While the NCAA Basketball Tournament rages on, their counterparts will be battling for glory on the ice in the 2015 NCAA Hockey Tournament. Sixteen teams will lace up the skates and play for a chance to raise the trophy at the Frozen Four Championship Game on April 11th at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. The teams are placed in four different regions, with each region hosting four teams and three games. The tournament kicks off on March 27th and ends with the champion being crowned on April 11th.
In the East Region, which takes place in Providence, RI, the No. 4 four ranked Miami University RedHawks will take on Providence College on March 28th. Fresh off of winning the National Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament, the RedHawks will be the favorites to advance but might be missing some key players. Leading goal scorer, Blake Coleman, has been suspended after being ejected in their last game. Denver and Boston College will face off for the second year in a row in the stage of the tournament. The Eagles were able to easily dispatch Denver, 6-2.
The Midwest Regional will get underway on March 28th in South Bend, Indiana. This region features the No. 1 seed, Minnesota State, taking on RIT. RIT are heavy underdogs but did win the Atlantic Hockey Conference this year. Also featured in this regional is Harvard, who plays Nebraska Omaha on the 28th. Their star, Jimmy Vesey, was the nation’s leading goal scorer this year, netting 31 goals.
In Fargo, ND the No. 2 ranked University of North Dakota will make the short trip to play Quinnipiac in the Western Regional on March 27th. North Dakota is favored to get by Quinnipiac and face off with St. Cloud State, who just beat them in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament. But first, St. Cloud State will have to defeat Michigan Tech to get to that point.
Finally, the Northeast Regional is getting under way on March 27th in Manchester, NH. All eyes will be on Boston University’s Jack Echel, the leading point scorer in the nation this year. The freshman is pegged to be selected high in the NHL Draft and is an excellent player. Boston University plays Yale in the first game while Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota will take their inner-state rivalry to New Hampshire in the second game of the region.
After the regionals wrap up, Hipmunk.com is your travel resource to attend the championship game on April 11th. According to Hipmunk, hotels near TD Garden start from $125 and also offer thousands of Boston flights that can be reserved with a few clicks.
According to TiqIQ.com, NCAA Frozen Four championship tickets have an average price of $313.82 with a walk-in price of $175.
