ST. CLOUD STATE

Record/national ranking: 31-8-1, No. 2

Conference record/finish: 17-6-1, second place NCHC

Players to watch: F Joey Benik (22 goals-24 assists) is the Huskies' second-leading scorer and tops the roster with seven game-winning goals; the senior from St. Francis High School also has eight points in seven NCAA tournament games. G Charlie Lindgren from Lakeville leads Division I with 30 victories this season and has a .927 save percentage with five shutouts.

The season so far: After going 3-3 in February, the Huskies enter the tournament on a six-game win streak. They're known mostly for having the nation's second-most-productive offense (4.28 goals per game) and power play (29 percent) — but Lindgren anchors a defense that allows only 2.12 goals per game.

FERRIS STATE

Record/national ranking: 19-14-6, No. 18

Conference record/finish: 13-11-4, fourth place WCHA

Players to watch: Freshman G Darren Smith has continued the Bulldogs' tradition of outstanding goalies, compiling a goals-against average of 2.15, a save percentage of .923 and three shutouts; he stopped 91 of 96 shots during the WCHA playoffs. F Gerald Mayhew leads the team with a WCHA-high 14 goals and 36 points, with 12 points in 13 career postseason games.

The season so far: Ferris State lost five of six games before the WCHA playoffs, then upset Michigan Tech and Minnesota State Mankato at the WCHA Final Five to earn its fifth trip to the NCAA tournament. Four senior defensemen have provided good support to Smith for a hardworking, persistent team built around its defense.

DENVER

Record/national ranking: 23-9-6, No. 7

Conference record/finish: 17-5-2, third place NCHC

Players to watch: F Danton Heinen, the NCHC's forward of the year, leads the Pioneers with 19 goals and is second on the team with 42 points. G Tanner Jaillet has been instrumental to the team's late-season surge, with a 1.93 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and 12-1-3 record since Jan. 1.

The season so far: Since Jan. 1, the Pioneers have gone 16-2-4, including an 11-game win streak that was the program's longest in 14 years. All three members of their "Pacific Rim'' line — Trevor Moore, Dylan Gambrell and Heinen— have more than 40 points this season, and the line has produced 33 goals and 61 assists in the past 22 games.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Record/national ranking: 21-12-5, No. 12

Conference record/finish: 12-6-4, tied for fourth in Hockey East

Players to watch: F Danny O'Regan leads the Terriers with 16 goals and 27 assists; his 153 career points are the most by a BU player since Chris Drury had 214 from 1994-98. F Jordan Greenway, a 6-5, 230-pound freshman drafted by the Wild in 2015, has three goals and 12 assists in his past 16 games.

The season so far: The Terriers were knocked out of the Hockey East tournament in the quarterfinals and enter the NCAA tournament with a 5-5-1 record since Feb. 8. They have a dangerous line in O'Regan, Greenway and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, who have combined for 31 goals and 66 assists, but the Terriers were outscored 8-2 in their past two games.