Frozen Four: Call it a wintry mix

Doug Pensinger, Getty Images

Jean-Philippe Lamoureux of the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux took shots in a practice session Wednesday.

Top seeds and annual participants are in place, but so is Notre Dame, which was the last of the at-large teams picked to play and is making its first appearance.

By ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ, Star Tribune

Last update: April 9, 2008 - 10:42 PM

Two No. 1 seeds, one nearly annual entrant and a dark horse comprise the field for college hockey's Frozen Four, which starts today with the semifinals at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

North Dakota (28-10-4) was the Midwest Regional's top seed but had to rally in the third period of the title game from a 2-0 deficit to beat Wisconsin 3-2 in overtime.

The Fighting Sioux, making their fourth trip in a row since Dave Hakstol became head coach, will face Boston College at 5 p.m. in the first semifinal. The Eagles (23-11-8) are making their eighth appearance in the Frozen Four in 11 years, all under coach Jerry York.

In 20 previous Frozen Fours, BC has won national titles only twice, in 1949 and 2001. The Eagles beat North Dakota 3-2 in overtime in 2001. But they have lost in the championship game the past two seasons, 2-1 to Wisconsin in 2006 and 3-1 to Michigan State in 2007.

Michigan played like the NCAA tournament's No. 1 seed overall in winning the East Regional. The Wolverines (33-5-4) will face Notre Dame (26-15-4) in the second semifinal at 8 p.m. The Irish, the last of 10 at-large teams to make the field, are the first team seeded fourth to make the Frozen Four since the tournament expanded to four regionals in 2003.

What's more, this is Notre Dame's first trip in the 40-year history of the program.

Two of the best on big stage

Two of the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award will play in the semifinals.

Nathan Gerbe (30-30-60), a 5-5, 165-pound junior, is BC's top player and has elevated his game of late. He has seven goals and seven assists in the Eagles' seven-game winning streak.

"When you come to watch a game, he puts you right on the edge of your seat when he has the puck," York is quoted as saying in a BC flier promoting Gerbe as a Hobey Baker candidate. "His enthusiasm and the excitement that he has to play rubs off on all of us."

The only Division I player with more points is Michigan senior center Kevin Porter, the other Hobey Baker finalist still playing. He had five goals and one assist in the East Regional to raise his totals to 33 goals and 29 assists for 62 points in 42 games. The 5-11, 195-pound Porter, a fourth-round pick of Phoenix in 2004, is a plus-33 player in even-strength situations and has played 20 or more minutes in almost half of Michigan's games.

Fighting Sioux ready

BC has eliminated North Dakota in the semifinals the past two years.

"It was a tie hockey game with three, four minutes to go [last year]," Hakstol said at media day in Grand Forks, N.D. "And BC made a critical play and that was the difference. This year we need to make one more play."

Senior goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, for one, knows all about the Eagles. "This is kind of the same BC team we have seen for a number of years now," he said, "a high-octane offense, solid defensively and good goaltending. And a veteran coach who knows what it takes to win championships."

"We have to have our heads on a swivel at all times," said junior defenseman Taylor Chorney, "making sure we keep them in front of us."