Frozen Four Notebook: It's Gophers vs. Bobcats For The Championship

TAMPA - Two teams remain in contention for the NCAA championship and as it would have it, they were the two best teams by ranking coming into the Frozen Four tournament. Quinnipiac will meet Minnesota in the final on Saturday, with the Bobcats dispatching Michigan and the Gophers tossing aside Boston University.

And while it would have been fun to see Michigan's dynamic cast of NHL prospects go for a title, you have to give full marks to Quinnipiac for playing the kind of smart, disciplined game that coach Rand Pecknold is known for teaching at the program. Not only did the Bobcats get numerous rushes off of Michigan turnovers, but Quinnipiac also thwarted the Wolverines for the most part by brandishing their famously stingy defense and getting sticks in shooting lanes.

The next big headline for the Wolverines will undoubtedly be the departure of sensational sophomore defenseman Luke Hughes, as it feels like a foregone conclusion he'll be under contract with the New Jersey Devils very soon. Hughes and fellow Devils prospect defenseman Seamus Casey both showed off why they have bright futures, with Casey dancing through the Bobcats for Michigan's first goal and Hughes setting up Adam Fantilli with a marvelous pass for the Wolverines' other score. Toss in Ethan Edwards and Michigan's best three blueliners were all New Jersey draft picks.

Speaking of Fantilli, he and fellow 2023 draft prospect Gavin Brindley certainly came to play. Fantilli's goal was a laser and he was dangerous all night. Brindley meanwhile showed off his high-end motor and ability to cause havoc, capping off what has been a fantastic second half for the freshman.

In the early game, Minnesota topped Boston U. 6-2 with Arizona top prospect Logan Cooley scoring two empty-netters and adding an earlier assist. His line with Matthew Knies (TOR) and Jimmy Snuggerud (STL) was dangerous as always and had it not been for some wild bounces and a goaltender interference call that negated a goal, they would have lit up the scoresheet even more. But here's a question with no answer yet: Does Cooley sign with the Coyotes after the Frozen Four, or spend a sophomore year with the Gophers? I wonder if it comes down to whether or not Minnesota wins the title on Saturday.

Another key contributor for the Gophers in the semi was defenseman Luke Mittelstadt, one of Casey's younger brothers and an undrafted player who could still get picked this summer in Nashville. I asked coach Bob Motzko about Mittelstadt's progression after the game and he said he liked what he saw right away:

"It was kind of like when you start practice, at the start of the year, some of the good ones, you just go, 'there's a good one.' And he had it right from the start. That's one of the reasons we were calling USA Hockey and saying you've got to watch this guy. I know he wasn't drafted. But he's a candidate for the world junior team. And they start watching right away. So his progression, he had a terrific season last year in the USHL and he's really been great from the first day that he stepped on the ice with us."

Mittelstadt did end up making the U.S. world junior team and he's now up to 21 points in 37 games as a freshman with Minnesota. Just for fun, I looked back at what scouts told me about Mittelstadt in his original draft year (2021), when he split time between Minnesota high school hockey with Eden Prairie and Lincoln of the USHL, where he managed just three points in 12 games with the Stars.

"Going from Minnesota HS to the USHL is a big jump, so to say he didn't put up big numbers may not be fair," said one scout. "When he's got the puck on his stick, he sees it really well. He's got really good hockey sense and he's smart about how he uses his body to defend."

Last year, Mittelstadt broke out for 55 points in 60 games for USHL Madison, but no one bit at the draft. Perhaps now that he has proven himself at the NCAA level that will change.

Finally, let's give a little love to former NHLer and first-year Boston U. coach Jay Pandolfo, who turned around a Terriers team that didn't even make the tournament last year and got this edition to the semifinal. Here's what senior defenseman and Carolina Hurricanes pick Domenick Fensore had to say about his coach:

"He's been amazing. He comes to work every day and pushes us. Doesn't matter if you're a freshman, a senior - he treats you the same way. That's exactly what you want from a head coach. Man, he knows the game so well and taught me so much over the last two years (Pandolfo was the associate coach before). I'm going to miss him so much. He's so dedicated to the program. And he's the right guy at the helm to lead this team to the future."