The Boston U. Terriers (who won both the Hockey East regular season & tournament titles) certainly had the luck of the draw in their regional as they beat the Western Michigan Broncos 5-1 before handling the Cornell Big Red a 2-1 loss in the final. The major difference in those 2 turned out to be junior goaltender Drew Commesso (CHI) who also has given up 2 or fewer goals on 5 out of his last 6 starts. I was on this team a few weeks back & said freshman defensiveman Lane Hutson (MTL) whose having one of the best seasons of a blueliner in NCAA history. Veteran leadership by Matt Brown, Wilmer Skoog & former 1st-round pick Jay O'Brien (PHIL) can keep this one close for a while but HC Jay Pandolfo (reached the Frozen 4 all 4 years when he played @ Boston U.) are really up against a team that cluster scores together quickly. They'll renew with one of their fiercest & intense rivals in the 70's, a very talented Minnesota Golden Gophers squad that dispatched Atlantic Hockey champion, the Canisius Golden Griffins 9-2 while winning the regional against a very tough out & intrastate rival, the St. Cloud State Huskies by a 4-1 count. My bottom line says this team's on a mission after losing the semi's of the Frozen 4 last season. Their man in the net Justen Close has been stellar & has just warmed up at the right time. He' supported by the most dangerous line in the country with Logan Cooley (ARIZ), Matt Knies (TOR) & Jimmy Snuggerud (STL) whose firepower combined for 148 points this season. Besides their top line on offense, their defensive corp is also among the country's best with seniors Ryan Johnson (BUFF) & Jackson LaCombe (ANAH) as well as junior Brock Faber (MINN). Look for them to be strong from the get-go & apply the pressure throughout the 1st period. This team has depth as 3rd-liner Jaxon Nelson pitched in with a goal & an assist. We're ready to invade Amalie Arena in Tampa to play the MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS for 10 BIG Stars on the ML @ the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Frozen Four Semi's! (WIN) Final Score: Minnesota 6, Boston U. 2 Mike Handzelek's NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Overall Record: 3-0 for 100%
 

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