* This is the Gophers' 34th NCAA tournament and second in two years. They lost 6-1 to Boston College in the Frozen Four semifinals in Tampa a year ago. They are the No. 2 overall seed on Friday against Yale in the West Regional in Grand Rapids, Mich.
* Van Andel Arena, the University of Michigan and the Western Michigan Sports Commission will host this year's NCAA West Regional. ... The Wolverines came one game short of making the NCAAs, losing to Notre Dame in the CCHA championship game on Sunday.
* Gophers coach Don Lucia is 4-0-0 all-time against Yale.

* The U has won five national championships ('74, '76, '79, '02, '03) and played in 20 Frozen Fours. ... Minnesota holds a 52-34 (.604) record in the NCAA tournament with this year's matchup marking the first-ever NCAA postseason meeting between Yale and Minnesota.

* The Gophers are 14-6-0 all-time against the Bulldogs in a history that dates back to December 21, 1935. The programs last met on December 27, 2002 when the Gophers won 7-2 at Mariucci Arena inf the Dodge Holiday Classic.
* Two-day passes for the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey West Regional are on sale now and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or by visiting Ticketmaster.com.

DENVER

* The Pioneers (20-13-5) have claimed seven NCAA Division I National Championships in their history.

* DU has played all three of the other teams in the Northeast Regional. Denver lost 6-4 decision at home against New Hampshire on Nov. 24 and beat UMass-Lowell 5-1 at Magness Arena in its season opener on Oct. 19. Wisconsin beat DU 3-1 victory and tied 1-1 on Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in Denver.

* This is Denver's sixth consecutive NCAA appearance and i24th overall. The Pioneers received at at-large bid after finishing fifth overall in the WCHA regular-season standings.

* Denver owns a 27-19 (.587) mark all-time in NCAA Tournament action and has advanced to the national semifinals 14 times.

* The Pioneers are 20-13-5. Denver had a 20-win season for the 12th consecutive year, the longest current stretch nationally.

* Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Hockey on Twitter

MINNESOTA STATE

The Mavericks were 24-13-3 in the regular season and finished tied for fourth place in the WCHA. They are the third seed in the Midwest Regional.

MSU will be making its second appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Mavericks, in 2002-03, were 20-11-10, played in the East Regional and lost 5-2 to Cornell in a first-round game.

NORTH DAKOTA

* A limited number of West Regional ticket packages are available for sale to North Dakota Champions Club members and the general public.

* Champions Club members have until 5 p.m. Monday to make their requests by e-mail. There's a maximum limit of four ticket packages. If there are any ticket packages still remaining after fulfilling the Champions Club requests, general public requests will then be fulfilled. Requests should be e-mailed to tickets@theralph.com.

* E-mail requests should have the words, 'regional tickets' in the subject line, and in the body of the e-mail Champions Club members should include their Champions Club level, the number of tickets requested and a contact phone number. Priority for ticket purchasing opportunity is based on Champions Club Priority Points Standings as of March 1. All e-mails will receive a confirmation e-mail.

* West Region ticket packages cost $65 and are good for all three games in the tournament. The UND Box Office does not sell single-game tickets to postseason tournaments. Tickets are available to purchase online at ncaa.com/frozenfour.

* UND fans who aren't members of the Champions Club join today! Visit www.undsports.com/championsclub or e-mail ChampionsClub@undfoundation.org for more info. Fans with questions about the procedure can call the ticket office at 701.777.4689.

* This is North Dakota's 11th consecutive appearance in the NCAA postseason, the longest active streak in the nation, and the 28th overall NCAA postseason trip in program history. ... UND's seven national titles are second in the nation behind only Michigan's nine.

* UND earned an at-large bid into the national tournament after going 21-12-7 during the regular season, the program's ninth 20-win season in as many years under head coach Dave Hakstol.

ST. CLOUD STATE

* This is SCSU's ninth NCAA tournament bid. The list: 1989, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2013.

* SCSU is 5-5-0 vs. Notre Dame since 1988. The last meeting between SCSU and Notre Dame was a 4-1 and 4-3 OT sweep by the Irish on Oct. 17-18, 1997 at the NHEC. This is their first postseason meeting.

* SCSU is 1-9-0 in NCAA tournament play. The Huskies picked up their first NCAA tournament win on March 26, 2010 with a 4-3 overtime win over Northern Michigan in West Regional at the X. The Huskies lost 5-3 to Wisconsin in the title game.

* SCSU is 2-8-2 all-time series vs. Miami and 25-15-7 vs. Minnesota State at the D-I level. Those teams play in the other game in this region.

* In SCSU's first trip to the NCAA tournament, the Huskies lost a 6-3 and 4-2 series at Lake Superior State.
Other regional opponents for SCSU have included Boston University in 2000, Michigan in 2001 and 2002, New Hampshire in 2003, Maine in 2007, Clarkson in 2008, Northern Michigan in 2010 and Wisconsin in 2010.

* This is the fourth time coach Bob Motzko has taken the Huskies to the NCAA tournament.

WISCONSIN

* The Badgers enter the national tournament as the 2013 WCHA Final Five champion, having won six straight games. The conference tournament title marked the program's 12th WCHA playoff crown, but its first Broadmoor Trophy since 1998 and first ever under head coach Mike Eaves.

* Eaves on NCAA field: "I think that every team in this tournament can beat any other team. We've seen that all year in our league and playing in our nonconference games. Any team in this 16-team tournament can win…The issue for us is maintaining what we have and keep rolling."

* Tickets for Northeast Regional are on sale now. Two-day passes can be purchased by visiting Ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. ... All-session tickets for Wisconsin student season ticket-holders will go on sale Monday at 7:30 a.m. online at UWBadgers.com (while supplies last).

* Wisconsin has won six NCAA titles, including most recently in 2006. The Badgers also won titles in 1990, 1983, 1981, 1977 and 1973.