NCAA Frozen Four – East Regional preview

BRIDGEPORT , CONN. – The NCAA East Regional starts this Friday at the Bridgeport Arena which has a seating capacity of 8,500 for hockey games and is home to the New York Islanders AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Yale University is serving as a co-host school ( Fairfield University) at the East Regional and will involve the following schools: Michigan, Air Force, Vermont, and Yale. Here is a preview of the regional and our bold predictions on who we think will win.
4 seed Air Force (27-10-2) vs. 1 seed Michigan (29-11-0), game time is 3pm
Michigan (29-11-0) is making its 19th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and is the No. 1 seed in the East Regional. The Wolverines are shooting for their 10th national title (1948, ’51, ’52, ’53, ’55, ’56, ’64, ’96 and ’98) . Michigan represent the CCHA which has three other teams in the tournament: Notre Dame, Miami ( Ohio), and Ohio State.
UM is appearing in its 32nd NCAA Tournament overall, which is tied for first in the nation with Minnesota. The Wolverines are 46-24 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and ended the season as the nation’s third ranked team in the country.
This is the first time the Wolverines will face Air Force in the tournament. The teams have met on just once with the Wolverines winning the game in 1973 when Michigan won in overtime 7-6.
Players to watch – The Wolverines have 13 players on the roster who were drafted by NHL teams including its top four scorers. Aaron Palushaj, a second round pick (44^th overall in 2007) was third in the nation in scoring with 50 points (13 goals and 37 assists). Teammate Louie Caporusso, a third round pick of the Ottawa Senators (90^th overall in 2007) had one less point (24 goals and 25 assists) than Palushaj.
Air Force comes in as the Atlantic Hockey champions for the third straight season. They enter as the nation’s 14^th ranked team.
The Falcons are 0-2 in tournament history. AFA is the only team in league history to shutout its opponents in the Atlantic Hockey semifinals and championship games. Air Force is also the only team in this year’s NCAA Tournament to win three consecutive conference championships. They are also the first service academy to compete in the Frozen Four tournament.
Players to watch – The Falcons have 13 players on the roster who were drafted by NHL teams including its top four scorers. Jacques Lamoureux led the nation in goals with 322 and was second in the league in scoring 52 points.
Prediction – Michigan will win in a close game 3-2.
3 seed Vermont (20-11-5) vs. 2 seed Yale (24-7-2), 6:30 PM.
Yale has two NCAA post-season hockey appearances and three games (1-2-0) overall. The first came in 1952 at Colorado Springs, Colo., when Yale fell to Colorado College, 4-3, in the semifinals. Yale’s last NCAA playoff appearance was a 4-0 loss to Ohio State in the 1998 West Regional. The Bulldogs are 1-2 in tournament history.
Yale is 27-24-4 against Vermont all time. This is the third neutral-site meeting. The teams have split the previous two games. Yale ended the season as the fifth ranked team in the nation and represents the ECAC.
A player to watch – Mark Arcobello led the team in scoring with 35 points and was fifth overall in the ECAC along with teammate Broc Little. Goaltender Alec Richards was third in goals against (2.06) and fifth in save percentage (.926).
Vermont represents Hockey East and is one of four teams from HE to make the tournament.
Players to watch – Vermont has four players that were drafted by NHL clubs. Viktor Stalberg, a sixth round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2006, was fourth overall in HE league scoring.
Prediction – Yale should also win a close game 2-1.
East Regional final prediction – Michigan wins over Yale 5-2.
Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com