our style, we’re hard to deal with.
“[Denver is] a deep team. We’ve just got to make sure we manage the game,” Pandolfo said. “We’ve got to make sure that we’re staying above the puck, make sure our reloads are really good, make sure our gaps are good for our D so they don’t have a lot of time and space.”
For the Pioneers, that mighty offense was held in check in the Springfield Regional. But DU qualified for its second Frozen Four in the last three years by winning in a way it couldn’t early in the season — defense.
The Pioneers won a pair of 2-1 games over UMass and Cornell in their regional without having to put up big offensive numbers like they did March 22-23 when they took the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship in the same building they’re playing in this week, the Xcel Energy Center.
They know they’re capable of lighting the lamp any time they want, and the improvement of their defense in the second half to complement the scoring makes them a tough out. But they’re not about to underestimate a skilled Terriers team as they pursue their 10th title.
“We want to play Denver hockey,” forward McKade Webster said. “We want to make them come through us, want to play a 200-foot game stopping on pucks and make them come to us.”
“Every team [here] has offensive weapons,” said Pioneers coach David Carle. “Limit their
opportunities and time and space the best we can, and I think our team showed how committed they are to team defense.”
The SUNYAC will add Hobart and William Smith in the sports of men’s and women’s hockey, and Skidmore in men’s hockey, beginning with the 2025-26 season.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by commissioner Tom DiCamillo following a recommendation by the SUNYAC board of directors (athletic directors) and approval by the SUNYAC presidents council.
This marks the second round of expansion for the SUNYAC since October and increases the conference associate membership to eight institutions participating in 12 conference sports beginning in 2025-26. The SUNYAC has 10 full members.
“We are excited that Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Skidmore College have accepted our invitation to become associate members of the SUNYAC,” Alberto Cardelle, the president of SUNY Oneonta and chair of the SUNYAC presidents council, said in a statement. “These institutions will strengthen the sports of men’s and women’s ice hockey in the SUNYAC as our conference continues striving to enhance the competition level of the league as well as the student-athlete experience.”
The Hobart men’s hockey program is the two-time reigning NCAA Division III national champion (2023, 2024), while Skidmore finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 19-7-2 (.714 winning percentage) overall mark before falling to Hobart in the NEHC championship.
William Smith finished the year with a 17-9-1 (.648) record before losing to NCAA Division III women’s national runner-up Elmira in the NEHC semifinals.
“Hobart and William Smith and Skidmore bring outstanding ice hockey programs with rich histories of success in Division III to the SUNYAC,” DiCamillo said. “The addition of these programs increases the strength of schedule within the conference and elevates what already is one of the premier Division III conferences in the nation.”
Both institutions are within the New York geographic footprint of the SUNYAC. Hobart and William Smith Colleges are in Geneva, while Skidmore is in Saratoga Springs.
The addition of Hobart and Skidmore brings the SUNYAC to 10 men’s teams that will feature a double round-robin, 18-game schedule. It marks the most men’s hockey programs in the history of the SUNYAC.
William Smith becomes the eighth member of the SUNYAC, which absorbed the Northeast Women’s Hockey League this year. The conference will employ a 14-game, double round-robin schedule that eliminates the need to continue using a triple round-robin format.
“We’re extremely excited and honored to find a home for our hockey programs with such familiar and respected institutions within the SUNYAC,” said Brian Miller, Hobart and William Smith director of athletics. “We already play many of those programs in our nonconference schedule and feel the strength of the league is right on par with the NEHC.
Mark Taylor, the Hobart coach, echoed Miller’s enthusiasm.
“I’m excited about joining the SUNYAC hockey league,” Taylor said. “It has a long history of excellent programs who we’ve played against throughout the history of our program, so this will be an easy transition for us. To join a league with teams that are among the best in the country and maintain our high-strength of schedule makes it a win-win. Plus, there’s always some excitement and nuances of joining a new league so that’ll be fun for the players.
William Smith coach Matt Cunningham agreed.
“Moving to the SUNYAC will present an exciting new challenge for our student-athletes,” Cunningham said. “It’s an honor to join this New York-based league with strong teams and a rich history. We will look forward to competing with these schools while elevating the experience for our student-athletes.”
Gail Cummings-Danson, the assistant vice president for student affairs and athletics director, sees a growing opportunity and a flourishing relationship for Skidmore and the SUNYAC.
“We are excited to begin competition with SUNYAC hockey for the 2025-26 season,” she stated. “Skidmore has enjoyed a competitive relationship with many of the SUNYAC hockey schools, and we look forward to strengthening those opportunities and developing a similar relationship with those that we have not yet competed against.”
Cummings-Danson noted that geographic location within the area occupied by current SUNYAC membership makes for a natural partnership and preserves Skidmore’s commitment to competing at the highest level of Division III men’s hockey.
“Though bittersweet to see the NEHC run its course, we couldn’t be more excited to join the SUNYAC hockey conference,” said Skidmore coach Rob Hutchison. “The league is packed with fantastic players and coaches and has always been a premier Division III hockey league. We are eager and grateful for the opportunity to build new relationships and build new rivalries with this group.”
In October, the SUNYAC admitted Canton and Morrisville as full member institutions beginning in 2024-25, while Alfred State was accepted as an associate member in the sports of men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, also beginning next year.
The SUNYAC added men’s wrestling to its roster of NCAA Division III sponsored sports as well in October, holding its first championship a month later. Associate members Ithaca, RIT, St. John Fisher and Utica joined full members Brockport, Cortland, Oneonta and Oswego to form an eight-team league under the SUNYAC umbrella. Brockport will become an associate member in wrestling in 2024-25.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Besides the formal version of their first names, there’s not a lot in common at first glance between the starting goaltenders in Thursday’s NCAA Men’s Frozen Four semifinal between Michigan and Boston College.
Michigan’s Jake Barczewski and Boston College’s Jacob Fowler will duel with a spot in the national championship game on the line.
Fowler, a freshman, is 19. Barczewski, a graduate student, is 25.
Fowler has won at every level: a USHL title in junior hockey, a gold medal with Team USA at this year’s World Juniors and a Hockey East championship.
Barczewski has taken a longer path to success. He helped deliver an Atlantic Hockey title to Canisius last year, starting 94 games for the Golden Griffins over four seasons before transferring to Michigan. He’s the active career NCAA saves leader with 3,712 and counting.
But both Jacobs have played a major role in getting their teams to St. Paul.
Fowler has 31 wins this season, posting a 2.20 GAA and a .924 save percentage. Barczewski has 30 victories with a 2.81 GAA and a .909 save percentage.
Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said that Barczewski’s experience compliments the Wolverines, who are making their third consecutive trip to the Frozen Four.
“He’s a four-year starter, coming from Canisius,” he said. “Playing in the NCAA tournament (last season), and winning the (Atlantic Hockey) playoff championship with them.
“I think he’s gained a ton of experience this year, playing in big events like the Duel in the D, the Big Ten championship on the road and then the NCAA regionals in his hometown (St. Louis).”
Fowler’s track record of success before coming to BC has helped settle a young team, Eagles coach Greg Brown said.
“He showed early on that he’s got a calmness to his demeanor,” said Brown. “He doesn’t get rattled by anything. And I think especially with a young team, the guys can feed off of that.
“They see him back there doing his thing. Not that he’s relaxed, but he’s under control all the time. He doesn’t start flailing from side to side or guessing. He just stays right within himself and it’s huge for not only our defense but our whole team.”
The same goes for Barczewski, according to Naurato.
“We believe in ‘Barzo’” Naurato said. “He’s another guy that just brings positive energy and guys want what’s best for him, and I think he’s going to be outstanding on Thursday night.”
USCHO podcasts are going on the road, and you can join us for live broadcasts during the 2024 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn., including this replay of our Wednesday podcast.
USCHO Frozen Four Live! with Ed Trefzger, Jim Connelly and Derek Schooley will have live events featuring special guests and giveaways on four days at Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub, 258 7th St W, near the Xcel Energy Center.
Our guests were:
Replay:
Here’s rest of the week’s schedule (all times Central):
Thursday, April 11: Noon to 2 p.m.
Friday, April 12: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 13: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
If you won’t be in St. Paul, check out the podcast from wherever you are on our site, on Apple Podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.
Check out all of USCHO’s college hockey podcasts, including USCHO Weekend Review and USCHO Edge, plus our entire podcast archive.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Boston University, Denver, Michigan and Boston College practiced Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center in advance of Thursday’s NCAA Men’s Frozen Four semifinals. Here’s how it looked in photos.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — No. 1 overall seed Boston College was the last of four teams to practice on the Xcel Energy Center ice on Wednesday, the day before the 2024 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four opens with the semifinals. The Eagles will play Michigan after Boston University faces Denver.
Here’s a look at the Eagles’ practice:
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Michigan was the third team to practice at the Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday, the day before the Wolverines play Boston College in the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four semifinals.
Here’s a look at the Wolverines’ session:
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Denver plays Boston University in the first NCAA Men’s Frozen Four semifinal on Thursday, and the Pioneers were the second team to practice at the Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday.
Here’s a look at some of their practice:
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Boston University was the first team to practice Wednesday at the Xcel Energy Center. The Terriers play Denver in Thursday’s NCAA Men’s Frozen Four semifinals.
Here’s a look at some of their hour-long time on the ice.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Boston College’s Greg Brown was named the 2024 winner of the Spencer Penrose Award as Division I men’s hockey coach of the year on Wednesday.
Brown led the Eagles to Hockey East regular-season and playoff championships and to the Frozen Four. They’ll play Michigan in the national semifinals on Thursday.
Boston College is 33-5-1 in Brown’s second season leading the team. He was the third Eagles coach to win the award, joining John “Snooks” Kelley in 1959 and 1972 and Len Ceglarski in 1985. Jerry York didn’t win the award during his BC tenure but did at Clarkson in 1977.
Michigan State’s Adam Nightingale was the runner-up for the award.
Brown was the only conference coach of the year who led his team to the Frozen Four this season. A former Eagles captain, he was an assistant at Boston College from 2004 to 2018.
The Eagles have four of the nation’s top six scorers, led by national leader Will Smith at 69 points. Cutter Gauthier is one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, which will be presented Friday.
North Dakota sophomore forward Jackson Blake has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.
“Jackson is an explosive playmaker who has played a key role in North Dakota’s success over the past two seasons,” said Hurricanes president and GM Don Waddell in a statement. “Hockey is in his blood, and we can’t wait to see how his game continues to grow at the next level.”
Blake was named a Hobey Baker Award Hat Trick finalist last week, becoming the seventh player to earn the distinction at North Dakota since 1999-00 and is expected to attend the ceremony in St. Paul on Friday evening.
The Eden Prairie, Minn., native put together one of the best sophomore seasons in program history, finishing with 22 goals and 38 assists to become only the second UND player in the last decade to hit the 60-point mark in a single season (Brock Boeser, 2015-16). His 60 points rank fourth in the nation and pace the NCHC while his 38 assists sit tied for third in the country and atop the conference leaderboard.
He was even better as the calendar flipped to the new year, potting points in 21 of UND’s 22 games during 2024 while finishing with 34 points over his last 18 games to help the Fighting Hawks capture their fourth Penrose Cup in the last five seasons and sixth overall in the 11-year history of the league.
During NCHC play, Blake shattered the conference’s scoring record with 37 points in just 24 games on his way to becoming NCHC player of the year, forward of the year and earning a unanimous spot on the all-NCHC first team.
For his career, Blake has 38 goals and 64 assists for 102 points in 79 career games to sit as only the second NoDak player to join the 100-point club as a sophomore in the last 30 years (Zach Parise, 2003-04). He hit the century mark in just 78 games, which is the sixth-fastest mark in program history.
Denver sophomore forward Kent Anderson has been named the recipient of the NCAA’s Elite 90 award for scholastic achievement.
Anderson is a finance major in DU’s Daniels College of Business and carries a cumulative 3.975 GPA. He was presented with the Elite 90 award following Denver’s practice on Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center ahead of the 2024 NCAA Frozen Four.
Founded by the NCAA, the Elite 90 award recognizes the essence 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 who have participated in a sport for at least two years with their school. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.
The Calgary native is the seventh overall Denver student-athlete to earn the NCAA Elite 90 award and the third member of the hockey program, joining Gabe Levin in 2016 and Erich Fear in 2019.
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, Anderson was also recognized as a 2022-23 AHCA national All-American scholar (this season’s honors will be released later this summer).
On the ice, the defenseman has recorded career highs in 2023-24 with three goals and four assists for seven points. He has added 20 blocked shots, 12 penalty minutes and a plus-11 rating while playing in 39 of 42 games this season.
Bemidji State has announced that Amber Fryklund has been named the sixth head coach in Beavers women’s hockey history.
Fryklund replaces Jim Scanlan, who stepped down earlier this week.
“It is an honor to be named head coach of our women’s hockey program at Bemidji State University,” said Fryklund in a statement. “I want to thank President Hoffman and director of athletics Britt Lauritsen for this opportunity and for their support of our program. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead our special group of student-athletes and excited about the future of Beaver Women’s Hockey.”
Fryklund has served on the BSU women’s hockey coaching staff for 10 seasons, including four as associate head coach. She rejoined the Beaver coaching staff this past season after a three-year teaching career as an assistant professor of Human Performance, Sport and Health at Bemidji State.
Aside from performing her on-ice coaching duties, Fryklund has supervised numerous responsibilities including but not limited to organizing and presenting video analysis, recruiting student-athletes, oversee student-athlete success in the classroom and coordinating team travel.
Since joining the Beavers coaching staff in 2011, Fryklund has helped guide the Beavers to two 20-win seasons and two WCHA Final Face-off appearances. She has also aided in the mentoring of 105 student-athletes including WCHA co-player of the year Zuzana Tomcikova, WCHA defensive player of the year Ivana Bilic, 14 All-WCHA honorees and two All-Americans (Tomcikova, Brittni Mowat).
Fryklund was a member of the Beavers from 2000 to 2003 where she recorded 122 points off 59 goals and 63 assists in just three seasons. She still sits as the program’s all-time leading scorer and is the program’s leading goal scorer and is second in assists. She became the first player in program history to reach 100 career points and is one of just three to accomplish the feat. Fryklund was also Bemidji State’s first-ever all-WCHA selection with a second team nod in 2002 and earned the recognition twice in her career.
She was inducted into the Bemidji State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.
Following her collegiate playing career, Fryklund taught Physical Education within the Duluth Public Schools and Marshall School systems in Duluth, Minn., for eight years. She also co-coached the Duluth Northern Stars from 2003 to 2009 and was an assistant coach with the Proctor-Hermantown-Marshall Mirage high school girls team from 2009 to 2011.
In addition to her commitment to Bemidji State, Fryklund has devoted her skills and time to the development of girl’s hockey through the Minnesota Hockey and USA Hockey developmental programs. She has served as development director of Minnesota Hockey’s High Performance Girls 15 Program as well as associate coach in chief for female coach development.
She has also worked numerous USA Hockey Developmental Camps and was a coach at the USA Top 66 Player Selection Camp in 2017. Earlier this year, Fryklund was named to the coaching staff of the 2025 Under-18 Women’s National Team that will compete at the 2025 IIHF U-18 Women’s World Championship in Vantaa, Finland, where she will serve as an assistant coach.
Fryklund has served on numerous committees during her career, including the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Hockey Rules Committee and the Bemidji State Title IX Committee.
Originally from Hibbing, Minn., she received her Bachelor of Science degree in physical education teaching K-12 from Bemidji State in 2003 and her Master’s Degree in educational leadership from Minnesota Duluth in 2007. She received her Doctorate Degree in Higher Education Administration from St. Cloud State in 2019.
This is the fourth of four previews for teams playing in the 2023 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four this week in St. Paul, Minn. Click here for all of USCHO’s Frozen Four coverage.
Season record: 33-5-1
How they got to St. Paul: Won the Providence Regional, beating Michigan Tech 6—1 and Quinnipiac 5-4 in overtime
Top players: F Will Smith (23-46-69), F Cutter Gauthier (37-27-64), F Ryan Leonard (31-28-59)
Top goalie: Jacob Fowler (31-5-1, 2.20 goals-against average, .924 save percentage)
Why they’ll win the national championship: You don’t win 14 straight games by accident. They have two of the top three goal scorers in the nation in Gauthier and Leonard. The Eagles have shown they can win by blowout and rally to force overtime and put opponents away once there.
Why they won’t win the national championship: It’s been seven years since an overall No. 1 tournament seed went on to win the NCAA championship.
It’s not an annual tradition like the Boston Marathon or opening day at Fenway Park, but it happens so often it might as well be considered a rite of spring on the Boston sports calendar: The Boston College men’s hockey team going to the Frozen Four.
It’s happened 25 times in the storied program’s history, and the Hockey East champion Eagles made it No. 26 when it knocked off defending NCAA champ Quinnipiac 5-4 in overtime in the Providence regional.
“It’s a pretty impressive tradition here at BC and it’s something that it’s tough to kind of live up to, and I think that this group we have is pretty special,” said BC grad student forward Jack Malone, whose goal just over three minutes into overtime sent the Eagles to their first Frozen Four since 2016.
“The work that we put in, I think we’re very proud of what we have accomplished so far. We’re just going to continue that, to honor that tradition.”
This year saw a remarkable turnaround for BC, which went 33-5-1 and was the No. 1 team in the USCHO.com D-I men’s poll for a good chunk of the season after a disappointing 14-16-6 campaign in 2022-23. The Eagles were the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament one year after failing to qualify for the Hockey East semifinals at the TD Garden following a 1-0 quarterfinal loss at Merrimack.
Enter a recruiting class with 11 freshmen, including goalie Jacob Fowler, forwards Will Smith, Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard (all three of whom were named Hockey East rookie of the week at least once), defenseman Aram Minnetian (who scored the goal against Quinnipiac that forced overtime) and the aforementioned Malone, a Cornell transfer.
“I think that talent in all those guys kind of speaks for themselves,” Fowler said. “They’re all super special hockey players. But we have a lot of special people in our room as well. Just having that kind of off-ice relationship with every guy and our staff included, makes it really easy to kind of step into a new environment and just have success. Everybody here just wants the best for you. Every resource we have was just to kind of better ourselves and I’m really happy to be part of this group.”
Then there was the emergence of sophomore forward Cutter Gauthier, a Hockey East all-rookie last season who is now one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to college hockey’s most outstanding player. He leads the nation in goals scored — his two tallies in the regional final against Quinnipiac were his 36th and 37th of the year, the highest-single season total in the NCAA since 2005-06.
With Gauthier and Leonard (third in the nation in goals scored with 31) leading the offense, the Eagles steamrolled their way through the Hockey East tournament, outscoring opponents 19-7, including a 6-2 romp over the No. 2 team in the country, crosstown rival Boston University (and fellow Frozen Four participant) in the championship game. That followed a 6-1 blowout of CCHA champ Michigan Tech in the NCAA tournament first round, before the Eagles had to rally from three different deficits to finally beat Quinnipiac (ECAC Hockey) in overtime for their 14th straight victory.
The Eagles’ opponent on Thursday night will be Michigan (B1G), with the puck to drop at 8:30 EDT (ESPN2, ESPN-plus).
Overseeing it all is Greg Brown, who took over for Jerry York in 2022 when the legendary coach stepped down after 28 years and four national championships at BC.
Inexperience in the Frozen Four spotlight might be the only thing to trip up BC’s players, given how dominant they’ve played all season. But while this is Brown’s first trip to the Frozen Four as a head coach, he will be drawing on plenty of experience as an assistant under York, whom he helped win BC’s most recent national championships (out of five overall) in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
“You learn something every time you go to the Frozen Four,” Brown said. “The first time, I was just observing. Fortunately for me, Coach York (had) been there several times. So they had it pretty down pat. I’m glad I’ve been through this a few times, so I know what to expect. The biggest thing is not letting the kids get upset or be distracted by the different schedules we have when we get to the Frozen Four.”
This is the third of four previews for teams playing in the 2023 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four this week in St. Paul, Minn. Click here for all of USCHO’s Frozen Four coverage.
How they got to St. Paul: Won the Maryland Heights Regional, beating North Dakota 4-3 and Michigan State 5-2
Top players: F Gavin Brindley (25-28-53), F Dylan Duke (26-23-49), T.J. Hughes (19-29-48), Rutger McGroarty (16-36-52), D Seamus Casey (7-38-45)
Top goalie: Jacob Barczewski (20-13-3, 2.81 GAA, .909 SV%)
Why they’ll win a national championship: More than any other team in this field, the Wolverines have something to prove. The only team to reach the Frozen Four as something other than a No. 1 regional seed, Michigan feels like it was counted out all along. The Wolverines are battle tested, making their third consecutive Frozen Four appearance. They’re fast, they’re gifted offensively, and their defense is gelling at just the right time of the season.
Why they won’t win a national championship: As good as they are up front, the Wolverines can still allow a lot of goals. There’s little advantage to averaging four or more goals in a game if you also allow five, as Michigan has done 10 times this season. For the past two years, the Wolverines have relied on their lethal offense to compensate for everyone else’s scoring chances, but as they found out against Quinnipiac last year, that’s not something that can be relied upon in the Frozen Four.
Michigan is a team with something to prove.
“I think a lot of people counted us out four or five weeks ago,” said Wolverines coach Brandon Naurato, “and all of the guys believed in the resiliency of this group to get back to where we believe that we should be.”
Where they are now is where the Wolverines have been for the last two consecutive years, in the Frozen Four. Those previous trips resulted in semifinal losses to the eventual national champion, to Denver in 2022 and Quinnipiac last season.
As recently as a month ago, the Wolverines were a PairWise bubble team. Following a 6-2 road loss to Minnesota March 1, the team had a moment of reckoning.
“We had an honest conversation with the guys about what it takes to win at this time and people being all in and then just going out and earning it,” said Naurato. “We didn’t like the effort that game, but we’ve kind of turned the corner since then.”
Michigan picked up a 6-5 overtime win against the Gophers the following night and went on a 6-1-0 run, the only loss 5-4 in overtime to Michigan State in the Big Ten playoff championship game.
Naurato calls the Big Ten playoffs the real turning point for a Michigan team that finished fourth in conference play, a team that was oh-so-close in so many games throughout the season.
“We’ve been playing good hockey all year, but for whatever reason, the other team was getting the bounce instead of us,” said Naurato. The Michigan coaching staff is encouraged that players have been able to “find ways to create opportunities” that have gone Michigan’s way, especially in third periods. “Guys have pushed it over the edge,” he said, but added, “We still have some work to do going into the Frozen Four.”
Michigan brings to the Frozen Four the deadliest power play in college hockey, one that converts at 34.5% — five percentage points ahead of Boston College and six ahead of Boston University, both of which are insanely good by any standards. Michigan’s PP is fueled by a deep, skilled offense and six players with 16 or more goals. Between them, Dylan Duke and Gavin Brindley have 51 goals and are among the top 10 scorers in the country.
But in a Frozen Four field that boasts the four best offensive teams in college hockey – with outrageous talent and depth on every squad – Michigan’s downfall may be its team defense. In their last seven games leading up to the Frozen four, Michigan has scored 30 goals and allowed 23.
Naurato sees the play of goaltender Jacob Barczewski as steady and consistent. “He’s been the guy all year.” Barczewski, a St. Louis native, transferred from Canisius after backstopping the Griffins to the 2023 Atlantic Hockey playoff championship.
“It was awesome seeing him have success in front of so many friends and family in the regional in St. Louis,” said Naurato. Barczewski’s 38-save performance propelled Michigan to that win over Michigan State, a team that had bested the Wolverines in four of their five meetings in the 2023-23 campaign. The win was also Barczewski’s career-best 20th of the season.
“Defense wins championships,” said Naurato. “Goaltending is obviously a huge part of this time of year. You need everyone to step up, but your goalie’s pretty important.”
It’s Michigan’s experience – and experience with challenges on and off the ice – that gives the Wolverines perspective heading into St. Paul.
“This junior and senior class, they’ve been to three Frozen Fours in a row,” said Naurato. “They’ve won multiple Big Ten championships. That goes back to a COVID year. It goes back to a coaching change. It goes back to having Steven Holtz in the ICU and four other players in the hospital.”
Michigan won back-to-back Big Ten playoff championships on the road against Minnesota (2022, 2023). After a season as assistant coach, Naurato became the interim head coach following Mel Pearson’s departure in August 2022 and was named head coach in March 2023. Adenovirus went through the Michigan team in fall of 2022, and Holtz nearly lost his life to it.
This season, said Naurato, “It’s been a lot of little things.” Naurato said that the team is “extremely excited” about the Frozen Four opportunity.
“Doing this three years in a row,” said Naurato, “all credit to our players.”
After a decade as head coach of the Bemidji State women’s hockey program, Jim Scanlan is stepping down from his head coaching duties.
“I would like to thank former Bemidji State president Richard Hanson and director of athletics Tracy Dill for giving me the opportunity and trusting me with the position of head women’s hockey coach at Bemidji State University,” said Scanlan in a statement. “To be able to come back to my alma mater and coach in the WCHA was very special. I was extremely honored and grateful at the time of my hiring and that has not changed in the 10 years I have been here. During my tenure, we have experienced a lot of special times and we have experienced some challenges as well.
“I will take with me a lot of great memories.”
Scanlan was hired as the fifth head coach in Bemidji State women’s hockey history on June 17, 2014. He is the program’s winningest head coach, amassing 122 career victories, and is the only head coach in program history to reach the 100 career victories milestone. He is a former USCHO.com national coach of the year and WCHA coach of the year, both achieved during the 2014-15 season, and helped guide the Beavers to a program-record 22 wins during the 2015-16 season.
Since taking the reins of the Beaver women’s hockey program before the 2014-15 season, Scanlan has coached one All-American (Brittni Mowat), one WCHA defensive player of the year (Ivana Bilic), one WCHA student-athlete of the Year (Mak Langei), eight all-WCHA honorees, 176 WCHA all-academic team selections, 132 WCHA scholar-athletes and 139 All-American scholars.
Scanlan led the Beavers to new heights in his first season behind the bench in 2014-15. He led BSU to a 10-win improvement from the previous season and their most wins in program history (21) at that time. The Beavers earned five wins over teams that finished in the top 10 nationally, earned the program’s second-ever trip to the WCHA Final Faceoff and reached the championship game after defeated second-ranked and eventual national champion Minnesota in the semifinal.
In his second season at the helm of the program, Scanlan led the Beavers to a now program-best win total of 22 and the program’s highest finish in the WCHA standings (third) with a 17-9-2 league record. Bemidji State hosted its first-ever playoff series at Sanford Center that season. Following the season, Bilic earned the program’s first WCHA defensive player of the year award.
In his fourth season with the Beavers, he led them to a 16-19-3 record and fifth-place finish in the WCHA regular season. The Beavers went 9-13-2 in conference play and upset fourth-seed Minnesota Duluth at AMSOIL Arena in the best-of-three first round series in the WCHA playoffs to advance to the program’s third WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena.
Scanlan became the program’s winningest head coach during his fifth season with the program and on Feb. 8, 2019 after guiding the Beavers to a 3-2 upset over then-No. 9 ranked Ohio State, he earned career victory No. 82.
On Feb. 29, 2020, during his sixth season, Scanlan earned career victory No. 100 to become the first head coach in program history to reach the century win mark in an exciting four-overtime victory over Minnesota Duluth in the WCHA quarterfinals and also the second-longest game in NCAA history.
In total, Scanlan reached the 10-win mark in seven of his 10 seasons, the most among any head coach at Bemidji State. He compiled a 122-202-23 (.385) career record at BSU.
“To my wife Cyndy who has been on this coaching journey with me for close to 40 years, my daughter Bri with her husband Ben Kinne, my daughter Jaclyn with her special friend Derick Hass, my son Joe with his wife Raquel Thelen, and my grandkids, Kayson, Cici, Howie and Mack: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your love and support have been the why to my purpose,” said Scanlan.
Scanlan also has 12 years of previous collegiate coaching experience. He was an assistant coach for North Dakota men’s hockey team from 1989 to 1996, at Western Michigan from 1985 to 1989, and was a graduate assistant coach at Northern Michigan in 1984-85. During his time at the collegiate ranks, Scanlan’s teams comprised of six All-American selections, 38 all-conference picks, and 67 academic all-conference honorees, posted a 207-208-26 (.499) overall record and an NCAA Ttournament appearance.
Scanlan is a 1985 graduate of Bemidji State with a degree in physical education and health. He later earned a master’s degree in physical education with an emphasis in athletic administration from Western Michigan in 1988.
As a collegiate goaltender, Scanlan played for legendary R.H. “Bob” Peters at Bemidji State from 1978 to 1982. A four-year letter winner, the captain was in net 85 times, logging a career record of 62-19-0, while backstopping the Beavers to an NCHA regular-season title in 1982 and four consecutive trips to the NAIA national tournament, including national titles in 1979 and 1980. The NCHA player of the year in 1982, Scanlan was selected as an NAIA All-American to conclude the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons.
Scanlan also left his mark on the BSU goaltending records. He remains amongst the top ten in six major goaltending categories. He is fifth on BSU’s save percentage list (.907), eighth in goals-against average (2.821), is third on BSU’s goaltending victories list (62), ranks sixth on the Beavers’ career saves list (2,211) and his 4,807 minutes in net stand eighth in Beaver hockey history. In addition, only one goaltender in the 58 years of Bemidji State hockey has accumulated more shutouts during his career than Scanlan’s nine.
He was enshrined into the Bemidji State Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the 1978-79 and 1979-80 men’s hockey teams. He was named as one of the Bemidji State men’s hockey program’s 50 Legends for 50 Years in 2005-06.
Scanlan has been active in several Minnesota State High School League initiatives, Region 8A, USA Hockey, and the American Hockey Coaches Association. He has also been active on Bemidji State’s men’s hockey national hockey committee, the East Grand Forks Blue Line Club and the East Grand Forks Sports Booster Club.
Maine freshman forward Bradly Nadeau has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL’ Carolina Hurricanes.
Nadeau was selected in the first round (30th overall) by the Hurricanes in the 2023 NHL Draft.
“Our staff is excited for Bradly to continue to chase his dream of playing in the NHL,” said Maine coach Ben Barr in a statement. “Carolina is fortunate to not only have a great player, but a great teammate and person joining their organization. Bradly’s year in Orono was memorable and Black Bear Nation was fortunate to watch Bradly’s development this past season. Bradly will always be a Black Bear.”
Nadeau, who was a Hockey East second team all-star and all-rookie team honoree this season, racked up a team-leading 46 points on 19 goals and 27 assists to go with four game-winning goals, three power-play goals and one short-handed goal. His 109 shots on goal ranked 11th in Hockey East while his plus-20 rating was ninth. The St-François-de-Madawaska, N.B., native had 11 multi-point games this season, including six multi-goal games and four multi-assist games.
Nadeau’s 46 points were the most by a Maine player since 2011-12 and marked the first time a Maine rookie eclipsed the 40-point mark since 2006-07. He was named the Hockey East player of the week once, rookie of the week twice and rookie of the month once each. He was part of a Black Bears’ squad this season that made the program’s first NCAA tournament and Hockey East championship weekend appearance since 2011-12.
Last summer, Nadeau became the first Black Bear to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft since Barrett Heisten was selected 20th overall in the 1999 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres.
This is the second of four previews for teams playing in the 2023 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four this week in St. Paul, Minn. Click here for all of USCHO’s Frozen Four coverage.
Season record: 28-9-2
How they got to St. Paul: Won the Sioux Falls Regional, beating RIT 6—3 and Minnesota 6-3
Top players: F Macklin Celebrini (32-32-64), D Lane Hutson (15-34-49), F Quinn Hutson (18-18-36)
Top goalie: Mathieu Caron (28-9-2, 2.37 goals-against average, .915 save percentage).
Why they’ll win the national championship: Macklin Celebrini is the second leading scorer with the country with 1.73 goals per game and has been proven next to impossible to shut down. The Terriers made relatively easy work of their two NCAA tournament opponents so far, cruising past RIT and rallying to beat Minnesota.
Why they won’t win the national championship: In Denver, they’ll be facing one of the top defenses in the country, which will have watched plenty of tape of Celebrini and the Hutson brothers before getting on the plane to St. Paul. Should they advance to a dream matchup vs. Boston College in the final, they’ll have to overcome a team they’ve already lost to thrice so far this season.
The two teams returning to this year’s Frozen Four from 2023 were the two that were eliminated on the first night — Michigan and Boston University.
So an argument can be made that Hockey East’s BU heads to St. Paul, Minn., with a little bit of extra pressure. And Terrier senior forward Like Tuch wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We know what to expect going into it, and the pressure that’s on us,” said Tuch. “The pressure’s perfect.”
The Terriers are hoping for a better result this time around. In 2023, BU was soundly defeated by No. 1 overall seed Minnesota 6-2. The Terriers avenged that loss in the Sioux Fall Regional, handing the Gophers (B1G) a 6-3 loss after falling behind 2-0.
“It’s pretty cool to be able to say you’ve been to back-to-back Frozen Fours,” said BU sophomore forward Ryan Greene. “I never thought that would happen, to be honest. It’s unbelievable. We have a lot of guys who have been there, so hopefully that experience can help us.”
BU’s opponent on Thursday (5 p.m. EDT, ESPN2 and ESPN-plus) will be Denver (NCHC), back in the Frozen Four after winning it all in 2022 right in BU’s backyard. DU is the top scoring team in the nation, averaging 4.71 goals a game.
“(We need to play) a hard, physical and fast game,” Tuch said. “Smother them, don’t give them any kind of space. Play with that swagger. We got a lot of really good offensive players. And we have a really good goalie back there, too.”
In sophomore forward Macklin Celebrini, the Terriers have the nation’s second leading scorer (32-32-64) and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to the nation’s best player. Another potent scoring threat is sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson, who was last year’s standout in BU’s road to the Frozen Four but this year took a backseat, at least publicity-wise, to Celebrini despite having a bigger scoring output.
In front of the net, junior Mathieu Caron enters the Frozen Four with the nation’s fourth best winning percentage, and is coming off a 53-save performance in the Sioux Falls regional.
The Terriers will be searching for their sixth national championship and first since 2009. Second-year coach Jay Pandolfo (who four times participated in the Frozen Four with BU as a player) said he hopes last year’s experience in the Frozen Four will give his team a mental edge in St. Paul.
“Staying in the moment is probably the biggest thing,” Pandolfo said. “We got caught up a little bit in that first game. (Minnesota) came out really hard, and I don’t think we were ready. That’s on me a little bit. But this year I think our guys know what to expect.”
This is the first of four previews for teams playing in the 2023 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four this week in St. Paul, Minn. Click here for all of USCHO’s Frozen Four coverage.
Season record: 30-9-3
How they got to St. Paul: Won the Springfield Regional, beating Massachusetts 2-1 and Cornell 2-1
Top players: F Jack Devine (27-29-56), D Zeev Buium (11-38-49), F Massimo Rizzo (10-34-44), F Tristan Broz (15-24-39), D Shai Buium (7-28-35).
Top goalie: Matt Davis (21-5-3, 2.48 goals-against average, .911 save percentage).
Why they’ll win the national championship: This Denver team didn’t have much trouble scoring all season up until the Springfield Regional, and there, the Pioneers showed that they can win tight, low-scoring games, too. That should come in handy in the Frozen Four, regardless of whether Denver plays one game there or two.
Why they won’t the national championship: While there’s no local draw to this year’s Frozen Four, the understandable dream matchup for many people is that the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the country, Boston University and Boston College, meet in the final. Denver, like any team would, will have its hands full with BU alone. Any team that wins two games in three days here will have very much earned the title.
Style points matter for little at this point in the season, and if you’re still playing from late March into April, no opponent will care if you boast the highest-scoring offense in the nation.
So for Denver to reach its program’s 18th Frozen Four after winning a pair of tight games at the Springfield Regional, where goal-scoring came at an especially high premium, it shows just how multi-dimensional this third-ranked Pioneers team is.
Denver’s only two 2-1 games this season are all the Pioneers have known of this NCAA tournament to date. After beating bottom-seeded Massachusetts in double overtime on March 28 in what was effectively a home game for the Minutemen, DU won by the same score two days later against Cornell.
“It gives us confidence to play in tight, low-scoring hockey games,” Denver coach David Carle said of how the Pioneers made it to this year’s Frozen Four, which begins Thursday in St. Paul, Minn. “We have a lot of respect for (UMass coach Greg Carvel) and (Cornell coach Mike Schafer) for how they do things and how difficult they made it on us, and I thought our guys found a way to adapt to that style of play, and playing in that tight-checking, low-scoring style.
“You need to be able to win games in different ways to win this tournament, and it was great for our guys to be able to get through those games and come out on the right side. That low-scoring, and obviously the double overtime game against UMass, those are games that can go either way. You need a guy to step up to make a play, and you need a lot of guys to step up and make plays defensively, and we had that level of commitment throughout our lineup, which gave us the opportunity to advance and move on.”
Denver had also found ways around adversity during the regular season. Injuries to several key players didn’t stop the Pioneers from securing a No. 1 regional seed. Those setbacks had started almost right away, as goaltender Matt Davis picked up an injury five games into the season and missed the rest of the first half.
“That increased the urgency of our team’s desire and ability to play defense, and he came back and has played every game in the second half,” Carle said, “But then getting into the second half, Kieran Cebrian goes down, our best faceoff guy, for a few weeks, then we lose Carter King, we lose Massimo Rizzo. The injuries that we’ve had in the middle of the rink, in the back end, has been a challenge but has been great for the growth of the group.
“Different people had to step up throughout the year, and I think it gave us a lot of confidence that there’s a lot of people in the room that can contribute to helping us win hockey games.”
Denver has done plenty of that, hitting the 30-win mark in the Springfield Regional final. There are still two more wins on offer, though, and again, Denver’s 4.71 goals per game this season won’t leave anyone quaking in their boots later this week.
“I’m just looking forward to the challenge,” Carle said. “I’m really proud of our team getting through the regional that we had. It’s been a lot of growing this year with a young team. I know there are a lot of other young teams at the Frozen Four this year, as well, but (with) 11 freshmen, I think our leadership group has done a great job of bringing the group along, and we’re looking forward to playing in another Frozen Four.”
