Frozen Four 2015: Viewing Info and Preview for Boston University vs. Providence

The 2015 NCAA Frozen Four concludes Saturday with a close-to-home showdown between Boston and Providence.

Both teams hail from the Hockey East conference, making the finale the first time since 1999 the conference has sent two teams to the national title game, ensuring its fifth title in eight years.

The Terriers and Friars also combine for the shortest distance from their home rinks to the championship venue in tournament history, per SI.com's Michael M. McMahon.

So yes, the two teams know each other well, creating something of a chess match on ice for collegiate hockey's ultimate prize.

Frozen Four Final: Providence vs. Boston University

When: Saturday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: TD Garden, Boston

TV: ESPN

Preview and Prediction

Gretchen Ertl/Associated Press

Not only do Saturday's opponents rest close to one another and play contrasting styles, they split the season series this year—each team stealing a road win in the other's house.

Most figured the Terriers would get through to the final. Yale and Minnesota-Duluth proved pesky, but Jack Eichel and Co. didn't struggle until an encounter with second-seeded North Dakota.

North Dakota fought until the bitter end, but Boston goalie Matt O'Connor (36 saves) held strong before Eichel (who else?) extended the lead to 5-3. 

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The Friars are a tad more unexpected on the title scene. Coach Nate Leaman's team upset fourth-seeded Miami (Ohio) before blowing away Denver 4-1 and taking down Cinderella story Omaha in the semifinals, also 4-1.

While it's a team game, the one-and-done nature sets up a showdown for the ages—Eichel vs. Jon Gillies.

Gillies is a force of nature in front of the net, boasting a .930 save percentage and limiting the opposition to 1.98 goals per contest. His consistency is something Leaman cites when conversing about the team's success this year, as captured by Yahoo Sports' Sean Leahy:

"

This year he hasn’t hit any rough patches. He’s been very consistent. He understands how hard you have to practice. He understands the details that matter in his game. I think it’s a big reason why there’s only one time this year we lost back-to-back games.

"

Saturday might be Gillies' biggest hurdle yet, though, as he must stand between the pipes as Eichel comes at him time and again.

Eichel and the Terriers just beat up on elite North Dakota netminder Zane McIntyre in the semifinals, banging home four goals on just the team's first 14 shots to jump ahead. Leading a team not known for its offensive upside, Gillies cannot allow the same to befall the Friars.

By the sounds of it, though, Eichel doesn't plan to slow down, despite his team outscoring the opposition 37-14 over the course of its last eight games. The Associated Press captured his thoughts on the showdown (via USA Today):

"

One more. We wanted to be in this position at the beginning of the year. We've made a lot of sacrifices. The guys in this room, I can't say enough about them. We've worked so hard to get in this position. But like our coach said, you don't want to tell somebody someday that you made it to the Frozen Four, you want to tell them you won it.

"

The winner of the Hobey Baker award, per the AP (via ESPN.com), Eichel seems to get whatever he wants each trip down the ice.

This is even more the case in crunch time, as NHL.com's Mike Morreale illustrated:

If this sounds like a favorite vs. underdog story, it is. Boston bowls over the opposition thanks to speedy forwards and the best player in the nation. Even worse for Providence, the encounter comes on what amounts to home turf for the Terriers.

The Friars' only chance is a low-scoring affair. Gillies is talented enough to pull off such a feat for quite a while, but in crunch time, one can expect Eichel to take the game over.

Prediction: Boston 4, Providence 2

Stats and info via NCAA.com unless otherwise specified.