And then there were four. There is one No. 1 seed, a No. 3 seed, and two No. 4 seeds involved in the 2009 Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.
Here’s how the team’s breakdown;
No. 1 Boston University (BU) Terriers (#1) vs. No. 3 Vermont Catamounts (#5)
From Inside College Hockey:
WHY BOSTON UNIVERSITY WINS: Because they’re the better team with too much talent and too much depth to miss out on the school’s first national championship since 1995. They haven’t played their best hockey in the last several weeks, but a week and a half to regroup and focus should pay dividends for the Terriers.
WHY VERMONT WINS: Even though it took place several months ago, the Catamounts can draw on some confidence from a weekend sweep of the Terriers. They’re the only team to have beaten BU twice this year and those wins came just two weeks after BU posted a 7-2 win at Vermont on Nov. 1.
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This should be a fantastic game. Both teams are capable of winning this game and taking the championship. With the one and done nature of these games it will really be determined by which team has handled the long layoff better and who has used that time to better prepare for the other. My “bold” predicition is that Boston University wins the game 4-3.
No. 4 Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (#6) vs. No. 4 Bemidji State Beavers (#44)
From Inside College Hockey:
WHY MIAMI WINS: Balance up front, and not just because they have three really good lines that are capable of generating offense. Because of their strong two-way play, the RedHawks won’t be forced to match lines in an attempt to keep Scofield, Read, and Francis in check. Look for them to try to wear down the Beavers’ top line by throwing fresh bodies at them. Getting off to a good start will also be important; Bemidji State will come out flying and everyone in the building not rooting for Miami will become de facto Beaver fans.
WHY BEMIDJI STATE WINS: The Beavers have a blueprint for how to win this game, and it’s the same one they successfully implemented against Notre Dame and Cornell. Pressure the puck, don’t let the opponent get comfortable on offense, keep the shooters on the perimeter, and generally make life easier for Dalton in the process. And though BSU didn’t score first against Cornell, the Beavers would certainly benefit from an early goal, which would get the neutral fans into the game on their behalf.
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This game is more difficult. While Miami (Ohio) has a lot of balance and should be able to overpower Bemidji State, the Beavers are the cinderella story of the tournament riding high on emotional victories over No. 2 in the country Notre Dame and No. 10 Cornell. The only question for these Beavers is, has that “high” lasted the 11 days in-between games. Unfortunately the clock is about to strike midnight for these cinderella’s as I predict a final score of Miami (Ohio) 3 – Bemidji State 1.
