St. Norbert Green Knights
Historic Herb Brooks Arena will be the site this weekend for the NCAA Division 3 men’s Frozen Four Ice Hockey Championships.
The semifinals are Friday. Third-ranked UW-Stevens Point (22-5-2) will face ninth-ranked SUNY Geneseo (20-4-6) at 3 p.m. Friday afternoon. Second-ranked St. Norbert College (24-3-2) will face eighth-ranked UMass-Boston (23-4-3) at 6:30 p.m.
St. Norbert College is aiming for its fifth title in the last nine years, capturing titles in Lake Placid in 2008 and 2012. The Green Knights captured the 2011 title in Minneapolis and in 2014 in Lewiston, Maine. That latest title victory came against Stevens Point.
Stevens Point has also captured four titles, the last of which came in 1993. UMass-Boston and SUNY Geneseo are both looking for its first national championships.
St. Norbert meets UMass-Boston in men’s ice hockey for the first time. Head coach Tim Coghlin, in his 23rd season said unfamiliarity is not a bad thing.
AUDIO: Tim Coghlin on not having faced UMass-Boston before :19
Neither Coghlin or Stevens Point coach Chris Brooks wanted to discuss a possible championship matchup.
AUDIO: Chris Brooks says they’re not looking ahead :18
The Green Knights do hold the advantage in the all-time series, 46-20-6 in a series that started back in the 1991-92 season.
St. Norbert College is making its 16th overall NCAA Division III tournament appearance, all coming within the last 20 years. The Green Knights are 26-11-1 all-time in NCAA competition, have reached 10 Frozen Fours, and have won 17 of their last 19 NCAA Tournament games.
The Pointers are making their 12th NCAA Division III Tournament appearance and its ninth visit to the Frozen Four. The Pointers, who are 24-14-3 all-time in the tournament, won national titles in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1993.
SUNY Geneseo is making its fifth NCAA Division III Tournament appearance and is 4-3-2 all-time.
Stevens Point enters the NCAA Division III Frozen Four 22-5-2 overall. They’re 16-2-1 over their last 19 games, defeating Adrian 5-2 on the road this last Saturday to advance to Lake Placid.
The Pointers arrived in Lake Placid on Tuesday night, leaving a day early to avoid the snow storm. St. Norbert College didn’t leave until Wednesday evening.
AUDIO: Tim Coghlin on UMass-Boston :20
AUDIO: Not dwelling on losing the last two title games :18