The 2025 men’s Frozen Four, the culmination of the NCAA hockey tournament, features two teams with a lot of experience on this stage and two newcomers, with the semifinal matchups pairing familiar foes and teams meeting for the first time.
The semifinals will be Thursday at 5 and 8:30 p.m. ET at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, with the winners facing off in the final Saturday at 7:30 p.m. All three games will be on ESPN2 and streaming on ESPN+.
In Thursday’s first game, reigning national champion Denver is back to defend its title, with the Pioneers facing fellow NCHC team Western Michigan, which is in the Frozen Four for the first time. The teams have met three times this season, with the Broncos beating Denver in double overtime in the NCHC championship game after the teams split two meetings in the regular season.
The other semifinal matches Boston University, which is in the national semifinals for the third straight year, and Penn State, which makes its Frozen Four debut. This is the first meeting between the Terriers and Nittany Lions.
Western Michigan is the only one of the top four overall seeds to make the Frozen Four, marking the first time since 2011 that only one of the top four seeds has made it this far. Boston College, Michigan State and Maine all were eliminated in regional play.
In terms of NHL talent, a combined 38 players have been drafted from the Frozen Four teams. BU leads the way with 14, Denver has 13, Western Michigan 8 and Penn State 3.
Below is a look at what needs to go right for each of the four teams to win the national title, with insight from ESPN college hockey analysts Colby Cohen and Andrew Raycroft, as well as players to watch and key statistics from ESPN research.
Denver (31-11-1)
How the Pioneers got here: As the No. 3 seed in the Manchester Regional, Denver dominated Providence 5-1, then knocked off the No. 1 overall seed Boston College 3-1 in a rematch of last year’s national championship game. The Pios took a 2-0 lead early in the second period before BC got on the board with less than a minute to play in the period. But Matt Davis made 15 of his 35 saves in the third before Zeev Buium iced the win with an empty-net goal.
Numbers to know: A national title would be the 11th in Denver history and would give the program back-to-back championships for the fourth time and three titles in four years. … The Pioneers have at least 30 wins for the fourth straight season. … Jack Devine (13 goals, 44 assists) and Aidan Thompson (20, 34) are 1-2 nationally in points, while Buium (13 goals, 35 assists) has the most points of any defenseman.
How Denver can win the national title
Back pressure bottles things up: Denver’s forwards come back through the middle as well as any team in the country. This puts immense pressure on the opposing team trying to create through the neutral zone and off the rush, which allows the Denver defense to keep tight gaps and create turnovers. When DU back-pressures the puck the way it did at the regionals, they are nearly impossible to beat.
Special teams continue to be special: Denver’s power play is clicking at a remarkable rate of 30%. In a low-scoring, one-and-done format, a power-play goal can be the difference. The Pios have such great movement and so many options of dangerous players, the power play can really set them apart.
Player to watch: Zeev Buium. This future NHL star can dominate a game with or without the puck. His skating, puck skills and vision are elite, and at any given moment he can take over a game, as we saw in Manchester. Another key for Buium is the bigger the moment, the better he plays. Don’t be surprised to see him play about 30 minutes per game in the Frozen Four. — Colby Cohen
Western Michigan (32-7-1)
How the Broncos got here: The top seed in the Fargo Regional, Western Michigan needed double overtime to beat Minnesota State 2-1, advancing on Grant Slukynsky’s goal, then beat UMass 2-1, erasing a 1-0 deficit with power-play goals by Liam Valente and Tim Washe on the same five-minute major penalty. The Broncos then had to kill off a five-minute major of their own to fend off the Minutemen.
Numbers to know: The Broncos, who have a team-record 32 wins, are on an eight-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the nation. … Western Michigan is among the most balanced teams in the country, averaging 3.95 goals per game (second only to Denver’s 4.00), while allowing just 2.05 goals per game, fourth fewest in the nation. … Broncos goaltender Hampton Slukynsky has allowed just two goals in 147:14 minutes for a 0.82 goals-against average, the best among all tournament goalies.
How Western Michigan can win the national title
Forward depth delivers: There is not much of a drop-off from the first line to the fourth line for the Broncos. They will need to roll over the four lines to try to wear their opponent down, beginning with the Pioneers.
Hampton Slukynsky stands on his head: The freshman goaltender stopped 28 of 29 shots in both games in Fargo. The Los Angeles Kings draft pick has a 17-5-1 record and will have to be at his best for Western Michigan to hoist the trophy.
Player to watch: Liam Valente. The Swedish winger factored in on three of his team’s four goals in Fargo. He has an absolute rocket for a shot and will need to find ways to get it off against Denver and goaltender Matt Davis. — Andrew Raycroft
1:21
Frozen Four preview: Penn State vs. Boston University
John Buccigross previews the Frozen Four semifinal matchup between Penn State and Boston University.
Boston University (23-13-2)
How the Terriers got here: The No. 2 seed in the Toledo Regional, BU blitzed Ohio State with six unanswered goals en route to an 8-3 win, then secured its third straight trip to the Frozen Four on Quinn Hutson’s goal 6:25 into overtime, edging No. 4 seed Cornell 3-2. Freshman Mikhail Yegorov made 37 saves for the Terriers in his 16th career game.
Numbers to know: BU coach Jay Pandolfo is a combined 10-0 in NCAA regional games as a head coach and player, resulting in seven trips to the Frozen Four. Pandolfo is the third Division I men’s hockey coach to reach the Frozen Four in each of his first three seasons, joining Doug Woog (Minnesota) and Dave Hakstol (North Dakota). … Despite their recent success, the Terriers haven’t reached the national title game since 2015. … Brothers Quinn and Cole Hutson are BU’s top two scorers this season (Quinn 50 points, Cole 46), with Cole adding two goals and four assists in Toledo as the points leader in NCAA tournament play.
How BU can win the national title
Create off the rush: BU is a dynamic offensive team that loves to make plays on the rush. The Terriers are fast and get going quickly in transition, and they’ve had a lot of success in the tournament creating off the rush.
Take care of the house: BU has not been known for its defense, but against Cornell, the Terriers buckled down around their net and limited second and third chances. Goalie Mikhail Yegorov typically will stop the first one, so if BU takes care of its own end, it has a great chance to play for a championship.
Player to watch: Cole Hutson. Cole is one of the most dynamic players in the sport of hockey, not just the NCAA. I have not seen a player since Cole’s brother Lane — BU alum, current member of the Montreal Canadiens and a favorite to win the Calder Trophy — have the poise and offensive instincts that Cole has. Big moments seem to be where Hutson shines brightest — the Beanpot, the gold medal game of World Juniors, the Toledo Regional — so it will be exciting to see what he brings to the Frozen Four. — Cohen
Penn State (22-13-4)
How the Nittany Lions got here: After giving up an early goal to Maine, the top seed in Allentown, No. 4 seed Penn State overwhelmed the Black Bears with three first-period goals, winning 5-1. The Nittany Lions then advanced to their first Frozen Four by beating No. 2 seed UConn 3-2 on Matt DiMarsico’s goal at 17:56 of overtime. Arsenii Sergeev had 42 saves in the OT thriller.
Numbers to know: Penn State has only three losses since Jan. 11, going 14-3-3 in that stretch. … The Nittany Lions are the first regional No. 4 seed to make the Frozen Four since Providence in 2019. … Sophomore Aiden Fink leads Penn State with 23 goals and 30 assists, the most points of any underclassman nationally, while Charlie Cerrato enters the Frozen Four with 27 assists, one shy of the school record for freshmen (Denis Smirnov in 2016-17).
How Penn State can win the national title
Keep up the momentum: Penn State continues its Cinderella run after starting the Big Ten season 0-8-1. There’s no question the hottest team in the country got a huge bump from the home-state crowd in the Allentown Regional. Can the Nittany Lions carry that energy to St. Louis as they look to beat a third straight Hockey East team?
Take advantage of team speed: Penn State ambushed both Maine and UConn in the first period of their regional games, getting on the rush and creating havoc with speed through the neutral zone. The Nittany Lions won’t sneak up on BU and whether they can play faster than the Terriers will be a big question.
Player to watch: Charlie Cerrato. The freshman center had five assists in two regional games. With Cerrato pivoting wingers Matt DiMarsico and fellow freshman JJ Wiebusch, the Lions’ second line has carried them offensively, including on the beautiful overtime winner to beat UConn. — Raycroft
Source link
