Anaheim Warms Up for the Frozen Four
Dick Umile faces an exhausting seven-hour flight from Boston to Orange County on Tuesday. He might just knock someone over to be first on the plane.
“I’m really excited to be coming out west,” the New Hampshire hockey coach said Sunday, “especially since the weather is so miserable here. It’s a typical miserable March day.”
Umile won’t get a guarantee on sunshine, just a spot in the NCAA’s Frozen Four, which starts Thursday at the Arrowhead Pond. New Hampshire plays Michigan State in one semifinal; Maine faces Boston College in the other. The winners advance to Saturday’s title game.
New Hampshire earned the trip to Anaheim with a 2-1 overtime victory Saturday against defending champion Michigan in the East Regional. It was payback for the Wildcats, who were eliminated from last year’s Frozen Four by the Wolverines.
“It’s nice revenge for the disappointment of last year,” said senior Jason Krog, a front-runner for the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player. “This is a new season and a new team. We’re just happy to get back to the final four.”
Here’s a first look at the Frozen Four semifinals:
No. 2-ranked New Hampshire (30-6-3) vs. No. 3 Michigan State (29-5-7): Krog is the nation’s leading scorer with 81 points (32 goals, 49 assists), but he’s not the only reason the Wildcats have been successful. Along with Krog, Darren Haydar (30 goals, 27 assists) and Mike Souza (20 goals, 39 assists) have made New Hampshire the top offense in the country. Their goalie isn’t bad, either. Sophomore Ty Conklin has lost just twice in 19 starts and has the nation’s second best goals-against average (1.74).
If any team can stop the high-scoring Wildcats, it’s Michigan State.
The Spartans--who scored two goals in the final 1:40 Sunday to stun Colorado College, 4-3, in the West Regional at Madison, Wis.--have an outstanding defense. Sophomore goalie Josh Blackburn finished the regular season with 20 wins and a 1.39 goals-against average. The Spartans have allowed one or no goals in 27 games this season.
No. 4 Maine (29-6-4) vs. No. 5 Boston College (27-11-4): NCAA violations kept Maine out of the tournament for the past three years, and the Black Bears are making up for lost time.
The last title Maine won was in 1993, when a sensational freshman named Paul Kariya was establishing himself as a college hockey legend. Now Kariya’s brother Steve has been doing his best imitation of the Mighty Duck superstar.
Kariya, a finalist for the Hobey Baker, had three goals and three assists Saturday in an East quarterfinal win over Clarkson (N.Y.).
“He put on a Hobey Baker-like performance,” Maine Coach Shawn Walsh said. “It reminded me of a [Paul] Kariya performance in 1993. It was an unbelievable performance by an unbelievable player.”
The senior, who wasn’t even considered an NHL prospect until the second half of this season, leads the Black Bears in goals (27) and assists (38). That’s not quite enough, though, for the 21-year-old from North Vancouver.
“There’s something in me that says I’m still not satisfied,” Kariya said. “There’s something bigger left.”
Not if Boston College continues its current run.
The Eagles have won eight straight, including Sunday’s 3-1 West Regional victory over top-ranked North Dakota.
“Our team has been playing really well in March,” BC Coach Jerry York said, “and we’ve been working together as a team.”
No Eagle has worked harder than goalie Scott Clemmensen. The West MVP stopped 57 of 59 shots in BC’s two wins.
“I didn’t pack my shorts for nothing on this trip,” Clemmensen said after making 31 saves Sunday.
Frozen Four
* Where: Arrowhead Pond
* When: Thursday’s semifinals: 1 and 6 p.m. Saturday’s championship: 4:30 p.m.
* Teams: No. 2-ranked New Hampshire (30-6-3) vs. No. 3 Michigan State (29-5-7). No. 4 Maine (29-6-4) vs. No. 5 Boston College (27-11-4).
* TV: Semifinals on ESPN2; championship on ESPN.
* Tickets: (714) 704-2500 or Ticketmaster at (213) 480-3232, (714) 740-2000.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.