NCAA Men’s Frozen Four Preview

posted April 6, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Mac Young

After a week of teams idling, it is almost time for the Frozen Four to begin in Boston.

Michigan, Denver, Minnesota State and Minnesota will battle it out on the ice at TD Garden for the National Championship.

The first matchups will take place on Thursday with the championship game being played on Saturday.

The first game will be at 5 p.m. between the Wolverines and Pioneers in a clash of one seeds.

The uber-talented Wolverines have been cruising through the tournament, scoring 12 total goals in their first two tournament games so far. The Pioneers, on the other hand, have made their way to Boston by the thinnest of margins.

Denver first had to battle for a hard-fought win in a back-and-forth affair against Umass Lowell. Late in the third period, senior forward Cameron Wright was able to score the game-winner for Denver.

In its second game, Denver faced an early deficit to mighty Minnesota Duluth.

However, once again, the Pioneers showed off their poise and high play in crunch time, coming away with a slim 2-1 victory.

As mentioned earlier, Michigan’s offense has been flying. The maize and blue have not trailed throughout the entire NCAA tournament.

They have been blistering with confidence while playing against the nation’s best.

Ultimately, this matchup will come down to Michigan’s talent against Denver’s veteran presence and clutch factor.

Junior forward Bobby Brink led the NCAA in points this season and will look to stand out against Michigan stars like Owen Power, Matty Beniers and Luke Hughs.

In the second matchup between Minnesota and Minnesota State, it is all about claiming to be the best in the hockey state.

Minnesota State are the most consistent team in college hockey this year, entering at 37-5.

The Mavericks have one of the best goaltenders in college hockey history in Dryden McKay, who broke the NCAA shutout record this season. He is also one of the three Hobey Baker Award finalists.

As for the Golden Gophers, they are a strong veteran team with an emerging goaltender of their own.

Despite falling to Michigan in the Big Ten championship game, Minnesota has looked like a team with all the pieces needed to win a National Championship.

It boasts a captain who was the Big Ten player of the year and is now a Hobey Baker Award finalist in Ben Meyers

It looked like their season would be in shambles after last year’s Mike Richter Award winner, Jack LaFontaine, was signed to the Carolina Hurricanes midseason, but instead, the Gophers were gifted with a budding superstar in Justen Close.

Close is coming off a shutout against one of the best offensive teams in the country in Western Michigan.

Minnesota will face its largest test yet as it faces an in-state rival with hopes of a possible Big Ten championship rematch in the final on Saturday night.

Maclain Young is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email macyoung21@gmail.com.