NCAA Frozen Four: Predicting The Champions And Hobey Baker Winner
The Hockey News team members predicted who wins the Frozen Four and the Hobey Baker Award.
There was quite a bit of alignment in the Hobey discussion, splitting the votes between two players, but the Frozen Four had some more diverse and interesting answers, with one team coming out on top.
Here are our predictors:
Ryan Kennedy, editor in chief
Katie Gaus, Big Show host
Eli Cloutier, The Hockey News NCAA
Mathieu Sheridan, The Hockey News NCAA
Michael Traikos, managing editor, digital media
Jonathan Tovell, deputy managing editor, digital media
Tony Ferrari, NHL draft and prospect analyst
Let's start with the big individual award up for grabs.
Finalists: Zeev Buium, Ryan Leonard, Isaac Howard
Kennedy: Ryan Leonard, RW, Boston College
Gaus: Ryan Leonard, RW, Boston College
Cloutier: Zeev Buium, D, Univ. of Denver
Sheridan: Ryan Leonard, RW, Boston College
Traikos: Zeev Buium, D, Univ. of Denver
Tovell: Zeev Buium, D, Univ. of Denver
Ferrari: Zeev Buium, D, Univ. of Denver
The votes were split evenly between Buium and Leonard before my vote broke the tie, giving Buium the edge at 4-3.
Leonard was a force in college, and he's already made an impact at the NHL level with the Washington Capitals. His physicality, goal-scoring and relentless motor gave Boston College a chance in every game. He proved time and again that he was the driving force on BC's top line of Gabe Perreault (NYR) and James Hagens (2025 NHL draft), arguably the top line in the nation. Leonard could easily win the Hobey Baker, and it would shock no one. This race was that tight.
With Buium, the fact that he once again led all defenders in scoring while rounding out the rest of his game even further was wildly impressive.
His cerebral play with the puck and purposeful defensive decisions made him one of the best two-way players in college hockey. Buium is the best player on a team that could be headed for back-to-back title games and a chance to win back-to-back national titles. His ability to elevate his game in the biggest moments is also notable.
Regardless of whether Buium or Leonard wins the award, it will go to a deserving player who dominated the NCAA. Although Michigan State forward Isaac Howard wasn't named among the predictions, his season with MSU was fantastic, and he should be a favorite next year as he returns to school for his final college season.
NCAA Frozen Four Preview: Each Team's Outlook, Storylines And Key Players From Thursday to Saturday, the NCAA men's Frozen Four takes center stage in St. Louis.
Friday, 5 p.m. ET
Kennedy: Western Michigan
Gaus: Univ. of Denver
Cloutier: Western Michigan
Sheridan: Univ. of Denver
Traikos: Univ. of Denver
Tovell: Univ. of Denver
Ferrari: Univ. of Denver
Western Michigan only received two votes, but this game is expected to be the closer matchup between the two Frozen Four games.
Denver is the defending national champion, and it's going for three in four years, which would be historic in the NCAA.
On the flip side, Western Michigan defeated Denver in the NCHC final in a dramatic third-period comeback that spurred on an overtime win.
This game should have plenty of drama and tension between the two teams. While the staff leaned Denver here, it should be a wicked matchup, nonetheless.
Friday, 8:30 p.m. ET
Kennedy: Boston University
Gaus: Boston University
Cloutier: Boston University
Sheridan: Boston University
Traikos: Boston University
Tovell: Boston University
Ferrari: Boston University
The only unanimous answer in the poll predicts Boston University will end Penn State's Cinderella run.
BU has been to three-straight Frozen Fours, and this would be the first time it reaches the final in that span. BU has been a power all year, but its play in the second half of the season was particularly strong. They found a netminder in Mikhail Yegorov (NJD), which has allowed them to unleash their offensive skill.
Penn State has been a surprisingly strong team in the Big-10 all season, finding a way to win big games all year. Can they do it one more time against one of the nation's top teams? According to our predictors, no. With that said, this game will probably be much closer than the picks would appear, and it would be exciting to see Penn State come away with the win.
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Kennedy: Western Michigan beats Boston Univ.
Gaus: Denver beats Boston Univ.
Cloutier: Boston Univ. beats Western Michigan
Sheridan: Denver beats Boston Univ.
Traikos: Denver beats Boston Univ.
Tovell: Boston Univ. beats Denver
Ferrari: Denver beats Boston Univ.
The University of Denver took four of the seven votes for the final, while Boston University got two. THN's editor in chief, Ryan Kennedy, was the only one to take Western Michigan to take home the title.
Denver winning the title would be historic in that players like Jack Devine (FLA), Connor Caponi and Matt Davis would win their third national title in four years.
A Boston University win would break its tie for the fifth most all-time championships with rival Boston College, giving the Terriers six in school history. Western Michigan's (and Penn State's) win would be the first in school history.
The Frozen Four will be full of excellent moments. The team that wins the championship this weekend will have earned it fully. There are excellent stories for each of these squads.
Be sure to check out the action and follow the Frozen Four, kicking off on Thursday and finishing with the title game on Saturday.
Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
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