Michigan and Quinnipiac advance to Frozen Four

The field is set for the 2021 NCAA men's ice hockey Frozen Four tournament, as the Michigan Wolverines and Quinnipiac Bobcats won their respective regional finals over the weekend.

Michigan defeated Minnesota State 5-3 on Sunday in Loveland, Colorado to win the West Regional. The Wolverines scored four goals in a span of just over five minutes in the second period to take control of the game. Brendan Brisson had two goals and an assist for Michigan, while Strauss Mann made 22 saves in net.

Quinnipiac punched their ticket to Pittsburgh with a thrilling 3-2 double overtime victory against Massachusetts on Saturday night. Odeen Tufto scored twice for the Bobcats, including the game-winner at 9:55 of the second overtime period. Keith Petruzzelli made 37 saves for Quinnipiac.

Michigan and Quinnipiac will join St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Duluth at PPG Paints Arena next weekend for a chance to win college hockey's national championship.

The Wolverines are making their first appearance in the Frozen Four since 2018, when they lost in the semifinals to Notre Dame. They have won nine national titles in program history.

Quinnipiac is back in familiar territory after reaching their third Frozen Four since 2013 (the others being in '13 and '16). The Bobcats have yet to win a national title but finished as runners-up twice (in '13 and '16).

The semifinals will take place on Thursday, April 8th with St. Cloud State facing Minnesota-Duluth followed by Michigan taking on Quinnipiac later that evening. The winners will meet on Saturday, April 10th for a chance at college hockey glory.