The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs are one of the most successful college hockey programs in the country and are the defending national champions that are in their third consecutive Frozen Four appearance. Head coach Scott Sandelin has served in that capacity at Minnesota Duluth since 2000 and has created a beast that now requires constant feeding. What was most ironic about last year’s championship was that it was unexpected as the Bulldogs barely qualified. Although they are better this year the Frozen Four is loaded with quality teams. The 2017 national champion Denver Pioneers are also a proud and historic program with three Frozen Fours in the past four seasons. The Providence Friars won the 2015 Frozen Four and have made the NCAA Tournament six consecutive seasons. Different from the rest are the Massachusetts Minutemen. They lack the history of the other three teams and are in their first ever Frozen Four.
2019 College Hockey Frozen Four National Championship
Date and Time: April 11 and 13, 2019
Location: Key Bank Center, Buffalo, New York
2019 Frozen Four Odds to win Tournament at Bookmaker.eu: Minnesota Duluth +180, Massachusetts +235, Denver +235, Providence +325
2019 Frozen Four Game Matchup odds at Bookmaker.eu: Providence +163 vs. Minnesota Duluth -190, over under 4.5, Denver -105 vs. Massachusetts -115, over under 4.5
2019 Frozen Four TVC Coverage: ESPN2
Odds Analysis
Without question Minnesota Duluth and Denver are the marquee teams with national name recognition and appeal. Indeed, they are of super power status. However, Massachusetts may offer good value as a true quality team that simply lacks history.
Format
The Frozen Four semifinals will be held on Thursday night with the winners advancing to the championship game on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET
Minnesota Duluth vs. Providence, 5 p.m. ET, Thursday, April 11, 2019
Providence has a record of 21-9-6 and did not have an easy path to the Frozen Four. However, Providence has proven their worth with a 6-3 win over Minnesota State in the first round of the national tournament after falling behind 3-0 in the first period. In the second round was an impressive 4-0 shutout over Cornell to gain a ticket to Buffalo.
Minnesota Duluth was 21-11-2 on the season and overcame a considerable amount of adversity to gain the Frozen Four. First, they defeated a strong Bowling Green team in a tight checking affair 2-1 and followed that up with a 3-1 win over Quinnipiac to get their ticket punched to Buffalo.
Massachusetts vs. Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, April 11, 2019
Massachusetts is in their first Frozen Four and deservedly so after a dominant performance in their first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. UMass scored a 4-0 win over a highly regarded Harvard team in the first round and followed that up with a 4-0 win over Notre Dame in the second round. The Minutemen finished 26-8 in the regular season.
Denver has a record of 19-10-5 and was able to make the Frozen Four with first year head coach David Carle, a 28-year-old novice with no previous head coaching experience. Denver first blanked Ohio State 2-0 in the opening round and followed that up with a 3-0 win over American International. The Pioneers have a strong tradition on their side as this is their 12th consecutive post season appearance.
Free Frozen Four Live Betting Odds Picks
Minnesota Duluth and Denver are perennial college hockey powers with the history, tradition, and know how to successfully navigate the toughest weekend of the season. It is that experience that will matter most at Buffalo with the pressure on full blast.
Frozen Four Live Betting Odds Picks: Denver Pioneers and Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Frozen Four Live Betting Odds Score Prediction: Denver 2, UMass 1 and Minnesota Duluth 3, Providence 0
Frozen Four Championship Prediction: Denver Pioneers
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