Frozen Four Set

College hockey’s last four teams are playing for a national title in Las Vegas, not Minneapolis or Boston, and this is the first time the men’s Frozen Four has been staged there at T-Mobile Arena on April 9 and April 11. The semifinals are North Dakota vs. Wisconsin and Michigan vs. Denver, with the championship game on Saturday. (ncaa.com) (mensfrozenfourlv.com) The bracket got here with four very different paths. North Dakota shut out Quinnipiac 5-0 in its regional final, Denver routed Western Michigan 6-2, Michigan beat Minnesota Duluth 4-3, and Wisconsin advanced out of its side to set up the other semifinal. (ncaa.com) (espn.com) Denver arrives with the biggest recent trophy case. The Pioneers won national championships in 2022 and 2024, and The Athletic noted that those titles pushed Denver past Michigan for the most championships in Division I men’s hockey. (nytimes.com) Michigan brings the star power up front. Wolverines captain T.J. Hughes is one of the three Hobey Baker finalists after piling up 56 points in 39 games, and he is still playing while fellow finalist Max Plante’s Minnesota Duluth season is already over. (uscho.com) (insidetherink.com) Denver’s answer is on the blue line. Eric Pohlkamp, the San Jose Sharks’ fifth-round pick in 2023, is also a Hobey Baker finalist and leads all National Collegiate Athletic Association defensemen with 39 points, including 18 goals, in 41 games. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) This weekend is also a National Hockey League scouting convention in shoulder pads. The four-team field includes 49 National Hockey League draft picks, with Michigan forward Michael Hage and Denver defenseman Zeev Pohlkamp highlighted among the top pro prospects in Las Vegas. (reviewjournal.com) (nhl.com) The timing makes the individual awards part of the show. The Hobey Baker winner will be announced in Las Vegas on Friday, April 10, right between the semifinals on Thursday and the title game on Saturday, so Hughes and Eric Pohlkamp could hear their names called one night and skate for a championship the next. (uscho.com) (letsplayhockey.com) The semifinal schedule is stacked into one long Thursday. NCAA listings show North Dakota vs. Wisconsin at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time and Michigan vs. Denver at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time, both at T-Mobile Arena, with the championship set for Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time. (ncaa.com) (sports.yahoo.com) So the cleanest way to read this Frozen Four is as two stories at once. It is a national semifinal weekend with four brand-name programs, and it is a preview reel for the National Hockey League with drafted talent, a Hobey Baker race, and two games that decide who gets one more night under the lights in Las Vegas. (espn.com) (reviewjournal.com)