Re: The 2016 NCAA Frozen Four
Unfortunately I would not be surprised if there were plenty of seats available! UNH is on break, as most Eastern schools are, but as I've said for weeks, this has not been advertised heavily, if at all.....again this morning I called my friends on the radio show that covers most of New England, to remind them of the FF happening.....so that means that IHeart Radio wasn't sent a notice from the NCAA, or HE, or UNH.....nobody to promote the event.....
BUT we'll be there, right Grant....DC....HUx.....oh yea!! Let's do this......psyched for some great hockey!!
First local coverage was last night on WMUR (NH's leading TV station), and it focused largely on NH native (Salem, NH) Katie (King) Crowley. Did you know she never lost a high school softball game as a pitcher?
And the local paper waited until this morning:
Women's Frozen Four: Unbeaten Eagles aren't feeling the pressure
Alex Carpenter and the Boston College are looking to complete a perfect season and win their first national championship at the Frozen Four at UNH, starting Friday against Clarkson. Shawn St. Hilaire/Fosters.com
Alex Carpenter and the Boston College are looking to complete a perfect season and win their first national championship at the Frozen Four at UNH, starting Friday against Clarkson.BC coach Katie King Crowley is leading the Eagles into the Frozen Four for the sixth time in program history.
By Al Pike
apike@fosters.com
Posted Mar. 17, 2016 at 9:36 PM
Updated at 12:18 AM
DURHAM — Although the Boston College women's hockey team went undefeated in its first 28 games last year, the Eagles didn't have much to show for it in terms of tangible evidence.
Despite the start, they failed to win the Beanpot and the Hockey East title, and lost in the NCAA semifinals for the fifth straight time.
"I think coming off last year when we had a great overall year, but didn't bring home any trophies, one of the focuses for us this year was to bring home some trophies," said BC coach Katie Crowley, a native of Salem.
So far the Eagles have stocked up on hardware by winning the Beanpot, and the Hockey East regular season and tournament titles. All that remains for a clean sweep is the program's first national championship.
If they can pull it off, it would also be the first for a team from New England, and BC (39-0) would become the second club to run the table. Minnesota did it in 2012-13, going 41-0.
"We've had a pretty successful season," said BC co-captain Dana Trivigno, "but at this point ... it's do or die. We're happy with what we've done so far, but we're constantly looking forward to the next game."
The top-ranked Eagles won't have to wait much longer. They're scheduled to play Clarkson on Friday (4 p.m.) in the first of two semifinal games at the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore Center.
No. 2 Wisconsin takes on No. 3 Minnesota in the nightcap (7). The winners meet Sunday at 2 p.m. for the title.
"I think I can speak for the team as a whole," Trivigno said. "We have our eyes on the prize."
Boston College is making its sixth appearance in the Frozen Four, but has yet to reach the final.
"I think we focus on one game at a time," Crowley said, "because that's all we can control at this point. The players have been great staying the course and staying within themselves."
The Eagles are coming off a 5-1 victory over Northeastern in the quarterfinals. They will face a Clarkson squad (30-4-5) that edged Quinnipiac, 1-0, in the quarters.
The only goal in that game came in the first 10 second by Renata Fast. The Golden Knights outshot the Bobcats, 48-13.
"We've been playing pretty good hockey as of late," said Clarkson coach Matt Desrosiers. "Our last game was a really strong game, and arguably could have been the strongest game we played all season."
Clarkson won the NCAA title in 2014, and is the only eastern team to do so since the NCAA began sanctioning the tournament in 2000.
"They're definitely a hard-working team," said BC's Megan Keller, "so what we've talked about is just keep our feet moving (and) battle through plays. Our coaches have played in these big games, and they did a nice job preparing us all week."
"Another one of our assets that we like to use could be our speed," Trivigno added. "Obviously it's a very big rink. If we can use our speed to give us an edge, we can make some offensive opportunities out of that."
It doesn't hurt to have weapons such as senior Alex Carpenter, who leads the nation with 43 goals and 85 points and is one of three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award as the country's best player.
Linemate Haley Skarupa has 33 goals and 77 points. The highest scoring team in the nation, the Eagles average almost six goals a game.
BC and Clarkson are meeting in the NCAA tournament for the third year in a row, but the first time in the semifinals.
"We want to win the national championship for the first time in our school history," Crowley said. "The players have been good staying within all that and not jumping to the end before it's there."
"As a team there's more of — not a calm — but a sense of like 'we've got this,'" Trivigno said.
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