The 2015 Frozen Four field is almost set, but you can't blame college hockey fans for focusing on one of the teams that fell short.
2015 NCAA hockey tournament results and bracket: Providence survives late RedHawks onslaught
Boston University and North Dakota/St. Cloud State advanced to the Frozen Four on Saturday.
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The Providence Friars jumped out to a huge lead on the top-seeded Miami RedHawks, and looked like they would hold on and advance easily with a 6-2 advantage late in the third period. But when Miami pulled their goalie, madness ensued. After a RedHawk defenseman blocked an empty-net goal, Miami ripped off three straight scores with the extra attacker to make it a 6-5 game with a minute and change to go.
As if that wasn’t dramatic enough, Miami defenseman Louie Belpedio then made a jaw-dropping play that kept Providence from scoring an empty-netter again.
It was all for naught, as the Friars eventually scored to seal a 7-5 win with 15 seconds left. But even Providence fans have to tip their caps to the RedHawks for fighting to the end.
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Boston University found themselves in a fierce battle of their own before taking down Minnesota-Duluth. The Terriers and Bulldogs went down to the wire tied 2-2, but Evan Rodrigues' snipe late in the third was enough to push BU through to the Frozen Four. NHL draft phenom Jack Eichel and hot free agent target Matt O'Connor are still alive in the NCAA Tournament.
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Rochester Institute also managed to slip past their opponent in a one-goal game. In an upset, Minnesota State bowed out early with a first-round loss to RIT. The Tigers kept the game squared at 1-1 thanks to a stellar 33-save performance by goalie Jordan Ruby. Minnesota State couldn’t solve him before Josh Mitchell scored to give RIT a 2-1 edge that held until the final whistle. Just like that, the top seed was ousted from the NCAA tournament.
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Boston College is perhaps best known for goalie Thatcher Demko and NHL prospect Noah Hanifin on defense, but both got carved up in a 5-2 loss to Denver on Saturday. The Eagles kept it to a one-goal game until the third period, when Denver erupted with three goals to vanquish them from the tournament. Grant Arnold led the way for the Pioneers with two goals on three shots in the third.
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The NCAA’s leading goal scorer also exited the tournament early when Harvard fell to Nebraska-Omaha. The Mavericks came out swinging, outshooting the Crimson 15-8 in the first period. As you might expect, that resulted in a solid 2-0 lead that sustained them through the rest of the game. Harvard tried to make things interesting when Jimmy Vesey scored his NCAA-leading 32nd goal in the third, but it wasn’t enough to stave off a 4-1 defeat.
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As it turned out, St. Cloud State’s first-round upset of Michigan Tech didn’t mean they were long for the rest of the tournament. The Huskies had the misfortune of running into North Dakota, one of the best teams in the country this season. After an even first period, UND slowly whittled away at St. Cloud State until they skated into the Frozen Four with a 4-1 victory.
With the Frozen Four field ready to be set on Sunday, here’s the bracket, per NCAA.com:
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