In a year that saw a record six teams from one conference, the WCHA, make the tournament and for the first time ever all three Colorado teams make the cut, only one WCHA team, and sadly no team from the state of Colorado, will be skating in Denver when the Frozen Four gets underway on April 10th. Air Force, despite coming extremely close for the second straight year to a four-one first round upset fell in overtime to #2 ranked Miami 3-2 after allowing a late 3rd period goal to tie things up, while Denver got Badgered in Wisconsin 6-2 and Colorado College was eliminated at home to the defending champion Michigan State Spartans 3-1, both first round games as well. What tends to add to the disappointment is that all three teams that defeated the Colorado three made their way to the exits the following day.

One of those teams, Michigan State, lost to conference rival Notre Dame, who in just their third tournament appearance ever in their forty year history have advanced to the school’s first Frozen Four and become the first four seed to do so since the field expanded to sixteen teams in 2003. The Irish, one of the biggest underdog stories in tournament history, were the last at large team selected for the tournament, and have managed to get to the four without leading scorer Erik Condra, who was injured during the CCHA tournament. Third year coach Jeff Jackson, who won NCAA titles with Lake Superior State in 1992 and 1994, will lead his boys against another conference foe, the CCHA regular season and tournament champion, #1 ranked Michigan Wolverines in one of the two semifinal games at the Pepsi Center. The Wolverine’s senior class is 10-3 vs. the Irish seniors, but don’t expect that to scare Notre Dame as those same seniors were a paltry 2-8-1 vs. Michigan State prior to avenging last year’s regional final loss in Colorado Springs. Michigan is led by the NCAA’s leading scorer and Hobey Baker frontrunner Kevin Porter along with high flying forward Chad Kolarik and Colorado Avalanche draft pick Billy Sauer between the pipes. The speedy Wolverines have more NCAA titles than any other school in history, nine, and are making their twenty-third appearance in the Frozen Four. Their last NCAA title came in 1998 over Boston College and their last trip to the Frozen Four was in 2003. The Wolverines lead the all time series 63-44-5 but look to face a tough test against the surprising Irish and the goaltending of Jordan Pearce.

The other semi-final will pit #7 Boston College and #3 North Dakota, two schools very familiar to the big stage. The Eagles of Boston College finished the last two seasons as NCAA runner-up and won their last title and second all-time in 2001 beating the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota in the championship game. They are making their twenty-first trip to the four. North Dakota, who is tied with Denver for the second most NCAA titles of all time with seven, is making their eighteenth appearance in the final weekend and last won it all in 2000 when they beat Boston College in the title tilt in a final that was avenged the following year. This is the fourth consecutive Frozen Four for the Sioux, who were knocked out in the semifinals each of the last two years by Boston College. Meanwhile, BC is making their fourth trip in five years. The Sioux are led by the superior goaltending of Hobey Baker Finalist Jean-Philippe Lamoureux and the offensive firepower of fellow Hobey finalist T.J. Oshie and last year’s Hobey Baker winner Ryan Duncan, while the Eagles are paced by their own Hobey Baker finalist and nation’s second leading scorer, Nathan Gerbe, as well as NCAA assist leader Joe Whitney and one of Hockey East’s premier goaltenders, John Muse. The two teams skated to a 0-0 tie in Massachusetts earlier this season in a game that was shortened after two periods due to poor ice conditions. North Dakota leads the all time series 11-9.