NCAA men's Frozen Four

Semifinals Thursday at Xcel Energy Center

TV: ESPN2

Ticket information

Denver vs. Boston University, 4 p.m.

Pioneers: Denver (30-9-3) defeated Massachusetts 2-1 in double overtime and Cornell 2-1 to advance to its 19th Frozen Four. The Pioneers have won nine NCAA championships, tied with Michigan for the most by any team. Junior forward Jack Devine (27 goals, 29 assists, 56 points) and freshman defenseman Zeev Buium (11-38-49) pace Denver in scoring. On Wednesday, the Pioneers got good news that junior forward Massimo Rizzo (10-34-44) will return to the lineup after being out since Feb. 3 with a lower-body injury. Former Gopher Tristan Broz of Bloomington helped fill Rizzo's void and has 15 goals and 24 assists this season. Goalie Matt Davis (21-5-3, 2.48 goals-against average, .911 save percentage) was named National Goalie of the Month for March.

Terriers: Boston University (28-9-2), the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament, beat RIT 6-3 and the Gophers 6-3 to reach its 24th Frozen Four. Freshman center Macklin Celebrini, who is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL draft, is tied for second nationally in scoring (32-32-64) and has 12 power-play goals. Defenseman Lane Hutson, a first-team All-America selection in 2023, has 49 points, which is tied with Buium for the national lead among blue-liners. Hutson's brother Quinn, a sophomore forward, has 18 goals and 18 assists. Goalie Mathieu Caron (28-9-2, 2.37, .915) is 9-5-1 against teams that made the NCAA tournament.

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Michigan vs. Boston College, 7:30 p.m.

Wolverines: Michigan (23-14-3) defeated North Dakota 4-3 and Michigan State 5-2 to reach its record 28th Frozen Four. After a 6-2 loss to the Gophers on March 1, the Wolverines were No. 16 in the PairWise Ratings and in danger of missing the NCAA tournament. They won 6-5 in overtime the next night and are on a 6-1 run. … Big Ten player of the year Gavin Brindley (25-28-53) and linemate Rutger McGroarty (16-36-52) pace Michigan's offense, while forwards Dylan Duke (26-23-49), T.J. Hughes (19-29-48) and Frank Nazar III (17-24-41) and defenseman Seamus Casey (7-38-45) provide plenty of depth. Goalie Jake Barczewski, a transfer from Canisius, is 20-13-3 with a 2.81 GAA and .909 save percentage.

Eagles: Boston College (33-5-1) is the No. 1 overall NCAA seed and beat Michigan Tech 6-1 and Quinnipiac 5-4 in overtime to advance to its 26th Frozen Four. The Eagles, led by newly named national coach of the year Greg Brown, have won 14 consecutive games. The all-freshman line of Gabe Perrault (18-39-57), Will Smith (23-46-69) and Ryan Leonard (31-28-59) has combined for 72 goals and 113 assists. Smith leads the nation in scoring while sophomore Cutter Gauthier, a Hobey Baker finalist, is tied for second with 64 points. Freshman goalie Jacob Fowler (31-5-1, 2.20, .924) is one of three finalists for the Mike Richter Award, given to the nation's top goalie.

Saturday's championship: Semifinal winners, 5 p.m.