Frozen 4 2012: Men's Hockey Field Is Now Set

The field for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla. was solidified following the conclusion of regional play on Sunday evening. Each of the four major Division I leagues will be sending one participant to the national semifinals.

Ferris State will meet fellow first-time Frozen Four participant Union College in the early game (4:30 p.m. ET) on April 5, while Minnesota will battle Boston College in the late contest that evening (8:00 p.m. ET). The semifinal winners will then meet on April 7 at 7:00 p.m. ET at the Tampa Bay Times Forum to decide the national championship.

Minnesota has now been to the national semifinals 23 times (last one in 2005), and BC will be going for the 20th time (last one in 2010).

The Union Dutchmen, of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, won the East regional in Bridgeport, Conn. by besting Michigan State and UMass-Lowell, for the first NCAA tournament wins in program history.

The Ferris State Bulldogs, of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, claimed the Midwest regional in Green Bay, Wisc. with wins over Denver and Cornell.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers, of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, handily dispatched both Boston University and North Dakota at the West regional in St. Paul, Minn. The Gophers last won national titles in 2002 and 2003, and have five overall to their credit.

Hockey East's BC Eagles blanked both Air Force and defending NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth at the Northeast regional in Worcester, Mass. BC, the top-seeded team in this year's NCAA tournament, has now won 17 straight games, and will be seeking its fifth national title overall and third in five seasons.

The host institution for this year's Frozen Four will be the University of Alabama-Huntsville, the only NCAA Division I independent hockey program, and also the only Division I program south of the Mason-Dixon line.

The University of Alaska-Anchorage hosted the 1999 Frozen Four at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, Calif. that was won by Maine.