MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Minnesota hockey team has spent the past month talking about returning the program to national prominence this season after three down years.
The tradition-rich Gophers are back in the NCAA tournament and have advanced to another Frozen Four, adding to the legacy of one of the premier college hockey programs in the nation. Tradition has been a key theme for Minnesota during its run through its 33rd NCAA tournament in school history.
The Gophers have been matched up with schools boasting their own deep history in the tournament. Minnesota beat Boston University and North Dakota in the West Regional to advance to this week's Frozen Four in very unfrozen Tampa, Fla. The Gophers play top-overall seed Boston College in the national semifinals on Thursday, April 5. Ferris State and Union (N.Y.) meet in the other semifinal for the right to play in the championship on Saturday, April 7.
Between Minnesota, Boston, North Dakota and Boston College, the schools have combined for 113 NCAA tournament appearances. They've won a combined 21 championships.
"I don't know if you can find three programs with more tradition, especially come the end of the year, than BU, North Dakota and BC," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. "We talked about it within our own league. 'You know what? If you want to be there at the end you've got to go through North Dakota.' We were able to do that. Based on what's happened the last 10 years in the NCAA, if you want to be there at the end, you're going to have to go through Boston College."
Minnesota, who's 33 tournament appearances trail only Michigan's 35 trips, has won five national championships. The Gophers beat Boston (32 appearances, five titles) 7-3 in the first round and then won 5-2 against North Dakota (27 appearances, seven titles) in the second round. Now Minnesota gets Boston College, which has won 17 games in a row and owns two of the past four NCAA championships. The Eagles have been to 31 NCAA tournaments and have won four times.
"You've got a guy a team like Boston College, the tradition, the championships that they've had the over the last 10 years or so; they're a special team," Gophers sophomore defenseman Nate Schmidt said. "I'm excited. They've got a lot of good tradition, a lot of smart players that have come out of their organization, same as us. And we have an unbelievable tradition of guys and alumni that have played through here.
"It's really kind of a battle of two very good teams with a lot of great background. It's an exciting part when you get to play a team like Boston College."
Boston College won the East Regional by beating defending champion Minnesota Duluth in the second round. With history, especially recent history, on its side, Boston College is seen as the favorite heading into this week's Frozen Four. It puts the Gophers in the unusual position of underdog.
"It's kind of nice," Lucia said. "Usually we're the hunted and now we're on the other side of that because I don't think it's any secret that BC's by far the favorite, and rightfully so. They've got a fantastic record in Frozen Fours. The last couple times they were there they won the national title. They're deep. No question they're the deepest team we've seen."
Deep and experienced.
Much of Boston College's roster was with the team when it won the national title in 2010. Meanwhile, every player on Minnesota's roster is playing in the NCAA tournament for the first time.
While experience is considered so important at this time of the year, the Gophers aren't concerned about their lack of it. Lucia points out that the past three champions didn't make the NCAA tournament the previous season. Lucia expects his team to handle the pressure of being in the Frozen Four and all the hoopla surrounding the tournament. After all, it's similar to what Minnesota has faced the past two weekends while playing in the WCHA Final Five and the West Regional at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild.
"We were just in an event like this the last couple of weekends," Lucia said. "I don't think you're going to see anything different than what you saw in our Final Five or we had a fun atmosphere in the regional. We were in an NHL building the last couple of weeks and I think all of those things help when you are in those environments. Obviously, we're used to the media. We're used to the TV. That part of it's not going to be an adjustment either."
Senior Taylor Matson was one of those Gophers who had never played in an NCAA tournament before. He had also never faced a Boston school during his four years in Minnesota. He got the chance to fulfill both wishes in the West Regional. As the Gophers captain, Matson now gets the chance to knock off another big-time opponent and live up to the tradition built in Minnesota. He also wouldn't mind holding up his region's side of the old-time rivalry between hockey schools from the East and West, a competition that Matson still believes is alive today.
"I think it really is," he said. "Growing up you always watch for Boston and Minnesota, you always knew about that tradition. But I had never really been a part of it until this season. Playing Boston U, it was awesome getting that experience and I think Boston College is the powerhouse over there right now, so it will be really exciting to match up with them and see what they have."
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