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East Regional Champs
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY (29-7-5 Overall, 17-2-3 ECAC)
Head Coach: Rand Pecknold (Connecticut College '90)
Nickname: Bobcats
Location: Hamden, CT
Enrollment: 8,400
Frozen Four appearances: None
NHL Draft Picks: 3
At-large berth
Leading Scorers: So. Matt Peca (15 goals and 15 assists), Sr. Jeremy Langlois (12 goals and 18 assists), Sr. Jordan Samuels-Thomas (16 goals and 11 assists)
Top Goaltender: Sr. Eric Hartzell (29-6-5, 1.55 GAA, .933 sv. pct)
Rand Pecknold's team had to rally from a 3-1 deficit to Canisius in the East Regional Semifinals. Three third period goals to comeback from the brink of elimination had the Bobcats in the regional final for the first time in school history. Sophomore Matthew Peca, a Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick, went to work, recording a natural hat trick in a span of three minutes and 12 seconds of the first period.
Senior goaltender Eric Hartzell, a Hobey Baker Award Finalist, looked sluggish in the semifinals, but made a huge save with the game still scoreless in the finals. He robbed Union's Max Novak on a breakaway. Who knows how the game would have turned out if the puck had gone in.
Northeast Regional Champs
UMASS-LOWELL (28-10-2 Overall, 16-9-2 Hockey East)
Head Coach: Norm Bazin (UML '94)
Nickname: Riverhawks
Location: Lowell, MA
Enrollment: 16,330
Frozen Four appearances: None
NHL Draft Picks: 3
Automatic Bid - Hockey East Champions
Leading Scorers: Jr. Joseph Pendenza (14 goals and 23 assists), So. Scott Wilson (16 goals and 21 assists), Jr. Derek Arnold (13 goals and 16 assists)
Top Goaltender: Fr. Connor Hellebuyck (20-2-0, 1.31 GAA, .953 sv. pct)
The tough start that UMass-Lowell got off to has long since been forgotten. The River Hawks are hot. Norm Bazin's team has lost just three times since December. UMass-Lowell has won the Hockey East Regular Season Championship, Tournament Championship and earned a berth in the Frozen Four all for the first time in school history.
Scott Wilson is the offensive catalyst. The Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick will be able to showcase his ability in front of what he hopes will someday be his home fans. Freshman goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been a brick wall in net for the River Hawks. The Winnipeg Jets draft pick is a cool customer between the pipes. He very rarely gets rattled.
Midwest Regional Champs
ST. CLOUD STATE (25-15-1 Overall, 18-9-1 WCHA)
Head Coach: Bob Motzko (St. Cloud '87)
Nickname: Huskies
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Enrollment: 15,000
Frozen Four appearances: None
NHL Draft Picks: 5
At-large berth
Leading Scorers: Sr. Drew LeBlanc (13 goals and 37 assists), Jr. Nic Dowd (14 goals and 25 assists), Fr. Jonny Brodzinski (22 goals and 11 assists)
Top Goaltender: So. Ryan Faragher (24-13-1, 2.22 GAA, .916 sv. pct)
The WCHA Regular Season Champions had to sweat out making the field of 16 following a loss in the WCHA Tournament Semifinals. St. Cloud was so low in the Pairwise because of its poor out-of-conference record. SCSU was 1-5 in non-conference games against major conference opponents. The Huskies other two non-conference wins were against Alabama-Huntsville. St. Cloud had only one victory previously in the NCAA Tournament.
Bob Motzko's team demolished first-seeded Notre Dame in the semifinals of the Midwest Regional by a score of 5-1. The Huskies then made quick work of Miami, 4-1, in the regional final. Freshman Joey Benik was the hero of the weekend, scoring four goals and adding a helper. Senior forward Drew LeBlanc is a Hobey Baker Award finalist.
West Regional Champs
YALE UNIVERSITY (20-12-3 Overall, 12-9-1 ECAC)
Head Coach: Keith Allain (Yale '80)
Nickname: Bulldogs
Location: New Haven, CT
Enrollment: 5379
Frozen Four appearances: 1952
NHL Draft Picks: 4
At-large berth
Leading Scorers: Jr. Kenny Agostino (17 goals and 23 assists), Sr. Andrew Miller (16 goals and 21 assists), Sr. Antoine Laganierre (14 goals and 13 assists)
Top Goaltender: Sr. Jeff Malcolm (18-6-2, 2.35 GAA, .916 sv. pct)
The Bulldogs slipped into the field of 16 at the last minute thanks to Michigan losing to Notre Dame in the CCHA Championship game. Keith Allain's team could have made the field easily, but lost twice in the ECAC Tournament the last weekend. Many observers thought Yale didn't belong in the field. They sure proved their doubters wrong by downing Minnesota, 3-2, in overtime before taking out North Dakota, 4-1, in the regional final.
Yale's top three forwards are very skilled. Leading scorer Kenny Agostino is a Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick who was traded to the Calgary Flames in the Jarome Iginla trade. Senior Antoine Laganierre will be a highly sought after free agent when the season is over.
The goaltending and defense were question marks heading in to the West Regional, but those questions were answered when Yale gave up just three goals in two games against highly skilled Minnesota and North Dakota.
Jeff Cox covers college hockey for SBNation. Follow him on twitter @JeffCoxSBNation.