pimblr.com

DENVER (April 9) — Possibly the story of the weekend at the Frozen Four will be Notre Dame making its first appearance in school history on college hockey’s ultimate stage. No team has made its Frozen Four debut since 1998, which Ohio State reach the pinnacle for the first time.
One thing that will help the Fighting Irish, though, is their coach. Third-year bench boss Jeff Jackson has more than been through this before. He led Lake Superior State to the NCAA tournament in all six seasons he spent in Sault Ste. Marie, including three straight Frozen Fours between 1992 and 1994 and two national titles (’92, ’94).
His experience, he hopes, can be the beacon that guides the team through what is one of the craziest weeks of their lives.
“Until they actually see it themselves, it’s difficult [for them to understand] ,” said Jackson. “But it’s big.”
He said that every level of play — whether it’s the league playoffs, the NCAA regionals or ultimately, the Frozen Four — the attention, the microscope watching these players increases.
“This scrutiny, the press coverage, the bandwagon, it all loads up and the distractions become immense,” said Jackson. “The family, friends, professors, classmates, other athletes — everybody makes an effort to distract you, though not intentionally.”
Jackson’s advice to his team, then? Treat this like a business trip.
“It’s about focus. It’s about approaching this in a very business-like manner,” said Jackson. “If you get all wrapped up into everything that’s going on around you, then what you really are here for becomes less of a factor.
“In my opinion, it’s about forgetting all of that and remembering what’s important and what put us in the position to be here.”
If you’re looking for any sympathy from Notre Dame’s opponent, Michigan, don’t hold your breath. The Wolverines are making their NCAA record 23rd Frozen Four appearance.

uscho.com

How they got here: Beat No. 10 Alaska-Anchorage 4-1, 3-2 (OT)
What they’re playing for: Other than their first Broadmoor Trophy win, the Tigers are looking to wrap up the No. 1 seed in the West Regional, which will be played at home in Colorado Springs. Right now, they’re sitting in one of those slots as the 4th overall seed, but they’ll probably need at least a win to lock it down.
Outlook: The Tigers have been remarkably consistent for basically the entire season, never losing two in a row all year with the exception of a long road trip to New Hampshire followed by a trip to North Dakota. They’re 10-2-0 since the beginning of February, and they did exactly what they were supposed to do last weekend by sweeping the Seawolves. Still, they may face a challenge in the semifinal regardless of their opponent — they haven’t faced Minnesota since the first weekend of the season, and St. Cloud State is the only WCHA team to beat the Tigers twice.
"It’ll be a great matchup either way," coach Scott Owens said. "Those are two teams that we aren’t looking forward to from a possible result standpoint, but from an excitement standpoint it should be great."
If the Tigers do claim their first tournament title, expect freshman netminder Richard Bachman to be the key, as he has been all season.
How they got here: Beat No. 9 Michigan Tech 4-0, 2-3 (OT), 2-1
What they’re playing for: Like Colorado College, the Sioux have their eyes on a top seed in the NCAA tournament, which they seemed to be in very good shape for until their shock loss to Michigan Tech in Game 2 of their playoff series. Now, sitting in the No. 5 slot overall in the Pairwise, North Dakota needs to re-prove its mettle in the Final Five, likely by advancing to the Broadmoor title game for the third straight season.

collegehockeynews.com

April 5 will be a date to remember for many former athletes, coaches, and teams who once starred at Bedford and Stoneham high schools. The two schools combined will induct 17 athletes, three coaches, and six teams into their respective athletic halls of fame. Stoneham also will induct Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan, class of 1987, as a distinguished alumnae.
Bedford’s second class of inductees covers a span of more than 25 years and includes Steve Wood (class of 1971, football and hockey), Mike Genetti (1979, football and track), Jim O’Shaughnessy (1985, hockey), Kerry McGovern Yaceshyn (1986, basketball), Dr. Neil Amidon (1986, soccer and track), Kim Alcaide (1988, soccer, basketball, and track), Dan Callahan (1989, basketball and baseball), and Dr. Elisa Benner (1996, tennis). John Sullivan, who coached boys’ cross-country during the 1970s and 1980s, also will be enshrined.
Bedford will also pay tribute to its 1989-’90 championship boys’ indoor track team (Chris Blondin, Lennox Chase, Keith Farmer, Mark Gallant, Brad Geilfuss, Scott Granowitz, Mark Gray, Mike Jarvis, Nadav Kupiec, Dave Zampese, and coach Al Dougherty) and its 1990 championship softball team (Kristin Maddox Capotosto, Jodi Russo Dill, Suzanne Ferro, Holly Grey, Monica Hunsader, Heather Jehle, Cathy McGillick, Kathy Boffa McGovern, Jen Hanson Naylor, Marcy Correia Norse, Lisa Pecora Ryan, Marni Shea, Jen Raffa Taylor, Christine Cronin Tobin, and coaches Dave Wilson and Roland Boutwell).

read_more