College Hockey Update:  Well it’s here; one of the best, best events in sports kicks off right now, at 2:00pm Pacific Time, in Buffalo, N.Y., with #11 Providence facing #2 Minnesota-Duluth in the first Frozen Four semifinal game, followed at 5:30pm Pacific Time by #6 Denver facing #4 Massachusetts in the second semifinal game.  Both of these games will be on ESPN2, if you are near a TV at either/both of those times.  The two winners will face off in the Championship Game this Saturday, April 13th, at 5:00pm Pacific Time, scheduled for ESPN.  You won’t want to miss any of these games!

With puck drop right at the time of this posting, let’s focus on the game at hand.

Minnesota-Duluth is the defending national champion, the #2 ranked team in the country, and a two-time champion, having won their first NCAA Championship in 2011.  They have been to the NCAA Tournament thirteen times, eight since 2009; this is their seventh Frozen Four, and they made it to the final game three times:  1984, 2011, and 2018.  Comparatively speaking (or writing, actually), Providence is more of a new-blood team in the Frozen four, having won their first and only NCAA Championship in 2015.  They have been to the NCAA Tournament fifteen times, and this is their sixth trip in a row since 2014; this is their fifth Frozen Four, and they have made it to the final game twice:  1983, and 2015, the year they won it.

Minnesota Duluth is 27-11-2, 8-2 in their last ten games, and is ranked #2 in the country.  They have a trio who have scored goals in double digits: McKay and Swaney each have scored fifteen, and Richards has scored ten.

Providence College is 24-11-6, 7-3-1 in their last ten games, and is ranked #11 in the country.  They have six who have scored goals in double digits:  Wilkins with nineteen, Bjorkqvist with seventeen; Conway with fifteen; Duhaime and Printz each have eleven; and Dugan with ten.

That’s all for now.  Stay tuned and go Terriers!

— Tom