2021 Frozen Four: Expert picks

It’s that magical time of year!!

By Mark Abell Mar 24, 2021, 12:00pm EDT

The Frozen Four starts Friday and here are all the games and how to watch them:

East Regional - Bridgeport, CT

#1 Wisconsin vs. #4 Bemidji State - Friday, 3/26, 1 PM - ESPN2
#2 UMass vs #3 Lake Superior St - Friday, 3/26, 6:30 PM - ESPNU

Midwest Regional - Fargo, ND

#2 Michigan vs #3 Minnesota-Duluth - Friday, 3/26, 4 PM, ESPNU
#1 North Dakota vs #4 AIC - Friday, 3/26, 9:30 PM ESPN3

Northeast Regional - Albany, NY

#1 Boston College vs #4 Notre Dame - Saturday, 3/27 - 1:00 PM - ESPN News
#2 St. Cloud State vs #3 Boston University - Saturday, 3/27 - 6:30 PM - ESPN News

West Regional - Loveland, CO

#2 Minnesota State vs #3 Quinnipiac - Saturday, 3/27 - 4:00 PM - ESPN3
#1 Minnesota vs #4 Nebraska Omaha - Saturday, 3/27 - 9:00 PM - ESPNU

(Credit to Joseph Gravellese @ BCInterruption.com for pulling the above together)

Frozen Four Picks

East Regional: Wisconsin

The Good: They might have lost the Big Ten Championship in a heartbreaker but that’s exactly why I'm picking them. They have a chip on their shoulder, they have the best player in College Hockey (Cole Caufield) and it’s not even close and they have one of the best goaltenders in Cameron Rowe.

The Bad: The Big Ten has historically struggled in this tournament. Removing the dream year in 2018 when Notre Dame, Michigan AND Ohio State all made the Frozen Four, no Big Ten team made the Frozen for across 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019.

Midwest Regional: Minnesota Duluth

The Good: This team knows how to do one thing and that’s make deep runs when it comes to the Frozen Four. They have gone three for three making it in 2017, 2018 AND 2019. Scott Sandelin (in his 21st season) has the pedigree to coach this team into the coveted spot and it does hurt that goalie Ryan Fanti wracked up the 7th most minutes among goaltenders.

The Bad: They lost four of their last five before entering the NCHC tournament and losing in their 2nd matchup to St. Cloud State.

Northeast Regional: Boston College

The Good: To be fair, Notre Dame is no layup out of the start so they will have their work cut out for them. Boston College is 2nd all time in Frozen Fours (Behind Michigan) and has been four times since 2010. I believe in Spencer Knight’s ability to steal a game with stellar play in net and I believe in Jerry Yorke’s poise behind the bench to have the team prepared. Finally, this team was scoring an average of 4.06 goals per game, best in NCAA.

The Bad: They lost a barn burner in double OT to UMass-Lowell in the Semi-Finals that included coughing up four goals in the third period to let them back into it and send it to overtime. 43 saves from Spencer couldn’t save them from a tough loss.

West Regional: Quinnipiac

The Good: They are 14th in NCAA in goals for (3.41 per game); top 7 in penalty kill, top 10 in power play, 10th in winning percentage, 2nd in scoring defense and 5th in goal against average from Keith Petruzzelli. They have a solid corp all around and can do everything at a great level. While they lost the last two games of the season they were unbeaten in the previous eight games outscoring their opponents 35-11.

The Bad: Minnesota State is no layup with the best goalie in NCAA Dryden McKay, oh and if they get past them they might run into Minnesota’s Jack Lafontaine, the 2nd best goalie in NCAA.

Frozen Four Champion

Boston College is your NCAA Hockey Champion in 2021 beating Wisconsin in the Final.