frozen four

We are just a few minutes away from puck drop in Tampa for the 2012 Frozen Four.

Our 4:30 game is Union vs Ferris State (ESPNU) and the 8:00 pm game will be Boston College vs Minnesota (ESPN2). Should be another day of great hockey so tune in if you get the chance.

I'm not sure if anybody has read the official AP summary of the game, but apparently Kevin Hunwick was playing goal for us.  Who knew?  He looks exactly like Shawn?

Also there's this goodness from ESPN:

Per an email I got from the Michigan ticket office sent to everyone who purchased Frozen Four tickets through the ticket office. Just in case some Michigan fans bought tickets through other means.

NCAA FINAL FOUR – Men’s Ice Hockey
 
Xcel Energy Center:
199 W Kellogg Blvd
Saint Paul, MN 55102
651-265-4800
 
For more information please visit:
www.xcelenergycenter.com
Will Call is located: Gate 1
Picture ID will be required
 
Session 1:
Thursday April 7
Gates open to the public – 3:00pm
Semi-final #1 – Notre Dame vs. Minnesota Duluth – Thursday, April 7 – 4 p.m. CT
Semi-final #2 – Michigan vs. North Dakota – Thursday, April 7 – 7:30 p.m. CT
 
Session 2:
Saturday April 9
Gates open to the public – 5:00pm
National Championship – Saturday, April 9 – 6 p.m. CT
 
Red Carpet Arrival:

Michigan’s arrival is scheduled for 5:30 pm CT at the West Doors of St Paul River Centre on Kellogg Blvd. on Thursday afternoon (similar to the Victors Walk for football)  The Michigan pep band will be there to meet the bus and fans are invited to attend and cheer the players on as they enter the building)

Saturday’s is scheduled for 4:00 pm CT

**MichiganFanFest @ The Frozen Four! Meet up with fellow fans before the Wolverines men's hockey team takes the ice in the 2011 NCAA Division I Frozen Four. All Michigan alumni, students, friends and fans are welcome to gather at Patrick “McGovern’s” Pub before the game.

Thursday, April 7   4:30-7pm (CT)
McGovern’s Pub---Patio Deck
225 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102 | (651) 224-5821

***(1 Block from Arena)***

Fan Fest: 4:30 - 7 p.m. (Central Time)

All ages welcome---
Light food will be provided and beverages will be available for purchase.

***Friday Night at the Frozen Four
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the local organizing committee for the 2011 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four are pleased to announce the sixth annual "Friday Night at the Frozen Four" on Friday, April 8, at Xcel Energy Center.

Hockey fans will have the opportunity to witness the presentation of the Hockey Humanitarian Award and the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, get autographs, take a self-guided tour of Minnesota’s rich hockey history, and skate on the ice with college hockey legends. Additionally, there will be interactive games, photo opportunities and a chance to win tickets to the 2012 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in Tampa.

Schedule of events:
4 p.m. Doors open
4:30-5:30 p.m. Autograph Session with two team finalists, presented by AT&T
5:30 p.m. Hockey Humanitarian Award
6 p.m. Hobey Baker Memorial Award (Live on ESPNU)
6:30 p.m. Science of Hockey Awards
7-9:30 p.m. Open Skating with College Hockey Legends, Hockey History Passport Contest
*All times subject to change.

Tickets are $13 ($8 for students, seniors (55+) and groups of 12 or more).

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Puck-Daddy-chats-with-Habs-8217-Mike-Cammaller?urn=nhl-wp1554

First two questions deal with Michigan hockey.  Great to see Michigan hockey guys excelling in the NHL.

I was just refreshing the bracket on ncaa.com, and happened to see that the Semifinal times are no longer TBA. It says the UMD-UND (Not That UND, Except Yes That UND In Any Sport Except Hockey) game is at 5pm and ours is at 8:30 (both are Eastern Time).

Interesting. We figured the UMD game would be later since they can obviously fill the seats in the home state, but maybe they didn't consider that. Or possibly the only 1-seed remaining gets the later game.

According to the report today, the NCAA awarded Frozen Fours to Pittsburgh (2013) and Philly (2014). Now God bless the cities as good hockey cities who support their teams, but where the hell are the college hockey fans in Pennsylvania? Robert Morris? Mercyhurst? Penn St club hockey? For gosh sakes, is the NCAA trying to  purposely kill college hockey?

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100713/SPORTS07/7130425/1136/SPORTS07/P...

About the only redeeming quality I can come up with is that they are near the East Coast population bases or driveable from Minnesota/Wisconsin for Pittsburgh. If  we get to the Pittsburgh Frozen Four, we're looking at a Yost invasion methinks.