Loveland Regional, March 27-29 | Blue FCU Arena
No. 1 Western Michigan (26-10-1) vs. No. 4 Minnesota State (22-10-7) | March 27, 2:30 p.m. p.m. ET (ESPNU)
No. 2 Denver (25-11-3) vs. No. 3 Cornell (22-10-1) | March 27, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN-plus)
Loveland Regional Championship | March 29, TBD
WESTERN MICHIGAN
How they got here: At-large, 4th in final PairWise
Overall season record: 26-10-1
Top players: F Liam Valente (20-15-34), G Hampton Slukynsky (26-10-1, 2.26, .916), D Samuel Sjolund (6-20-26), F William Whitelaw (19-15-34), D Zack Sharp (5-14-19), F Grant Slukynsky, (10-30-40).
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: Western Michigan is the defending champion, and the Broncos might not be quite what they were a year ago, muscle memory counts for a lot at this stage.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: Minnesota State isn’t going to be an easy out in the opening round, and even if Western Michigan gets past the Mavericks, they might effectively be playing a road game against Denver for a shot to keep going. Not easy.
DENVER
How they got here: Won NCHC tournament, 5th in final NPI
Overall season record: 25-11-3
Top players: D Eric Pohlkamp (17-20-37), G Johnny Hicks (11-0-1, 1.22, .955), D Boston Buckberger (10-18-28), F Rieger Lorenz (15-18-33), F James Reeder (10-21-31).
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: Playing less than an hour from home will give Denver a big boost. If the Pioneers get a few bounces to go their way, 15 home wins this season could effectively become 16 of 17.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: Yes, Denver is basically playing at home in Loveland, but this regional is anything but straightforward. Even if the Pios get through their top-10 matchup with Cornell, the defending national champion likely awaits after that.
CORNELL
How they got here: At-large, 11th in final NPI
Overall season record: 22-10-7
Top players: D Xavier Veilleux (6-20-26), G Alexis Cournoyer (18-9-0, 1.98, .917), F Aiden Long (9-11-20), F Caton Ryan (11-19-30), F Jake Kraft (9-9-18), F Jonathan Castagna (15-19-34), F Charlie Major (10-17-27), F Ryan Walsh (10-23-33)
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: Cornell very quietly scaffolded its
success over the past four years by winning two conference championships and advancing to two NCAA regional finals with a head-to-head win over Denver in the 2023 East Regional. Last year’s team subsequently beat Michigan State before taking Boston University to overtime, and the core of that roster is still intact. Getting through the Pios in the first round won’t be easy, but it’s arguably the tougher challenge to beat Denver in Colorado before facing off with either a Western Michigan team that didn’t make the NCHC championship game, or a Minnesota State team that survived the flawed CCHA.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: This regional feels destined to feature a rematch between Western and Denver, two teams that played head-and-shoulders above their respective competition. The four final teams in the NCHC were probably the four best teams in the nation by the end of the postseason, and Cornell lost its first game to Harvard before missing the conference championship game with a semifinal loss to Princeton — not exactly on par with where the NCHC ended its year.
MINNESOTA STATE
How they got here: Won CCHA tournament, 13th in final NPI
Overall season record: 22-10-7
Top players: D Evan Murr (10-20-30), G Alex Tracy (21-10-7, 1.80, .927), F Tristan Lemyre (16-18-34), F Luigi Benincasa (11-18-29), F Jack Smith (11-11-22)
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: No matter how their season goes, it always seems like the Mavericks find a way to get back here, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t go so far as to say they were written off at the midway point of the season, but Luke Strand’s team found itself in fifth place in the CCHA well into February. However, a late run — coupled with a collapse by teams ahead of them — saw the Mavericks win their 10th MacNaughton Cup on the last day of the season. Then, the top-seeded Mavs survived a first-round scare from Ferris State before blasting their way to a fourth Mason Cup. In other words: One should never count this team out. Alex Tracy, despite his goaltending numbers not being quite what they were a year ago, continues to be the backbone of this team in his senior season. Last year, in this exact same matchup, Tracy stopped 42 shots until finally giving up the game-winner to the defending champs in overtime. If Tracy is on his game there are few teams that will solve him. Another name to know: Luigi Benincasa, a.k.a. Mr. March. The junior forward has scored in all five of MSU’s postseason games thus far.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: The same reason why the Mavericks weren’t able to clinch the conference title earlier than Feb. 28: Lack of scoring depth. This season the Mavericks were fifth in the CCHA in scoring with 2.82 goals a game — well behind both St. Thomas and Michigan Tech, who were over 3.00. And before the Mavs went on a run in mid-January when they won six of their last nine games, that number was at 2.60. Their power play has also been poor — just 18.5 percent, tied with Alaska Anchorage for 40th in the nation. So the Mavericks better hope the team that hung seven goals on Minnesota State in the Mason Cup semifinals (or, for that matter, the one that beat St. Thomas 4-1 in the title game) shows up, and not the one that scored just one goal on Ferris State in their 2-1 quarterfinal loss. If the latter team shows up against Western Michigan, it might be a long 60 minutes, especially if the Broncos score more than one goal on Tracy.