NCAA Frozen Four Hockey 2019: Schedule, Bracket, Odds, Live Stream, Predictions
Basketball isn't the only college sport that has an NCAA tournament wrapping up with a Final Four in April.
On Thursday, the Frozen Four begins, as four men's ice hockey teams look to end the 2019 NCAA tournament with a national championship. Both semifinals will take place at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, with the winners advancing to Saturday's national title game.
These matchups will feature the best teams and players in men's college ice hockey, which should lead to some competitive, exciting games to conclude the season.
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To see how the tournament reached this point, view the full bracket at NCAA.com.
Thursday Frozen Four Schedule, Odds (All Times ET)
Providence (+180; Bet $100 to win $180) vs. Minnesota-Duluth (-210; Bet $210 to win $100), 5 p.m., ESPN2
Denver (+110) vs. Massachusetts (-130), 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
Predictions
Minnesota-Duluth over Providence
After winning the national championship last year, Minnesota-Duluth is in the Frozen Four for the third straight season. However, it hasn't been an easy path for the Bulldogs this postseason.
First, they pulled out a 2-1 overtime win over Bowling Green in the first round before notching a 3-1 victory over Quinnipiac to reach the national semifinals.
The last time Minnesota-Duluth and Providence faced off, the Bulldogs earned a double-overtime victory in the 2016 NCAA tournament.
"It was an unbelievable hockey game. Double overtime. Great pace. Hard ice all over. We were fortunate to win that game," said Bulldogs head coach Scott Sandelin, according to the Providence Journal.
Sandelin guided the Bulldogs to the national championship in 2011 and 2018, and now he's going to lead them into the national title game for the third straight season. The veteran coach has had plenty of postseason success, and he's already seen his team claim some tight victories, so expect that to happen again against Providence.
Two players who should lead Minnesota-Duluth to victory are junior goalie Hunter Shepard, who has made 79 consecutive starts and is 6-0 in the NCAA tournament, and senior forward Parker Mackay, who has four points over his last three games and scored both of the Bulldogs' goals in the win over Bowling Green.
Massachusetts over Denver
UMass is in the Frozen Four for the first time in school history, but that inexperience won't stop the Minutemen from continuing their postseason run.
So far, UMass has been impressive in the NCAA tournament, notching 4-0 wins over both Harvard and Notre Dame. Now, the Minutemen face Denver, which has made the NCAA tournament 12 consecutive years and won eight national titles, most recently in 2017.
"The mental toughness of our team will probably dictate a lot of what happens on the ice," UMass coach Greg Carvel said, according to MassLive.com.
Based on how the Minutemen have played all season, that should lead to their first Frozen Four appearance resulting in a trip to the national championship game. This will be closer than their past two victories, but they'll pull out the win late.
UMass sophomore defender Cale Makar is one player to watch in this matchup, and he should be key in helping the Minutemen advance.
The 20-year-old Canadian was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2017 NHL draft, and he's a finalist for this year's Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the top NCAA men's ice hockey player each season.
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