West Regional of NCAA tournament presents tough task

Record/national ranking: 31-8-1, No. 2

Conference record/finish: 17-6-1, second place NCHC

Players to watch: F Joey Benik (22 goals-24 assists) is the Huskies' second-leading scorer and tops the roster with seven game-winning goals; the senior from St. Francis High School also has eight points in seven NCAA tournament games. G Charlie Lindgren from Lakeville leads Division I with 30 victories this season and has a .927 save percentage with five shutouts.

The season so far: After going 3-3 in February, the Huskies enter the tournament on a six-game win streak. They're known mostly for having the nation's second-most-productive offense (4.28 goals per game) and power play (29 percent) — but Lindgren anchors a defense that allows only 2.12 goals per game.

Record/national ranking: 19-14-6, No. 18

Conference record/finish: 13-11-4, fourth place WCHA

Players to watch: Freshman G Darren Smith has continued the Bulldogs' tradition of outstanding goalies, compiling a goals-against average of 2.15, a save percentage of .923 and three shutouts; he stopped 91 of 96 shots during the WCHA playoffs. F Gerald Mayhew leads the team with a WCHA-high 14 goals and 36 points, with 12 points in 13 career postseason games.

Record/national ranking: 23-9-6, No. 7

Conference record/finish: 17-5-2, third place NCHC

Players to watch: F Danton Heinen, the NCHC's forward of the year, leads the Pioneers with 19 goals and is second on the team with 42 points. G Tanner Jaillet has been instrumental to the team's late-season surge, with a 1.93 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and 12-1-3 record since Jan. 1.

The season so far: Since Jan. 1, the Pioneers have gone 16-2-4, including an 11-game win streak that was the program's longest in 14 years. All three members of their "Pacific Rim'' line — Trevor Moore, Dylan Gambrell and Heinen— have more than 40 points this season, and the line has produced 33 goals and 61 assists in the past 22 games.

Record/national ranking: 21-12-5, No. 12

Players to watch: F Danny O'Regan leads the Terriers with 16 goals and 27 assists; his 153 career points are the most by a BU player since Chris Drury had 214 from 1994-98. F Jordan Greenway, a 6-5, 230-pound freshman drafted by the Wild in 2015, has three goals and 12 assists in his past 16 games.