Frozen Four Tournament 2014
The 2014 Men's Frozen Four tournament takes place this week on April 10 and 12 in Philadelphia. The Frozen Four tournament comprises the semi-finals and finals of the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship. In addition to the games, the event features a number of fan events. These events include open practices, open skates, and two days of Fan Fest activities.
College hockey is not that accessible in Canada, but if you're in the Philadelphia area or in the States later in the week, it's worth checking out in person or on TV.
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Frozen Four Schedule:
April 10
3 Union (N.Y.) vs. 2 Boston College (5:00 pm ESPN 2)
1 Minnesota vs. 4 North Dakota (8:30 pm ESPN 2)
April 12
Final (7:30 PM ESPN)
I had the opportunity to attend the Frozen Four tournament in 2010 when it was held at Ford Field in Detroit. It's a great event and if you like enthusiastic crowds the school spirit on display is fantastic to experience live. The event is a showcase in more ways than one. On April 11 the annual Hobey Baker Award winner announcement will take place. The announcement will be streamed live at nhl.com at 6 pm. This year's finalists are: Nic Dowd, forward St. Cloud State, Greg Carey, left wing, St. Lawrence, and Johnny Gaudreau, forward, Boston College who will play in the tournament.
For those looking for some Canadian content, North Dakota is your team. With 14 Canadians on the North Dakota roster, green, white, and black satisfy the CRTC's Can-con requirements. In contrast, Minnesota has a team composed solely of Americans, including 21 (out of 25) roster players representing their home state. Minnesota's Adam Wilcox has the best save percentage of any starting goalie in the tournament (.934) and Boston's Gaudreau is the leading scorer, with 77 points heading into the tournament.