Sioux Falls Regional, March 26-28 | Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
No. 2 Providence (23-10-2) vs. No. 3 Quinnipiac (26-9-3) | March 26, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN-plus)
No. 1 North Dakota (27-9-1) vs. No. 4 Merrimack (21-15-2) | March 26, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Sioux Falls Regional Championship | March 28, TBD
NORTH DAKOTA
How they got here: At-large bid, 2nd in final NPI
Overall season record: 26-7-2
Top players: F Cole Reschny (5-29-34), G Jan Špunar (18-4-1, 2.06, .889), D Abram Wiebe (5-22-27), F Ben Strinden (15-18-33), D Jake Livanavage (5-20-25), F Ellis Rickwood (8-26-34).
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: UND will be at home(ish) in Sioux Falls. On top of that, the last time the Fighting Hawks had a first-year head coach, they won the whole thing. No pressure, then.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: UND will be 12 days removed from its last game, when the Fighting Hawks were pummeled at home in the NCHC semifinals by Minnesota Duluth. Merrimack might be the hottest team in the country, too, so even getting out of the first round isn’t guaranteed.
PROVIDENCE
How they got here: At-large, 7th in final NPI
Overall season record: 23-10-2
Top players: F Roger McQueen (11-16-27), F John Mustard (16-12-28), D Quinn Mantei (2-9-11), F Logan Sawyer (13-13-26), G Jack Parsons (13-4-0, .923, 1.99), D Alexander Bales (0-3-3).
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: It’s not that Providence took its foot off the gas or took Merrimack lightly in the first round of the Hockey East tournament. But it’s not outrageous to suggest that the Friars did not play with the same urgency they would have if their season was on the line. But now that their season IS on the line, expect the Friars to play like it. They have the weapons, including top scorers John Mustard and Logan Sawyer, and standout goalie Jack Parsons, who brings a 1.99 goals-against average into the tourney.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: The Friars’ nonconference record was a “meh” 5-5-1 this year, which doesn’t necessarily instill confidence going into a national tourney. Also they were only 3-4-1 against the tournament field, making them a longshot to get out of a region that includes powerhouse North Dakota.
QUINNIPIAC
How they got here: Won ECAC tournament, 10th in final NPI
Overall season record: 24-11-2
Top players: F Chris Pelosi (17-16-33), D Elliott Groenewald (6-13-19) F Mason Marcellus (8-25-33), F Ethan Wyttenbach (24-34-58), F Antonin Verreault (15-23-38), F Markus Vidicek (20-14-34)
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: Quinnipiac’s failure to win ECAC championship hardware over the past decade is well-documented, but it’s never affected the team’s success at a national level. The 2023 team, after all, won the NCAA championship, and two other teams in 2022 and 2024 advanced out of the first round before last year’s team lost its first-round game to Connecticut. Even this year, the roster assembled from shrewd movement throughout the major junior and United States circuits is loaded with front-end talent that’s coming together at the right time. Wyttenbach is a legitimate Hobey Baker candidate, and the supporting cast is littered with players with championship and NHL Draft pedigrees. Of teams owning a No. 3 seed, it’s hard to envision anyone better than the Bobcats, and advancing out of a regional with Providence, Merrimack and top-seeded North Dakota wouldn’t be a surprise.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: Routinely getting out of the NCAA first round game hasn’t translated to consistent trips to the Frozen Four, and postseason losses to Clarkson cost the Bobcats a No. 2 seed. Throw in how the team lost — getting shut out in the first game before giving up three third period
goals in the second — and combine it with a loss to Dartmouth that otherwise would have ended the regular-season title race, and there are definitive gaps heading into a regional where exactly one team is playing close to home: top-seed North Dakota.
MERRIMACK
How they got here: Won Hockey East tournament, 19th in final NPI
Overall season record: 21-15-2
Top players: D Seamus Powell (3-15-18), G Max Lundgren (21-15-2, 2.56, .920), D Austin Oravetz (1-11-12), F Caelan Fitzpatrick (13-15-28), F Caden Cranston (7-15-22), F Parker Lalonde (13-23-36).
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: Merrimack isn’t just happy to be here. By beating the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 seeds (in that order) to claim its first Hockey East championship, they’ve proven they can compete with anybody. An upset of North Dakota would mean a regional final vs. either Providence or Quinnipiac, and guess what? The Warriors alread beat ’em both during the regular season.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: Catching lightning in a bottle is hard to do once, let alone twice. If beating UConn was a miracle, beating North Dakota would be an otherworldly accomplishment.