2019 Frozen Four expert picks

One of my favorite times of year is coming up. This weekend begins the March Madness NCAA Hockey Tournament. Like previous years we have some surprises (American International, Bowling Green, Arizona State, Massachusetts), the recent repeats (Denver, St. Cloud St, Ohio St), and the repeats from last year’s finals (Notre Dame and Minnesota-Duluth). First round begins March 29^thand 30th, the second round will be on the 31st. This means after March 31st our Frozen Four will be set! The semi-finals will two weeks later be on April 11th with the finals occurring on April 13th .

Regional Semi-finals (March 29^th-31^st)

West (Fargo, ND)

St. Cloud State (1) vs. American International
Ohio State vs. Denver
Winner: St. Cloud State.

St. Cloud State is the clear favorite here but it wasn’t too far back that they were #2 overall (#1 in their division) and lost to Ferris State 5-4 in the first round. With that said they are a fast and they have one of the best offenses in NCAA (4.08 Goals per game – 2^nd in the league). American International might be caught in the cross-hairs of the toughest division. Ohio State vs. Denver should prove to be the best first round matchup. Tanner Laczynski leads a powerful Ohio State offense and power play while Denver’s Devin Cooley is one of the best goalies in NCAA this year.

Northeast (Manchester, NH)

Massachusetts (4^th best 1 seed) vs. Harvard
Notre Dame vs. Clarkson
Winner: Clarkson

Massachusetts has stepped into the forefront as T.H.E. Massachusetts team to be feared after years of taking a backseat to UMass-Amherst. Cale Makar has been eager to make a name for himself as he is endearing himself in showcase to Colorado Avalanche fans for what’s to come. They lead with speed and offense pressuring opposing teams aggressively. Adam Fox (8^th most points in NCAA) and the #1 power play team in the league Harvard are hoping to showcase this #1 Power Play vs. #2 Power Play matchup. Clarkson’s Nico Sturm (8^thmost points in NCAA) battles a Notre Dame team who lost much of it’s talent from the finals game it played in last year. Jake Kielly’s abilities in net for Clarkson (1.89GA 8^th best in NCAA, made 15^thmost saves in the league) will prove to be the x-factor in this division as Clarkson advances.

East (Providence, RI)

Minnesota State (3^rd best 1 seed) vs. Providence
Cornell vs. Northeastern
Winner: Minnesota State.

Minnesota State has a STAUNCH defense allowing just 1.71 goals against per game. They might be the most well rounded team with a formidable offense (5^th most goals per game) legit power play (9^th best PP%) and the 5^th best PK unit. Providence should make a strong push as a good mix of veterans on the defense side and lethal scorers on the offense side. I think Minnesota State advances if they get past providence in the first round. Northeastern have quite a bit of NHL potential on their team but during power plays and at key moments they seem to come up short. Cornell never stops hustling but the longevity of a season at that pace takes it’s toll on a team.

Midwest (Allentown, PA)

Minnesota Duluth (2^nd best 1 seed) vs. Bowling Green
Arizona State vs. Quinnipiac
Winner: Quinnipiac

Don’t sleep on Bowling Green, they are allowing the 2^nd fewest goals per game in the league (1.82). Ironically, Quinnipiac is allowing the third fewest and Minnesota Duluth the 6^th fewest so we shall dub this the all defense division. Arizona State is lethal on their power play (Johnny Walker has 9 goals, 8^th most in NCAA) with the team boasting the 14^th most power play goals this year converting at an lackluster 15.22% but getting a lot of opportunities as they continue to move their legs through plays. On the flip side Quinnpiac has just 15 power play goals against, best in the league (with a PK of 87.5%) needless to say it should be an interesting round 1 matchup between those two. Minnesota Duluth is the favorite here but I think the Bobcats are going to pull an upset in this division especially with Andrew Shortridge’s 1.51 GAA (best in NCAA) at it’s core.

2019 NCAA Winner:

Minnesota- State is so strong on both ends.