Boston University and the University of Vermont, both from Hockey East, highlight the final four schools in the NCAA men's ice hockey tournament, set for April 9-11 at Verizon Center in Washington, DC.
The Terriers won the Hockey East regular season and playoff titles, finishing the year as the top-ranked school in the nation, garnering the overall top seed for the tourney. BU gained its first Frozen Four berth since 1997 by routing Ohio State, 8-3, on Saturday and conference-rival New Hampshire on Sunday by a 2-1 count to take the Northeast region.
Vermont, which finished fourth in the stacked conference, captured the East region with victories over former ECAC foe Yale on Friday, then a disputed 3-2 double-overtime triumph Saturday against Air Force.
The Miami-Ohio RedHawks are the lone Central Collegiate Hockey Association team in the field, gaining the semifinals after toppling top-seed Denver, then Minnesota-Duluth in the West region on Friday and Saturday.
Bemidji State, from College Hockey America, rounds out the field after taking the Midwest region following a 4-1 triumph over Cornell on Sunday to reach its first Frozen Four in school history. The Beavers, which were the fourth seed in the grouping, also dispatched regional top-seed Notre Dame on Saturday to become the first team from outside the traditional four powerhouse conferences to reach the national semis.
For the semifinal round on Thursday, April 9, Boston University squares off against Vermont and Bemidji State looks to continue its run by facing Miami- Ohio.
The winner of both will meet on Saturday, April 11, for the national championship. Boston College took home the 2008 title, topping Notre Dame.
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