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All signs on paper point to an all-NCHC West Regional Final in St. Paul, Minn. come Sunday afternoon. St. Cloud State and Denver each have eight wins over their final 10 games and appear stronger on paper, but as they say, that's why we play the games.
NCHC Champion St. Cloud State is being overlooked by many, based on years of struggling in the NCAA Tournament, but Bob Motzko's program has fared better of late come the end of March. The Huskies made the Frozen Four in 2013 and boast experience in key positions. Five of the team's top six scorers are seniors, and the Huskies have a junior goaltender who is as reliable as any in this regional.
St. Cloud took all three games from Denver this year, including one this past weekend in the NCHC Semifinals. However, the Pioneers have players, namely Danton Heinen, who can be a game changer in a one-and-done scenario.
BU shouldn't be taken lightly as the Terriers have a talented roster, albeit short on depth, especially up front. What BU does have is an extremely mobile defense that can impact zone exits and zone entries, helping quell possession time in its favor.
St. Cloud State vs. Ferris State
| St. Cloud State |
Ferris State |
|
| Mascot | Huskies |
Bulldogs |
| Conference |
NCHC | WCHA |
| Seed | No. 1 | No. 4 |
| NCAA Bid |
Automatic Bid |
Automatic Bid |
| Overall Record | 31-8-1 |
19-14-6 |
| Conference Record | 17-6-1 | 13-11-4 |
| Last 10 Games | 8-2-0 | 5-5-0 |
| Head Coach | Bob Motzko (St. Cloud '87) |
Bob Daniels (Michigan State '82) |
| Record at School | 235-163-42 (11th) |
416-423-95 (24th) |
| Captains |
Ethan Prow |
Kyle Schempp |
| Goals Per Game | 4.28 (2nd) |
2.67 (29th) |
| Goals Against | 2.12 (10th) |
2.54 (23rd) |
| Power Play Pct. | 28.9 (2nd) |
14.8 (45th) |
| Penalty Kill Pct. | 82.8 (27th) |
85.7 (11th) |
| Penalty Minutes | 7.20 (54th) | 11.85 (13th) |
| Leading Scorer (Pts.) | Kalle Kossila (52) |
Gerald Mayhew (36) |
| Goals Leader | Joey Benik (22) |
Gerald Mayhew (14) |
| Assists Leader | Kalle Kossila (38) | Gerald Mayhew (22) |
| +/- Leader | Joey Benik (+30) |
Brandon Anselmini (+8) |
| GWG Leader |
Joey Benik (7) |
Andrew Dorantes (5) |
| PPG Leader |
Benik/Prow (6) |
Gerald Mayhew (6) |
| SHG Leader |
Judd Peterson (3) |
Mayhey/Robertson (1) |
| Starting Goaltender | Charlie Lindgren (.927) |
Darren Smith (.923) |
| NHL Draft Picks |
3 |
1 |
| NCAA Championships |
-- |
Denver vs. Boston University
| Denver |
Boston University |
||
| Mascot | Pioneers |
Terriers |
|
| Conference |
NCHC | Hockey East |
|
| Seed | No. 2 | No. 3 | |
| NCAA Bid |
At-Large |
At-Large |
|
| Overall Record | 23-9-6 |
21-12-5 |
|
| Conference Record | 17-5-2 | 12-6-4 | |
| Last 10 Games | 8-1-1 |
5-4-1 |
|
| Head Coach |
Jim Montgomery (Maine '93) |
David Quinn (BU '89) |
|
| Record at School | 67-39-14 (3rd) |
59-41-14 (3rd) |
|
| Captain |
Grant Arnold |
Matt Grzelcyk |
|
| Goals Per Game | 3.13 (16th) | 3.21 (14th) |
|
| Goals Against | 2.29 (13th) |
2.61 (T-26th) |
|
| Power Play Pct. | 17.1 (33rd) |
21.4 (9th) |
|
| Penalty Kill Pct. | 82.9 (25th) |
81.8 (32nd) |
|
| Penalty Minutes | 8.21 (49th) |
10.63 (27th) |
|
| Leading Scorer (Pts.) | Dylan Gambrell (43) |
Danny O'Regan (43) | |
| Goals Leader | Danton Heinen (19) |
Danny O'Regan (16) | |
| Assists Leader | Trevor Moore (33) |
Danny O'Regan (27) | |
| +/- Leader | Will Butcher (+22) |
Ahti Oksanen (+20) |
|
| GWG Leader |
Dylan Gambrell (4) |
Oksanen/Somerby (3) |
|
| PPG Leader |
5 tied (3) |
Danny O'Regan (7) | |
| SHG Leader |
Quentin Shore (2) |
O'Regan/Greenway (1) |
|
| Starting Goaltender | Tanner Jaillet (.925) |
Sean Maguire (.924) |
|
| NHL Draft Picks |
5 |
8 |
|
| NCAA Championships |
'58, '60, '61, '68, '69, '04, '05 |
'71, '72, '78, '95, '09 |