BU, Minnesota Punch Tickets to 2023 Men's Frozen Four

Two spots in the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Frozen Four have been filled.

Boston University edged Cornell, 2-1, today in the Manchester (N.H.) Regional final at SNHU Arena. Ethan Phillips' goal in the third period, his second score of the regional after a two-goal regular season, stood up as the game-winner as the Terriers advanced to the Frozen Four for the first time since 2015. Wilmer Skoog also scored for BU (29-10-0 overall), which has now won nine straight games. Ian Shane made 19 saves for Cornell in defeat, as the Big Red finished the season at 21-11-2.

Top-ranked Minnesota ousted in-state rival St. Cloud State, 4-1, tonight in the Fargo (N.D.) Regional final at Scheels Arena. Logan Cooley, Jackson LaCombe and Jaxon Nelson each posted a goal and assist for the victorious Golden Gophers (28-9-1), who are headed back to the national semifinals for the second straight season. SCSU goaltender Jaxon Castor made 26 stops for the Huskies (25-13-3). 

The last two places in the Frozen Four will be filled in after Sunday's contests. Ohio State faces Quinnipiac in the Bridgeport (Conn.) Regional final at 2 p.m. ET, while host Penn State will battle Big Ten rival Michigan in the Allentown (Pa.) regional final at 6:30 p.m. ET Both contests will be televised live on ESPN2.

Day One of 2023 NCAA Men's Regionals Done

The first day of the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Regionals is in the books, and the biggest takeaway after the opening four games is that there will be a new national champion this season.

Cornell goaltender Ian Shane stopped all 27 shots he faced, and Jack O' Leary had a goal and an assist as the Big Red ousted defending NCAA champion Denver in Manchester, N.H. In the earlier game at SNHU Arena, Boston University upended Western Michigan, 5-1, behind a goal and two assists from Ethan Phillips. Cornell and the Terriers will face off in the regional final on Saturday.

St. Cloud State blanked last year's national runner-up, Minnesota State, by a 4-0 count in the matinee game in Fargo, N.D. Grant Cruikshank and Veeti Miettinen each scored a goal and set up another for the Huskies, who also got 34 stops from Jaxon Castor. In the nightcap at Scheels Arena, No. 1 overall seed Minnesota overcame an early one-goal deficit with eight unanswered scores in a 9-2 rout of Canisius. Bryce Brodzinski tallied three goals and an assist for the Golden Gophers, who will now meet SCSU on Saturday to determine who will head to the NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa next month.

The Allentown (Colgate-Michigan-Michigan Tech-Penn State) and Bridgeport (Harvard-Ohio State-Merrimack-Quinnipiac) regionals get underway on Saturday.