DETROIT— The teams are set. Miami, Boston College, Rochester Institute of Technology and Wisconsin will be coming to Detroit for the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. It will be the sixth time Detroit has hosted the finals but the first time at Ford Field. Olympia Stadium and Joe Louis Arena were the other locations.
At the Fort Wayne War Memorial, Miami ended the Michigan magic ride, in overtime, 3-2. It will be Miami’s second straight Frozen Four. They lost to Boston University, 4-3 in overtime at last years NCAA Championship.
Boston College under Coach Jerry York will get to their ninth finals in the last 13 years after beating Yale, 9-7. BC has won the title three times.
In only its fifth season of Division I play, RIT qualified by beating New Hampshire, 6-2.
The Tigers are on a roll, having won 12 straight.
Wisconsin the team with the largest following, qualified by beating St. Cloud State, 5-3.
Expect to see a lot of red around Detroit during April 8-10. The Badgers have won five titles. Detroit has been a good destination for the University of Wisconsin as they won twice here.
There will be plenty of hockey related activities. There will be an adjacent Fan Fest at the GM-Winter Garden in the Ren-Cen. Also, on Friday there will be a NCAA Skills Challenge.
These will be the first ice hockey games ever at Ford Field. Seating will be about 35,000. Three game packages are still available starting at $40. 800-745-3000 and www.ticketmaster.com
Said CCHA Commissioner, Tom Anastos, “We have already sold 30,000 tickets for the “Frozen Four”. All the site lines are great and it is so different than traditional domes.”
Besides the Fan Fest, USA-Hockey will be conducting coach’s clinics. Anastos added, “We have an incredible product to sell and Detroit will be hockey central.”
Also, during the “Frozen Four”- the Hobey Baker Award will be announced. This will be part of the April 9, activities. This is presented to the outstanding collegiate hockey player in the country.
In conference play, the University of Michigan kept its 20 year streak of getting to the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament, beating Northern Michigan, 2-1.
Junior, Loui Caporusso scored two power play goals for the Wolverines, one being a tip in. Goalie Shawn Hunswick made 20 saves. Referring to his sophomore netminder, U. of M. coach Red Berenson said, “He came up big when he had to.” The Wolverines shut Northern Michigan down in the third period allowing only three shots on net.
From the CCHA, Michigan, Miami, Alaska-Fairbanks and Northern Michigan were seeded in the NCAA Tournament.
The four number one seeds were Boston College, Denver, Miami and Wisconsin. There were 16 teams in the NCAA playoffs at four regional sites.
Ferris State senior, Aaron Lewicki, was presented the Terry Flanagan Memorial Award
for perseverance and dedication to college hockey during the CCHA Awards Gala.
For more information go to www.detroitsports.org and www.fordfield.com
NCAA Regional Championship games
Miami (2OT) 3
Michigan 2
Boston College 9
Yale 7
RIT 6
New Hampshire 2
Wisconsin 5
St. Cloud State 3
CCHA Final
Michigan 2
Northern Mich. 1
WCHA Final
North Dakota 5
St. Cloud State 3
ECAC Final
Cornell 3
Union 0
Hockey East
Boston College 7
Maine (OT) 6
Atlantic Hockey
RIT 6
Sacred Heart 1