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Minnesota-Duluth Takes 2nd Straight NCAA Hockey Championship with Win vs. UMass

Apr 13, 2019
BUFFALO, NY - APRIL 13: Mikey Anderson #24 of the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs celebrates his goal against the Massachusetts Minutemen with teammates Parker Mackay #39, Cole Koepke #17, and Justin Richards #19 during the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Frozen Four Championship final at the KeyBank Center on April 13, 2019 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - APRIL 13: Mikey Anderson #24 of the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs celebrates his goal against the Massachusetts Minutemen with teammates Parker Mackay #39, Cole Koepke #17, and Justin Richards #19 during the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Frozen Four Championship final at the KeyBank Center on April 13, 2019 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)

The No. 2 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs defended their 2018 title by defeating the No. 4 Massachusetts Minutemen 3-0 in Saturday's 2019 NCAA national championship at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. 

Senior forward Parker Mackay opened the scoring in the early going during a power play 3:51 into the first period. The Bulldogs captain went one-on-one with UMass goaltender Filip Lindberg to go up 1-0.

Minutemen sophomore and 2019 Hobey Baker Award winner Cale Makar came close to evening the contest with a clever wraparound chance, but Bulldogs goaltender Hunter Shepard narrowly kept it out with his foot. The save was just one of five he needed to make in the first period.

The Minutemen's five shots on goal represents their fewest first-period total all season, per the ESPN broadcast.

It was more of the same from then on out. UMD sophomore defenseman Mikey Anderson bumped the lead to 2-0 on a Mackay-assisted goal in the second period, and the Minutemen struggled to create any chances of their own against Shepard.

Just after UMass failed to convert on a last-ditch power play with under five minutes to go in regulation, the Bulldogs rubbed salt in the wound with a goal from freshman forward Jackson Cates to ice it.

The title marks Minnesota Duluth's third since 2011 and makes the Bulldogs the first back-to-back champions in NCAA ice hockey since Denver in 2004 and 2005.

"Some people say the hardest thing to do in sports is repeat," Mackay, who was named the Frozen Four's Most Outstanding Player, said on the ESPN2 broadcast after the game.

While the Minutemen were 31-9 this season heading into Saturday night, their run to the top still had the feel of a Cinderella story after the program went 5-29-2 in 2016-17. While they came up short this time, third-year head coach Greg Carvel has already made UMass a respectable program.

However, Carvel will most likely be tasked with recreating this season's magic without Makar. 

The 20-year-old was selected No. 4 overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2017 and is reportedly expected to sign an entry-level NHL contract with Colorado as soon as Sunday. While meeting with reporters after the game, Carvel admitted that he does not expect Makar to return to the Minutemen. 

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, will no doubt look to notch a third consecutive championship next year—a feat no team has accomplished since Michigan in 1951-1953.  

Frozen Four 2019: Minnesota-Duluth, Massachusetts Advance to Finals

Apr 11, 2019
Massachusetts' Mitchell Chaffee (21) and Cale Makar (16) celebrate a goal against Denver during the first period in a semifinal of the Frozen Four NCAA men's college hockey tournament Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Massachusetts' Mitchell Chaffee (21) and Cale Makar (16) celebrate a goal against Denver during the first period in a semifinal of the Frozen Four NCAA men's college hockey tournament Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

All eyes were on the 2019 Frozen Four on Friday as all four teams took to the ice with a pair of spots in the championship game on the line.

The first matchup of the day saw the defending champion Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs take on the Providence Friars, while No. 4 Massachusetts took on Denver in the nightcap.

Below is a look at the latest action from Buffalo, New York.

     

2019 Frozen Four Results — Semifinals

No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth def. Providence, 4-1

No. 4 Massachusetts def. Denver, 4-3 (OT)

      

2019 Frozen Four Schedule — Final

Saturday, April 13, at 8 p.m. ET: No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth vs. No. 4 Massachusetts

       

No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth 4, Providence 1

Early on, both the Friars' Hayden Hawkey and the Bulldogs' Hunter Shepard appeared up for the task as each goaltender recorded a clean sheet in the opening period.

Each team, however, managed to generate some offense in the second.

Minnesota-Duluth got on the board first when Justin Richards broke the scoreless tie just past the six-minute mark in the second:

"It's special," Richards said of his goal during the second intermission. "Playing in the Frozen Four, I mean, I'm going to cherish this moment. Every guy who's playing in this is going to cherish it, so it's definitely really special. I'm happy it went in."

It marked the sophomore forward's 11th goal of the season.

The Bulldogs' lead soon disappeared, though. The Friars used a power-play goal by Josh Wilkins just past the midway point in the period to even the score:

That would set the stage for a winner-take-all third period.

Providence had a golden opportunity early to move out in front thanks to a two-man advantage. However, Shepard stood tall and helped his team survive nearly three minutes worth of power plays for the Friars.

That penalty kill proved pivotal. Minnesota-Duluth senior Billy Exell helped his team regain the lead with his third goal of the season at the midway point of the period:

That wound up being the game-winner, as the Bulldogs would ice the game with a pair of empty-netters in the final 33 seconds. Richards' second goal of the game made it a 4-1 margin.

Shepard finished the game with 28 saves on 29 chances. Hawkey had 32 saves on the day.

Minnesota-Duluth advances to its third consecutive championship game as it looks to defend its title.

     

No. 4 UMass 4, Denver 3 (OT)

The Pioneers managed to force overtime with a late comeback, but it will be the Minutemen who will have a chance to dethrone the reigning champs.

Denver opened the scoring behind a power-play goal by Colin Staub just more than eight minutes into the game:

Any momentum the Pioneers gained from that goal would quickly vanish, though.

UMass not only responded with an equalizer moments later, but they would grab control of the contest with a trio of power-play goals of their own in a span of 101 seconds:

Bobby Trivigno, Mitchell Chaffee and John Leonard each got on the board during that outburst.

According to Hockey East associate commissioner Brian Smith, the four combined first-period goals were the most in a Frozen Four since 2014. Not only that, but the Minutemen became the first team since Boston College in 2008 to net three goals in the opening period of a Frozen Four matchup.

Smith also noted that it marked the first time a team scored three power-play goals in a single period since Wisconsin in 2010.

It would remain a two-goal margin throughout the second. But with his team's season in jeopardy, freshman forward Cole Guttman stepped up for the Pioneers:

Guttman wasn't finished, though. He struck again with less than four minutes to play in regulation to even the score:

That equalizer led to two of the best words in sports: sudden death.

While the two sides traded scoring chances throughout the overtime period, Marc Del Gaizo played the role of hero for the Minutemen at the 15:18 mark:

That goal helped them avoid what would have been a heartbreaking loss after leading by two with less than 10 minutes to play. 

Just two years after managing just five wins, UMass is heading to the first championship game in program history.

NCAA Frozen Four Hockey 2019: Schedule, Bracket, Odds, Live Stream, Predictions

Apr 11, 2019

Basketball isn't the only college sport that has an NCAA tournament wrapping up with a Final Four in April.

On Thursday, the Frozen Four begins, as four men's ice hockey teams look to end the 2019 NCAA tournament with a national championship. Both semifinals will take place at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, with the winners advancing to Saturday's national title game.

These matchups will feature the best teams and players in men's college ice hockey, which should lead to some competitive, exciting games to conclude the season.

To see how the tournament reached this point, view the full bracket at NCAA.com.

            

Thursday Frozen Four Schedule, Odds (All Times ET)

Both games will be streamed live on WatchESPN. Odds via Caesars.

Providence (+180; Bet $100 to win $180) vs. Minnesota-Duluth (-210; Bet $210 to win $100), 5 p.m., ESPN2

Denver (+110) vs. Massachusetts (-130), 8:30 p.m., ESPN2

              

Predictions

Minnesota-Duluth over Providence

After winning the national championship last year, Minnesota-Duluth is in the Frozen Four for the third straight season. However, it hasn't been an easy path for the Bulldogs this postseason.

First, they pulled out a 2-1 overtime win over Bowling Green in the first round before notching a 3-1 victory over Quinnipiac to reach the national semifinals.

The last time Minnesota-Duluth and Providence faced off, the Bulldogs earned a double-overtime victory in the 2016 NCAA tournament.

"It was an unbelievable hockey game. Double overtime. Great pace. Hard ice all over. We were fortunate to win that game," said Bulldogs head coach Scott Sandelin, according to the Providence Journal.

Sandelin guided the Bulldogs to the national championship in 2011 and 2018, and now he's going to lead them into the national title game for the third straight season. The veteran coach has had plenty of postseason success, and he's already seen his team claim some tight victories, so expect that to happen again against Providence.

Two players who should lead Minnesota-Duluth to victory are junior goalie Hunter Shepard, who has made 79 consecutive starts and is 6-0 in the NCAA tournament, and senior forward Parker Mackay, who has four points over his last three games and scored both of the Bulldogs' goals in the win over Bowling Green.

              

Massachusetts over Denver

UMass is in the Frozen Four for the first time in school history, but that inexperience won't stop the Minutemen from continuing their postseason run.

So far, UMass has been impressive in the NCAA tournament, notching 4-0 wins over both Harvard and Notre Dame. Now, the Minutemen face Denver, which has made the NCAA tournament 12 consecutive years and won eight national titles, most recently in 2017.

"The mental toughness of our team will probably dictate a lot of what happens on the ice," UMass coach Greg Carvel said, according to MassLive.com.

Based on how the Minutemen have played all season, that should lead to their first Frozen Four appearance resulting in a trip to the national championship game. This will be closer than their past two victories, but they'll pull out the win late.

UMass sophomore defender Cale Makar is one player to watch in this matchup, and he should be key in helping the Minutemen advance.

The 20-year-old Canadian was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2017 NHL draft, and he's a finalist for this year's Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the top NCAA men's ice hockey player each season.  

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