![St. Cloud State Huskies head Hockey coach Bob Motzko during practice on Monday. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ cgonzalez@startribune.com April 8, 2013, St. Cloud, Minn., St. Cloud State Huskies Hockey, Drew LeBlanc is the captain of the St. Cloud State hockey team and a finalist for the college player of the year award. After breaking his leg early in the 2011-12 season, he returned for a final year and has been instrumental in the team's run to the Frozen Four.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/H7TM2PM2Z5HY2CTLPPVH5SD3JA.jpg?&w=1080)
Sioux Falls is about to have a bunch of Minnesotans visiting this weekend.
The NCAA on Sunday announced the 16-team field for its men's hockey tournament, and all three Minnesota teams that made – St. Cloud State, Minnesota State Mankato and Minnesota Duluth – were assigned to the West Region at the Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls on Friday and Saturday.
St. Cloud State, the No. 1 overall seed, will play No. 16 Air Force at 3 p.m. Friday (ESPNU). MSU Mankato, the No. 6 overall seed, will face No. 12 Minnesota Duluth at 6:30 p.m. (ESPN3 web stream).
The West Regional final is 8 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.
"We're really excited. This is a great time of year,'' St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko said on the ESPNU selection show. "Anybody can win this tournament. … It's a great location for us. I coached in Sioux Falls, two of my kids were born there. I've got a person touch back in that city. It's easy travel for us, but we've got to get ready for Air Force. … They can spoil anybody's trip quickly.''
The only non-Minnesota team in the West Regional – Air Force – has Minnesota roots, too. Falcons coach Frank Serratore is a Coleraine, Minn., native and a Bemidji State graduate.
Here are the regional matchups with overall seeding in parentheses:
West (Sioux Falls, Friday-Saturday)
