NCAA Frozen Four
TD Garden, Boston
Thursday's first semifinal
Denver vs. Michigan, 4 p.m., ESPN2
Pioneers at a glance: Denver (29-9-1) boasts a roster full of offensive talent with eight players with 30 or more points and another with 29. Leading the Pioneers is junior RW Bobby Brink of Minnetonka, whose 56-point total (14 goals, 42 assists) leads the nation. The Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist gets plenty of help from linemates Cole Guttman (19-26—45) and Ryan Barrow (7-12—19). The second line of Carter Savoie, Brett Stapley and Jack Devine has combined for 41 goals and 62 assists. Mike Benning (14-20—34) leads the Pioneers blue-liners in scoring.
Wolverines at a glance: With 13 NHL draft picks, including seven in the first round, Michigan (31-9-1) brings plenty of offensive firepower to this game. F's Matty Beniers (20-23—43) and Brendan Brisson (21-21—42) lead Michigan's attack, while freshman D Luke Hughes (17-22—39) quickly established himself as the top offensive defenseman in college hockey.
The X factor: Michigan goalie Erik Portillo. The Swedish sophomore has started all 41 games for the Wolverines, but he's given up 10 goals over his past three games. When he's on, he's tough to beat, but he has given up five goals in a game four times this season.
The quote: "This is my 40th year at the Division I level as a coach, and I have a little idea of what it takes to win. We have the goaltending. We have the defense. We have the forwards. We have the depth.'' — Michigan coach Mel Pearson
Thursday's second semifinal
Gophers vs. Minnesota State Mankato, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU, 100.3-FM, 1130-AM, 103.5-FM
Gophers at a glance: Minnesota (26-12) is in the Frozen Four for the first time since 2014 and for the first time under coach Bob Motzko. After going 10-8 in the first half of the season, the Gophers caught fire in the second, finishing the regular season with an eight-game winning streak. They overcame the departure of goalie Jack LaFontaine, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in early January. Justen Close stepped in admirably, going 14-4 with a 1.83 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. Led by the line of Matthew Knies-Ben Meyers-Aaron Huglen, the Gophers rank fourth nationally at 3.6 goals per game. Meyers, a Hobey Hat Trick finalist, leads the team with 41 points and has six goals and nine assists since returning from the Olympics.
Mavericks at a glance: Minnesota State Mankato (37-5) is in its second consecutive Frozen Four and has the most wins in the nation. The Mavericks won both the CCHA regular-season and tournament titles and have ridden the hot goaltending of Dryden McKay (37-4, 1.28 GAA, .934 save percentage). McKay has an NCAA-record 34 career shutouts and is second all-time in wins with 112. MSU Mankato as a potent offense, too, averaging 4.1 goals per game, second in the nation. Olympian Nathan Smith (19-31—50) and F Julian Napravnik (18-31—49) lead the way, while F Ryan Sandelin (21-12—33) does most of his damage around the net.
The X factor: Gophers defenseman Brock Faber. The sophomore and Los Angeles Kings second-round draft pick helped shut down the top lines of both Massachusetts and Western Michigan in the Worcester Regional. Minnesota could use a similar standout effort against the Mavericks.
The quote: "What we went up against with UMass and Western Michigan really helps us going up against Mankato. Those were two big, strong teams, and that's exactly what we're going to see tomorrow night.'' — Gophers coach Bob Motzko
RANDY JOHNSON
