By Jim IngramFan Fanatic Sports Staff
Can you say upset city? Forget the NCAA basketball tournament. This was the craziest weekend in hockey that I've seen in some time. If you want to have a good laugh, go back to my NCAA preview and look at my predictions. BU is the only Frozen Four team I got right, and I am a whopping 3 of 12 in my game picks thus far. Not pretty, but I am just one of many who had no idea what was to take place this weekend.
The weekend started off with a bang when Michigan was shutout by Air Force. Then came Miami of Ohio's thrashing of Denver. Two #1 seeds, two losses. The final upset of Friday came when Vermont beat Yale 4-1 practically in their home town.
Saturday wasn't much different. BU may have rolled over Ohio State 8-3, but no one saw Notre Dam losing to Bemidji State 5-1. Even though UNH played at home, I was very surprised to see them beat North Dakota in a thrilling overtime game. Later in the Day Vermont and Miami punched their tickets to the Frozen Four.
Sunday brought us the final two games of the regionals. BU won a game they shouldn't have with :15 seconds left. They were vastly outplayed by UNH, and were only in the game thanks to freshman goalie Kieran Milan. I couldn't tell you how many times ESPN's John Buccigross went nuts after a save. Bemidji State and Cornell played the late game. Bemidji State easily beat Cornell to complete the Frozen Four.
The Frozen Four has two #4 seeds, a #3, and a#1 in Boston University. While I believe BU will win the championship, it's not as easy a path as you'd think. BU will face Vermont in the opener. Vermont is the only Hockey East school to have a winning record against BU and swept them at Agganis Arena early in the season. The Catamounts know how to disrupt the BU's flow of play. They make it much harder for the Terriers to complete their cross ice passes which is their bread and butter. Ultimately, hockey playoffs come down to goal tending, and you won't find a better goalie in college than Keiran Millan. He is the main reason BU is heading to the Frozen Four. BU fans just need to hope the two week layoff doesn't hurt his momentum.
Predictions:
BU vs. Bemdji State in the finals
NCAA Champs:
Boston University Terriers
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