Frozen Four Tournament BreakDown
Seeds #5-8
Ferris State #5
Ferris state also had a rocky season throughout their WCHA season. They started off hot with a 17-3-3 start but are only 11-7-0 in their last 18. They rely heavily on their goaltender C.J Motte who is also a Hobey Baker candidate for his strong play backstopping the Ferris State Bulldogs to the Frozen Four. Motte leads the nation with 27 wins and boasts a .928 save percentage which ranks 10th nationally. In Motte’s last 6 games, 5 of which have been wins, he’s sported an impressive .942 Save Percentage.
The Bulldogs have 0 NHL draft picks on their roster but are riding the hot line of Cory Kane, Andy Huff and Gerald Mayhew who were responsible for four of the Bulldogs six goals and had eight points overall during the Bulldogs’ two games in the WCHA Final Five Championship. Cory Kane is the teams leading scorer with 30 points and will need to produce if Ferris State hopes to make is past the first round.
Quinnipiac #6
The Quinnipiac Bobcats are dangerous team offensively but have some major issues between the pipes having not found solid goaltending yet this season. They allow just 21.8 shots per game which is the best shot per game margin in the country. On offence they boast a threat with candidate for rookie of the year Sam Anas who put up 22 goals 43 points in 39 games. Aside from Anas they are led on offence by Connor and Kellen Jones and Matthew Peca who combined for 42, 38, and 38 points respectively. 2 of the 3 have already been drafted by NHL clubs.
The Bobcats are fourth in the country in goals for but just can’t keep the puck out of their own net going 4-5-1 in their last 10. The Bobcats can easily outscore the majority of teams but if they don’t get the goaltending their tournament will end quick.
UMass Lowell #7
Photo Courtesy of Getty Images. Credit Richard T Gagnon
The Umass River Hawks are another team who rely heavily on their netminder and their goaltender doesn’t disappoint. Connor Hellebuyck has been the River Hawks netminder for the past two seasons and in that time has racked up back-to-back Hockey East MVP’s, including two MVP’s from the Hockey East Tournament, and in his 51 games with UMass has more shutouts then he does losses. He is arguably the best goaltender in the nation at this point in time and his .943 save percentage only helps that case.
They’re a team without big time contributors but can easily out-skate any team with their 4 second lines. With their speed, the goaltending and their scoring from all four lines, UMass could be a darkhorse in the Frozen Four.
Notre Dame #8
The fighting Irish come into this years tournament as the 8th ranked seed looking to prove they can play on both the ice and the field. Since goaltender Steven Summerhays returned from injury the team has lost just 6 of their last 20 games heading into the Frozen Four.
Their best player is TJ Tynan who led the team in points with 37 in 39 games and he also took 934 of Notre Dame’s 2,407 face-offs. He’s a solid two-way centre who comes up big game after game. They have 11 NHL draft picks on their roster and match-up well against the powerhouses of this years tournament. They handed Boston College 3 of their 7 losses all year.