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Boston College Eagles<\/h4>\n
Schedule<\/a> :: Stats<\/a> :: Roster<\/a><\/p>\n Coach:<\/b> Jerry York<\/a>, 20th season at Boston College, 42nd season overall<\/p>\n Record:<\/b> 26-7-4 (16-2-2 Hockey East, first)<\/p>\n How they got in:<\/b> At-large bid<\/p>\n Regional seed:<\/b> First<\/p>\n Last NCAA tournament appearance:<\/b> 2013<\/p>\n Best NCAA finish:<\/b> Champion, 1949, 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2012<\/p>\n Why they’ll get to the Frozen Four:<\/b> BC has the nation’s most potent offensive with a top line that has combined for 68 goals this season. Additionally, the Eagles have a solid goaltender in Thatcher Demko and a defensive corps that is pretty solid top to bottom. Add in the tournament experience and a coach who wins in the postseason and you have the perfect formula for victory.<\/p>\n Why they won’t get to the Frozen Four:<\/b> Notre Dame figured out the formula to beat BC, winning three times down the stretch, including twice in the Hockey East quarterfinals. If any team can duplicate that blueprint that slows down the BC offense while creating solid chances, BC can be beaten.<\/p>\n There is little to no doubt in anyone’s mind that Boston College is one of the most dangerous teams, if not the most dangerous team, in the tournament. With the most potent line in college hockey — Johnny Gaudreau, Bill Arnold and Kevin Hayes — you would think that the 19 straight games BC went without a loss from Thanksgiving weekend until the final day of the regular season would’ve carried it through the NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n But Notre Dame got in BC’s way and, in many ways, had their way, at least in the series opener. An ugly 7-2 loss caught a lot of attention around the college hockey world.<\/p>\n BC responded the next day with a win but lost Game 3 in a game that BC coach Jerry York said his team “played very, very well in a lot of areas.”<\/p>\n But a 4-2 loss that Game 3 showed that BC was mortal, something many doubted for much of the second half of the season.<\/p>\n “Looking at the film [from Game 3], scoring chances were plentiful and we didn’t give Notre Dame much,” said York. “But what we gave them was incredible chances. So puck management has to be incredible through 60 minutes. In these [NCAA] games it’s hard to score a lot of goals.”<\/p>\n BC will open against a Denver team that finished sixth in the NCHC but then ran the table in what many consider a deep conference tournament. That alone gives York pause, but looking at the team a little deeper, he understand there are a lot of weapons — particularly on the blue line — on this Pioneers club.<\/p>\n “Clearly, [Denver’s] defense is very, very skilled with high-end defensemen,” said York. “The number of goals [by defensemen] is remarkable. The defensemen have scored 36 of their 110 goals. Just think about that for a sec. They’re very skilled and move pucks well. We haven’t played a team that has been that strong from an offensive standpoint from defenseman.”<\/p>\n For the Eagles, the situation is a bit strange in terms of how much practice they’ve had in recent weeks. In addition to being absent from the Hockey East tournament last weekend, they had a week off before the quarterfinals during the newly created first round.<\/p>\n York said that has fostered a bit of a training camp atmosphere in his locker room and practices that you would see in the preseason. Instead, this team has had the chance to show its mettle before a second season that everyone on the team knows is winnable.<\/p>\n “This all reminds me of a training camp and you can work on some things you couldn’t in the regular season,” said York. “We’re trying to utilize the practices to find out where can we polish and where can we fine-tune our game, have more reps in those areas.<\/p>\n “We’ve had to manage our time very well, but also stress a training camp type of atmosphere.”<\/p>\n — Jim Connelly<\/i><\/p>\n Schedule<\/a> :: Stats<\/a> :: Roster<\/a><\/p>\n Coach:<\/b> Norm Bazin<\/a>, third season at Massachusetts-Lowell, sixth season overall<\/p>\n Record:<\/b> 25-10-4 (11-6-3 Hockey East, second)<\/p>\n How they got in:<\/b> Automatic qualifier, Hockey East champion<\/p>\n Regional seed:<\/b><\/p>\n Second<\/p>\n Last NCAA tournament appearance:<\/b> 2013<\/p>\n Best NCAA finish:<\/b> National semifinal, 2013<\/p>\n Why they’ll get to the Frozen Four:<\/b> This is about as complete a team in the field. Lowell has offensive depth, a defense that makes getting quality shots near impossible and a goaltender built for the postseason (and coming off back-to-back shutouts).<\/p>\n Why they won’t get to the Frozen Four:<\/b> Lowell is playing in probably the most difficult region with the Hockey East regular season champ and the WCHA and NCHC postseason champs. Additionally, if Lowell gets past Minnesota State, Boston College — a team that beat and tied Lowell this season — could be waiting in the wings.<\/p>\n A year ago, the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks accomplished a number of firsts. First regular season Hockey East title. First Hockey East postseason championship. First back-to-back NCAA appearances. And, of course, a first berth in the Frozen Four.<\/p>\n The only first that wasn’t accomplished for the River Hawks was a first national championship. When you look at the story line of Lowell’s senior class, maybe a national title would have been too much.<\/p>\n As freshmen, you wouldn’t have blamed this class for having some pretty low expectations for their college careers. The team won just five games and finished dead last.<\/p>\n From there, the turnaround is well documented. A coaching change, the biggest single-season turnaround for a first-year coach and an NCAA bid followed. Lowell got within a game of the Frozen Four, only to be denied.<\/p>\n Last year, then, became the next major step. And after the River Hawks cruised to back-to-back Hockey East titles, not even surrendering a goal at the championship tournament last weekend at TD Garden, you have to believe that this program is prepared for yet another big step as it awaits Saturday’s regional opener against WCHA playoff champ Minnesota State.<\/p>\n If a win over Minnesota State opened what would be a run to an NCAA title, that might be appropriate given two wins over the Mavericks opened the Norm Bazin era at Lowell three Octobers ago.<\/p>\n But that’s way too far down the road for Bazin and his River Hawks to even discuss. First things first is getting past the Mavericks.<\/p>\n The opponent, despite playing the River Hawks three seasons ago, isn’t overly familiar. And not being smug in the least, that familiarity doesn’t matter, Bazin said.<\/p>\n “We just want to play,” Bazin said. “We want to play the best possible opponents and they’ve had a tremendous season.<\/p>\n “I know [coach] Mike Hastings. His team will be prepared. They’re going to have a really good team and we’re expecting the best.”<\/p>\n His captain, Josh Holmstrom, a critical member of that senior class, echoed his coach.<\/p>\n “I think at this point we’re worried more about ourselves,” said Holmstrom. “I try to focus on what we can do and worry about our game plan more than who we’re playing.”<\/p>\n There is a good reason for that. Lowell’s system has proven its toughness in the postseason. The River Hawks are 12-5 in the postseason in the Bazin era, including 10-2 in the past two years. A major part of that formula is a puck-possession, defense-to-offense approach and a goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck who has a lifetime 1.14 GAA in 12 postseason games.<\/p>\n Goaltending alone could possibly take this River Hawks team far. But a complete approach and execution is what could make this Lowell senior class complete its epic saga as national champions.<\/p>\n — Jim Connelly<\/i><\/p>\n Schedule<\/a> :: Stats<\/a> :: Roster<\/a><\/p>\n Coach:<\/b> Mike Hastings<\/a>, second season<\/p>\n Record:<\/b> 26-13-1 (20-7-1 WCHA, second)<\/p>\n How they got in:<\/b> Automatic qualifier, WCHA playoff champion<\/p>\n Regional seed:<\/b> Third<\/p>\n Last NCAA tournament appearance:<\/b> 2013<\/p>\n Best NCAA finish:<\/b> First round, 2003 and 2013<\/p>\n Why they’ll get to the Frozen Four:<\/b> The Mavericks are rolling, unbeaten in their last 13 games. They have outscored opponents 50-16 over that time, showing off a scoring punch and a stingy defense backstopped by freshman goalie Cole Huggins.<\/p>\n Why they won’t get to the Frozen Four:<\/b> The Mavericks are the third-most-penalized team in the country. Although their penalty kill is ranked fourth in the nation, they’ll be playing with fire if they get caught taking too many trips to the box in this tough region.<\/p>\n Coach Mike Hastings has turned things around pretty quickly at Minnesota State.<\/p>\n In his second season with the Mavericks, he has the team in the national tournament for the second time in a row. In the program’s previous 16 seasons as a Division I member, Minnesota State had reached the NCAAs just once.<\/p>\n As much as the Mavericks have tried to separate this season from last, there are too many returning players who remember the bitter taste of losing their final two games of the season a year ago.<\/p>\n Those two games — a 7-2 loss to Wisconsin at the WCHA Final Five and a 4-0 loss to Miami in the first game of Midwest Regional — were abrupt endings after reaching both events for the first time in a decade.<\/p>\n “There were a lot of nerves last year,” said senior captain Johnny McInnis, the team’s leading goal scorer. “I don’t know if we went into it with the gas pedal down all the way. I think we waited for them to come to us because we hadn’t been there before.”<\/p>\n Minnesota State rectified the first of those thumpings last weekend when it won its first Broadmoor Trophy, defeating Bowling Green 4-0 and Ferris State 4-1 in Grand Rapids, Mich.<\/p>\n Now the Mavericks hope for a better showing on the national stage.<\/p>\n “I think you have to [draw on last season],” Hastings said. “For our game [against Bowling Green] we drew on our experience a year ago against Wisconsin. We wanted to get a better start, and we did.”<\/p>\n The Mavericks were reeling a bit going into last year’s Midwest Regional in Toledo, Ohio, as they tried to figure out what happened in the WCHA tournament. This year, they remain one of the two hottest teams in the country (Union is also 12-0-1 in its last 13 games).<\/p>\n Other than dealing with injuries to two defensemen, Hastings hasn’t had to change up too much over the last two months.<\/p>\n “I think it’s important at this time of year that you don’t want to hit the reset button if you don’t have to,” Hastings said. “That was the case last year. Wisconsin beat us up pretty good in that game. … We had a real good weekend [at the Final Five]. We’ve had to face some adversity, but we’ve stayed with the same mentality.”<\/p>\n Sixteen players from this year’s roster played in last year’s regional. Thirteen of those players likely will be in the lineup on Saturday against Massachusetts-Lowell. One difference will be in goal, where freshman Cole Huggins has shined. He allowed one goal in two games at the Final Five and was that tournament’s most outstanding player.<\/p>\n The mentality in Mankato, Minn., has been transformed in two years. No longer is Minnesota State content to have a rare surprise season or a just-happy-to-be-here attitude on big stages.<\/p>\n “I can’t say how thankful I am to [Hastings] for coming on board and turning this around,” McInnis said. “It’s been a blessing. He’s been a blessing to our community, and we’re starting to get results we’ve wanted since we were little kids.”<\/p>\n — Shane Frederick<\/i><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.photoshelter.com\/img-get\/I00007LZ6En_fkFE\/s\/500\/400\/140322-21374837.jpg\")
Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks<\/h4>\n
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Minnesota State Mavericks<\/h4>\n
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Denver Pioneers<\/h4>\n