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By Sebastian Zucchet, The Hockey News intern
The NCAA national men's hockey tournament is upon us, and it has extra significance for two teams in particular.
We know the bracket of 16 teams competing for the highest honor in U.S. college hockey, the national championship, which begins Thursday afternoon. Two teams are making their tournament debut this year: the University of Connecticut Huskies and Bentley University Falcons.
The Huskies finished a respectable 22-11-4 overall and were runners-up this year in the Hockey East playoffs, losing the final to Maine. The Huskies are ranked seventh in the country and have a regional matchup against the 2023 champions, Quinnipiac, with the potential to face Maine again in the quarterfinal.
The Falcons, on the other hand, are the Atlantic Hockey champions for the first time ever after they defeated Holy Cross in the final. The Falcons have a tough first-round matchup against the NCAA's No. 1-ranked school, Boston College.
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Boston College Takes Aim At Frozen Four RedemptionBy Sebastian Zucchet This game will be a true test for Bentley. BC harbors some of the best NHL prospects in hockey, whereas Bentley doesn't have a single player an NHL team has drafted, and most of their players are coming toward the end of their college hockey career.
Nonetheless, they have a great player in winger Ethan Leyh, who had 16 goals and 41 points in 36 games this season.
Bentley is also 1-2-0 in competition against Hockey East opponents this season, beating Maine but losing to Massachusetts and Northeastern. It will definitely be an interesting watch as massive underdogs Bentley looks to upset the favorites and win it all.
The Huskies have more than a fighting chance against Quinnipiac. They already beat Quinnipiac in January, and they've had an impressive post-season, including knocking off Boston University in the Hockey East semifinal.
The hat-trick hero from that BU game, Joey Muldowney, will be one to watch in the NCAA tournament. Muldowney is a San Jose Sharks draft pick, and in his second year with the Huskies, he has exploded offensively, putting up 27 goals and 45 points in 37 games.
Right alongside him is Buffalo Sabres prospect Jake Richard, who has put similar numbers this season with 15 goals and 42 points in 32 games. The Huskies can also rely on their goaltender, Tyler Muszelik, a Florida Panthers draft pick, who has boasted decent numbers this season: 12 wins with a 2.28 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.
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14 Must-Watch Prospects At NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament: Leonard, Hutson, Hagens And MoreWe are down to the final 16 NCAA teams vying to reach the Frozen Four and win the men’s national hockey championship. The men's hockey national championship is always a fun tournament where anything is possible. Teams like UConn and Bentley will be thinking that when they step out on the ice on Friday to make their tournament debuts.
The odds will be stacked against Bentley going on a Cinderella run and upsetting the No. 1 team in the country, but that won't stop them from believing. UConn will be looking to solidify itself as a serious college hockey program and a force in Hockey East with a potential run in the cards for them as a team that can go deep in this tournament.
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