NCAA Frozen Four Set to Take Over the Motor City

March Madness is almost at its end, and it’s time to crown a National Champion. This isn’t another story about Duke, Butler, Michigan State, and West Virginia though; I am talking about Wisconsin, RIT, Miami (OH), and BC. It’s time for the Frozen Four at Ford Field in Detroit.

The Boston College Eagles have found their way back into the national-semifinals, on April 8th, where they will be fighting for their second National Title in three years. The Miami (OH) Redhawks are trying to make it to the Title game for the second year in a row, after losing last year to Boston University in the game's closing minute. These teams will face-off in the late game (8:30 p.m.)

The first semi-final (5 p.m.) pits the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers, in their first national tournament appearance, against the Wisconsin Badgers of the strong WCHA. RIT is a true Cinderella-story, playing in just their fifth season as a D1 program. The school awards no scholarships to athletes and no former Tiger has played even a minute in the NHL in the program’s 48-year history.

BC got to Detroit by defeating Alaska-Fairbanks, 3-1, and then winning a slugfest against Yale, 9-7, in the Northeast Region final. In the Midwest Region, Miami (OH) first beat Alabama-Huntsville, 2-1, then went on to win a hard fought, double-overtime game against Michigan, 3-2.

Wisconsin took down the Vermont Catamounts, 3-2, and then St. Cloud State, 5-2, in the West Region. In the East Region, Rochester stunned the WCHA champ Denver Pioneers, 2-1, then ended the Hockey East regular-season champs' season, beating the UNH Wildcats with apparent ease, 6-2.

There should be plenty of great hockey yet to come for the Division 1 Men, and I for one am rooting for the underdog Tigers to take the title home to New York. The National Title game will be played on Saturday, April 10, at 7 p.m.