Each year, the Frozen Four produces memorable moments for the powerhouse hockey institutions. This year, four traditional hockey bluebloods will face off in St. Paul Minnesota, to crown a champion.
Boston College vs. University of Michigan
a. Boston College is the undisputed #1 team this season with 14 NHL-drafted players on the roster. They recently beat the University of New Hampshire to win the Hockey East Regular Season Championship, which is arguably the most difficult conference in the NCAA. The team is led by 2023 4th overall pick, Will Smith, who has a stunning 69 points in only 39 games. Cutter Gauthier and Ryan Leonard trail Smith and are huge contributors as well. The team is backed in net by freshman, Jacob Fowler, who is arguably the best netminder in the entire NCAA. The University of Michigan is led by, Gavin Brindley, who was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2023 NHL draft. Rutger McGroarty, who was a crucial part of the American victory at the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey tournament leads the team in points per game. These teams are very close in skill, but Boston College has performed better this season. I predict that Boston College will win the game by a very small margin, but don’t be surprised by an upset by the University of Michigan.
Boston University vs. University of Denver
a. Boston University has had an amazing season so far and is very similarly matched to Boston College. Boston University has 13 NHL-drafted players and is backed defensively by goaltender Mathieu Caron who transferred from Brown. The team’s all star player is Macklin Celebrini who is the youngest player in college hockey at age 17. Celebrini has accumulated 64 points in only 37 games which is why he is the uncontested #1 pick in this year’s NHL draft. The University of Denver’s key strength is in its defense which is backed by the Buium brothers, Zeev and Shai. Zeev is shaping up to be a top-10 pick in this year’s NHL draft. Massimo Rizzo leads the team in points per game with 44 points in 28 games. The University of Denver did play Boston College earlier this season and handed BC one of their 5 losses this entire season. This game will no doubt be a close one and it really could go either way. I think Boston University will come out on top led by a stellar performance from Macklin Celebrini.
