Faceoff Factor

Frozen Four Preview

Andrew Chiappazzi | Amateur Hockey (Juniors/NCAA)

Apr 7, 11:43 PM | Hype this story!

Well, it’s time. The focus is fully on Denver and the Pepsi Center for the Frozen Four, and with a much more eclectic group in the Frozen Four than the Final Four, we’re bound to have some fantastic games.

On to the games themselves. A reminder that all games are on ESPN2 and on Thursday night.

#2. Boston College (23-11-8 ECAC) v #1. North Dakota (28-10-4 WCHA)
4:00 MT/6:00 EST
What Boston College Needs To Do: Get the puck to Nathan Gerbe. The Hobey Baker Finalist has an uncanny ability to create offensive opportunities, and BC won’t have many against North Dakota’s defense and goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux. BC does need to stay out of the penalty box, not giving the Sioux’s opportunistic offense a chance to capitalize on mistakes. And, when BC gets on the PP, they’ll need to send in a slew of shots. ND’s PK is sky high – 87% – and the Sioux are a little bit older and a little bit taller. Create open spaces and they’ll have opportunities.

What North Dakota Needs To Do: Clear the lanes in front of Lamoureux. If he sees the puck, he’ll stop it. But if BC uses what size they do have to create traffic in front, the Eagles could get some deflections. The Sioux do a good job of creating openings as it is, so they just need to continue to do what brought them to Denver. These two teams had a scoreless tie in that postponed fog game earlier in the year, but the Sioux were playing their game. Do it Thursday night, and they’ll be in great shape.

Prediction: North Dakota really is a frustrating team to play against, and while they have off nights, they’ll be so jacked up to defend their #1 seed that BC’s interesting run will finally come to an end. Look for a 2-1 win, but if BC can get the first goal AND a goal midway through the game, they could have additional confidence. They’ll need multiple goals though to feel they can win once the game gets going.

#4. Notre Dame (26-15-4 CCHA) v #1. Michigan (33-5-4 CCHA)
7:00 MT/9:00 EST
What Notre Dame Needs To Do: Harass Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik. Get them to retaliate on your physical play. That doesn’t mean you need to take penalties, but finish your checks and let them know you’re there. Notre Dame hasn’t beaten Michigan this year in two previous attempts, so they’ll need to find a new answer. They can’t unload early, because Michigan will always come back with an answer. They need to be consistently strong instead.

What Michigan Needs To Do: Don’t be stupid and don’t be flashy. Hard, quality possessions and intelligent, disciplined play has gotten them this far. Porter and Kolarik may have 50+ points but they aren’t the only options, so they’ll need to involve everyone to truly be dangerous. Yes, Porter and Kolarik can take over games but Notre Dame will be keying on them, so it’ll be up guys like Tim Miller and Aaron Palushaj to create additional opportunities.

Prediction: Michigan is just too strong. Notre Dame will keep it close, but this is the Wolverines’ year. 4-2 seems solid, with the 4th likely coming on an empty netter.