Minnesota-Duluth-Defending National Champs, tough team but there has not been a back to back champs since 04-05. Still a favorite to win the championship. They are a great faceoff winning team. Duluth is also 21-2 this year when they score first and have won 25 of their last 27 games so they are coming in HOT.
Providence-Has the most NHL draft picks of any of the frozen 4 teams(9). They are a very hard nosed veteran team with six seniors and seven juniors. They play Duluth first round which will not be an easy task but they have the talent and leadership to pull off an upset. Another note Providence was the #4 seed in 2015 when they upset BU to win the frozen 4.
UMASS-This is their first frozen 4 appericance in school history. They are a physical team who has been building their program up the last few years. If there is a "cinderella team" this is it. They play hard for their coach have decent goaltending and are just happy to be in the frozen 4. I would say they are the dark horse to win for sure. But have a good chance of beating Denver and getting to the final game.
Denver-Denver has been to the frozen 4 (3) out of the last 4 years(won it in 2017). They for sure have a shot to win it. They still have 6 current players off that championship team. Their head coach is one of the youngest if not the youngest coach in D1 hockey(29) he was an asst. on that 2017 championship team and knows what it takes to win. They have outstanding goaltending. Denver has a good mix of upper and lower classmen. They like to play at a high pace. They have had an up and down season but have found their way to the frozen 4 again. The only downfall is they draw a very hungry some what unknown UMASS team in the first game.
Providence-Has the most NHL draft picks of any of the frozen 4 teams(9). They are a very hard nosed veteran team with six seniors and seven juniors. They play Duluth first round which will not be an easy task but they have the talent and leadership to pull off an upset. Another note Providence was the #4 seed in 2015 when they upset BU to win the frozen 4.
UMASS-This is their first frozen 4 appericance in school history. They are a physical team who has been building their program up the last few years. If there is a "cinderella team" this is it. They play hard for their coach have decent goaltending and are just happy to be in the frozen 4. I would say they are the dark horse to win for sure. But have a good chance of beating Denver and getting to the final game.
Denver-Denver has been to the frozen 4 (3) out of the last 4 years(won it in 2017). They for sure have a shot to win it. They still have 6 current players off that championship team. Their head coach is one of the youngest if not the youngest coach in D1 hockey(29) he was an asst. on that 2017 championship team and knows what it takes to win. They have outstanding goaltending. Denver has a good mix of upper and lower classmen. They like to play at a high pace. They have had an up and down season but have found their way to the frozen 4 again. The only downfall is they draw a very hungry some what unknown UMASS team in the first game.
