NCAA Frozen Four Taking Form

The first match-up has Michigan State facing Maine, thanks to Michigan's unprecedented upset of the Fighting Irish. What to look for in this game? Maine's a perennial contender, with a Frozen Four appearance last year. As such, you can expect them to come out hard, and put on a good show. They finished the season with a very respectable 21-14-2 record, thanks to strong goaltending by Ben Bishop. In fact, Bishop has to be considered one of the reasons (the "Maine" reasons?) the Black Bears are even here, given the 36 shots he faced against UMass.

As long as Michigan State isn't coasting after their win against the Irish, they can easily put up a good fight. The Spartans are a hard working team, and pretty much flew under the radar the entire season. Even though they finished 2nd in the CCHA (behind Notre Dame), they were ranked 10th nationally at the end of the regular season, and didn't really help themselves by losing to Bowling Green in the regular season finale.

To put it concisely, it will be the Spartans who beat the Spartans on April 5th. Or it will be Ben Bishop. Or a combination of the two. Ok ... it's anybody's game.