MIDWEST REGIONAL
Rensselaer vs. North Dakota, 12:30 p.m., ESPN3.com
RPI (20-12-5) is coached by Seth Appert, formerly a goalie for Park of Cottage Grove and a Denver assistant. Senior forward Chase Polacek of Edina, a two-time Hobey Baker Award finalist, leads RPI in scoring (21 goals, 27 assists, 48 points). ... North Dakota (30-8-3) won the WCHA regular-season and tournament titles and is the No. 2 overall seed. The Sioux's seven seniors have 197 points, paced by Matt Frattin (35-22--57). UND has won nine games in a row and is 12-0-1 in its past 13.
Denver vs. Western Michigan, 4 p.m., ESPN3.com
Denver (24-11-5) is coming off a 3-2 loss to North Dakota in the WCHA Final Five title game. Top scorers are Drew Shore (23-22--45) and Jason Zucker (21-20--40). Freshman Sam Brittain has the most victories (20) among rookie goalies and the third best goals-against average (2.24). ...Western Michigan (19-12-10) was picked to finish 10th in the CCHA in the preseason. The Broncos finished fourth and lost to Miami (Ohio) in the CCHA title game. Senior center Max Campbell (16-13--29) is the team's scoring leader.
NORTHEAST REGIONAL
New Hampshire vs. Miami (Ohio), 3 p.m., ESPNU
New Hampshire (21-10-6) split its season-opening series at Miami. Senior forward Paul Thompson (28-24--52) was the Hockey East player of the year and is a Hobey Baker Award finalist. Top Wildcats defenseman is junior Blake Kessel, younger brother of ex-Gopher Phil. ... For Miami (23-9-6), seniors Andy Miele (24-47--71) and Carter Camper (19-37--56) are both Hobey Baker finalists, but sophomore Reilly Smith leads the team in goals with 28.
Merrimack vs. Notre Dame, 6:30 p.m., ESPN3.com
Merrimack (25-9-4) is a small Catholic school of 2,000 in North Andover, Mass., 30 miles from Manchester, N.H. Sophomore forward Stephane Da Costa (14-30--44) is the leading scorer; he is from Paris. The Warriors are 4-0 in overtime games, 12-3 in one-goal games. ... Notre Dame (23-13-5) is making its fourth NCAA trip in five years. T.J. Tynan (22-30--52) is first and Edina's Anders Lee (22-19--41) is tied for second among freshmen in scoring nationally. Notre Dame finished second in the CCHA.
