Two College Hockey Teams That Could Go On a Surprise Run to the Frozen Four

The NCAA men's college hockey tournament is here, and while many of the usual powerhouses will draw most of the attention, a few teams flying under the radar could be poised to make some serious noise. The regionals always seem to produce its share of upsets and unexpected runs, and this year should be no different.

Two teams worth keeping a close eye on are out of the Land of 10,000 Frozen Lakes, Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota State, a pair of squads that may not be getting a lot of attention, but bring the kind of hockey that can be dangerous in a single-elimination format. The Bulldogs bring an elite power play and a pair of brothers, while the Mavericks boast one of the nation's stingiest defenses and a goaltender in Alex Tracy who can steal a game any given night.

Minnesota Duluth

Minnesota Duluth earned an at-large bid after losing to Denver 4-3 in the NCHC final, but after eliminating top-seeded North Dakota. The Bulldogs face off against a talented Penn State team to open the tournament, with the winner facing either Bentley or Michigan.

The Plante brothers headline this squad; both slot in the top-15 in points per game, and both were nominated for the Hobey Baker award, with Max named a finalist. Zam Plante has 47 points on 20 goals and 27 assists, averaging 1.24 points per game, while Max posts 49 points, scoring 24 goals and 25 assists.

Minnesota Duluth is a solid team top 20 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Bulldogs' biggest advantage will be on the power play and penalty kill. They are second nationally in power-play percentage with .299 and third in penalty kill percentage with .893.

Minnesota Duluth earned a favorable seed, as the Nittany Lions haven't played since March 14 and is without team captain Dane Dowiak. For the Bulldogs, this is a great opportunity to jump out early and take control of the game in the first period, before Penn State has time to get in a rhythm.

Minnesota State

Minnesota State advanced to the NCAA Tournament after defeating St. Thomas 4-1 to secure the Mason Cup. The Mavericks have one of the nation's best defenses, ranking third in scoring defense and eighth in penalty kill percentage. During the CCHA playoffs they only allowed six goals in five games, outscoring their opponents 19-6.

Minnesota State is led by an elite goaltender in Tracy, a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award for the second year in a row. This season, he has a goals against average of 1.795, which is second nationally, and a save percentage of .927. The Mavericks have a bottom-15 offense, only averaging 2.82 goals per game.

If Minnesota State is going to upset Western Michigan, it will need to keep the game low-scoring. When the Mavericks hold opponents to two goals or less, they are 19-2-5. If opponents score three or more, their record drops to 3-8-2.

Minnesota State is in a difficult region, with either Cornell and host Denver playing in the other semifinal. If the Mavericks can turn games into a defensive slug fest, don’t be surprised if Tracy makes the difference in overtime or shootouts.