The Boston University Terriers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers are the first two teams to clinch spots in the NCAA’s men’s hockey Frozen Four in Tampa Bay next month.
Both teams won tight affairs on Saturday after convincing wins in their respective regional semifinals on Thursday.
BU had a tough opponent in Cornell at the Manchester Regional, who kept it a scoreless game through 20 minutes. Wilmer Skoog took a feed from Jeremy Wilmer for the 1-0 goal after just 2:12 of play in the second period. That lead held until 47:26 when Ethan Phillips managed to get one past goaltender Ian Shane, who was otherwise excellent. A goal in the final minute by Dalton Bancroft gave the Big Red some late-game hope, but they couldn’t get another one past Drew Commesso and ended up dropping the contest 2-1.
Over in Fargo, Bryce Brodzinski’s early first-period goal made it a 1-0 game. Adam Ingram, a Nashville Predators prospect, would give St. Cloud some life in the opening minutes of the second, but Logan Cooley answered back to make it a 2-1 Minnesota lead. Jackson Lacombe and Jaxon Nelson both scored in the second half of the third to complete the 4-1 win, good to help the top-seeded team advance.
The regional championships will conclude on Sunday with a pair of matchups to close out the final four lineup. Quinnipiac and Ohio State will battle it out after big wins on Friday, while Penn State will look to stop a red-hot University of Michigan squad.
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