The NCAA is always proud to declare how more European and Canadian prospects are choosing the
college route for their development, and this influx of international talent into the collegiate ranks has created more parity than ever over the past few years. This competitive balance was on display two weekends ago, as thrilling regional match-ups had college hockey fans on the edge of their seat and scribbling on their brackets. Now that only four teams remain after working their way to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to battle for glory, the team that wins it all will have earned their school their first NCAA National Championship in program history.
Yes, your Frozen Four finalists, Quinnipiac, UMass-Lowell, St. Cloud State, and Yale, are all competing for their school's first ever national title. In fact, Yale is the only school to reach the final four remaining teams of the national tournament before, albeit it was in 1952. With that in mind, this is sure to be an exciting conclusion to the tournament.
Here's a chance for you to get to know each team in the Frozen Four a little better before the puck drops at the beautiful CONSOL Energy Center on Thursday. There's profiles on each team, list of their NHL prospects, and the Hart of Hockey's predictions for the final.
(1) QUINNIPIAC BOBCATS
(4) ST. CLOUD STATE HUSKIES
To classify this year's St. Cloud State team as an upset run would be unfair. Yeah, they were a four seed, but that's only because the selection committee couldn't give every top seed to WCHA teams! The Huskies finished the regular season tied with Minnesota at the top of the WCHA standings and they had more conference wins than anyone other team in the WCHA. Caught in Wisconsin's rampage on their way to the WCHA Title and an automatic berth to the national tournament, St. Cloud State fell to the Beavers 4-1, and subsequently fell behind other conference teams Minnestoa, Denver, North Dakota, Minnesota State in the eyes of the committee, so a four seed for St. Cloud it was.
Hober Baker finalist Drew LeBlanc led the team in offense during the regular season, but he has gotten constant support from the Huskies' balanced offensive attack from players like captain Ben Hanowski and Jonny Brodzinski. With so many threats up and down the roster, opponents can't afford to take a shift off.
Sophomore goalie Ryan Faragher has been solid as a rock as the Huskies' last line of defense all season, and that has continued through their first two games of the national tournament. In front of Faragher is a very mobile group of defensemen composed almost entirely of puck-rushing D-men. Nick Jensen was among the NCAA's top scoring defenseman, posting 27 assists in 41 games.
NHL Prospects: Nic Dowd (Los Angeles), Kevin Gravel (Los Angeles), Ben Hanowski (Calgary), Nick Jensen (Detroit), Nick Oliver (Nashville)
(1) UMASS-LOWELL RIVERHAWKS
UMass-Lowell is a total package hockey team playing arguably the best hockey of their season at the best time. A potent offense led by Scott Wilson, one of the Pittsburgh Penguins' most underrated prospects, and speedster Joseph Pendenza proved in the regional rounds that it can score at will. Pendenza's speed and smarts will come in handy against their first Frozen Four opponent in Yale, a fast team that is most dangerous in transition.
On the defensive side of the puck, the Riverhawks have Chad Ruhwedel, one of college hockey's best two-way defensemen. Lowell has the third stingiest D-corps in the nation, allowing exactly two goals a game on average, but like Quinnipiac, the job of a defenseman becomes a lot easier with a great goaltender behind you, and Lowell has a great goalie, indeed.
Freshman sensation Connor Hellebuyck quietly won NAHL Rookie of the Year last year was drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by Winnipeg. Since coming to college, he stole the starting job from Lowell's starting goalie from last season, junior Doug Carr, and has shone between the pipes in just about every start. He leads the nation in all major statistical goaltending categories; 1.31 goals against average, .953 save percentage, and 6 shutouts (T-1st).
NHL Prospects: Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), Dmitry Sinitsyn (Dallas), Scott Wilson (Pittsburgh)
(4) YALE BULLDOGS
They say a team that believes is a dangerous team. This old adage has become a bit of a sports cliche, but it is the embodiment of the Yale Bulldogs' tournament run. Surprising just about everyone when they eliminating tournament favorite Minnesota by scoring nine seconds into overtime, Yale went on to crush perennial powerhouse North Dakota to punch their ticket to Pittsburgh. Now, this is a team that believes.
Yale is a very, very fast team that loves to create turnovers in the neutral zone and then attack in transition. Their speed allows them to create many scoring opportunities over the course of a game and is the reason the Bulldogs finished second in the nation in shots per game. The team's leading scorer is Kenny Agostino, a player whose prime scoring areas know no limits. He can score pretty goals in the slot or dirty goals in the crease.
Goaltending has been inconsistent for the Bulldogs during the season, sometimes in the most extreme cases. Some games it would seem like a different goalie would be in net every period. Other times, they'd get good goaltending for a few days, and then a dud out of nowhere. However, starter Jeff Malcolm appears to have figured things out in net, posting impressive figures and passing the eye test in both of Yale's regional wins.
NHL Prospects: Kenny Agostino (Calgary Flames), Matthew Beattie (Vancouver), Rob O'Gara (Boston), Gus Young (Colorado)
college route for their development, and this influx of international talent into the collegiate ranks has created more parity than ever over the past few years. This competitive balance was on display two weekends ago, as thrilling regional match-ups had college hockey fans on the edge of their seat and scribbling on their brackets. Now that only four teams remain after working their way to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to battle for glory, the team that wins it all will have earned their school their first NCAA National Championship in program history.
Yes, your Frozen Four finalists, Quinnipiac, UMass-Lowell, St. Cloud State, and Yale, are all competing for their school's first ever national title. In fact, Yale is the only school to reach the final four remaining teams of the national tournament before, albeit it was in 1952. With that in mind, this is sure to be an exciting conclusion to the tournament.Here's a chance for you to get to know each team in the Frozen Four a little better before the puck drops at the beautiful CONSOL Energy Center on Thursday. There's profiles on each team, list of their NHL prospects, and the Hart of Hockey's predictions for the final.
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| Regular season record: 29-7-5 |
Quinnipiac entered the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed thanks to the resume they compiled with an impressive regular season. The Bobcats cooled off towards the end of the season, though, struggling on their way to an early exit from the ECAC Tournament. Unfazed by their slowed momentum, Quinnipiac put forth two strong efforts in the regional round to eliminate Canisius and Union College en route to the school's first Frozen Four berth.
The Bobcats play a style of hockey that confidently boasts, "Hey, we're going to score more than you, because you're not going to score at all." The team's unrelenting defense was good enough to earn the lowest goals against per-game and best penalty kill percentage in the nation this past season. Having a Hobey Baker finalist in Eric Hartzell in goal helps a lot, too.
Offensively, Quinnipiac is a little less intimidating, but still threatening. Matthew Peca and his linemates, Kellen and Connor Jones, provided the team with most of its scoring throughout the year and in the first round of the tournament, but after that the Bobcats can still roll two more lines of six players prone to occasional offensive outbursts. Peca has shown his offensive prowess in the first round with an in-tight snipe against Canisius and then scoring a natural hat trick in only 3:29 the second round against Union. If the 'Piac can win it all, Peca's performance will become the stuff of legends.
Offensively, Quinnipiac is a little less intimidating, but still threatening. Matthew Peca and his linemates, Kellen and Connor Jones, provided the team with most of its scoring throughout the year and in the first round of the tournament, but after that the Bobcats can still roll two more lines of six players prone to occasional offensive outbursts. Peca has shown his offensive prowess in the first round with an in-tight snipe against Canisius and then scoring a natural hat trick in only 3:29 the second round against Union. If the 'Piac can win it all, Peca's performance will become the stuff of legends.
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| Regular season record: 25-15-1 |
Hober Baker finalist Drew LeBlanc led the team in offense during the regular season, but he has gotten constant support from the Huskies' balanced offensive attack from players like captain Ben Hanowski and Jonny Brodzinski. With so many threats up and down the roster, opponents can't afford to take a shift off.
Sophomore goalie Ryan Faragher has been solid as a rock as the Huskies' last line of defense all season, and that has continued through their first two games of the national tournament. In front of Faragher is a very mobile group of defensemen composed almost entirely of puck-rushing D-men. Nick Jensen was among the NCAA's top scoring defenseman, posting 27 assists in 41 games.
NHL Prospects: Nic Dowd (Los Angeles), Kevin Gravel (Los Angeles), Ben Hanowski (Calgary), Nick Jensen (Detroit), Nick Oliver (Nashville)
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| Regular season record: 28-10-2 |
On the defensive side of the puck, the Riverhawks have Chad Ruhwedel, one of college hockey's best two-way defensemen. Lowell has the third stingiest D-corps in the nation, allowing exactly two goals a game on average, but like Quinnipiac, the job of a defenseman becomes a lot easier with a great goaltender behind you, and Lowell has a great goalie, indeed.
Freshman sensation Connor Hellebuyck quietly won NAHL Rookie of the Year last year was drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by Winnipeg. Since coming to college, he stole the starting job from Lowell's starting goalie from last season, junior Doug Carr, and has shone between the pipes in just about every start. He leads the nation in all major statistical goaltending categories; 1.31 goals against average, .953 save percentage, and 6 shutouts (T-1st).
NHL Prospects: Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), Dmitry Sinitsyn (Dallas), Scott Wilson (Pittsburgh)
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| Regular season record: 20-12-3 |
Yale is a very, very fast team that loves to create turnovers in the neutral zone and then attack in transition. Their speed allows them to create many scoring opportunities over the course of a game and is the reason the Bulldogs finished second in the nation in shots per game. The team's leading scorer is Kenny Agostino, a player whose prime scoring areas know no limits. He can score pretty goals in the slot or dirty goals in the crease.
Goaltending has been inconsistent for the Bulldogs during the season, sometimes in the most extreme cases. Some games it would seem like a different goalie would be in net every period. Other times, they'd get good goaltending for a few days, and then a dud out of nowhere. However, starter Jeff Malcolm appears to have figured things out in net, posting impressive figures and passing the eye test in both of Yale's regional wins.
NHL Prospects: Kenny Agostino (Calgary Flames), Matthew Beattie (Vancouver), Rob O'Gara (Boston), Gus Young (Colorado)
PREDICTION
The UMass-Lowell Riverhawks defeat Quinnipiac 3-1 (no empty netter) to win
the program's first NCAA National Championship on Saturday.
Frozen Four MVP: Connor Hellebuyck, (G) UMass-Lowell
