Five Manitobans in This Weekend’s Frozen Four

University of North Dakota men’s hockey captain Stephane Pattyn is all about consistency. The man they call “The General,” believes that by staying consistent, a team with as much pressure on it to win as any in the NCAA, has given itself a chance to become national champions.

“I think getting here is something our whole team expected and put on ourselves,” Pattyn told ESPN on Wednesday morning. “There’s a lot of pressure playing at UND from our fans and our alums. But it’s a good pressure. It drove us through the season and it kept us accountable. Our whole team was on board and everyone was committed to this one goal. We stayed consistent, we won when we needed to win and now we’re here.”

Stephane Pattyn, captain UND men’s hockey. (Photo by James Carey Lauder)

UND, the No. 1 team in the nation will lead Boston University, the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Providence College into the 2015 Frozen Four this weekend at the TD Bank Garden in Boston.

And make no mistake, the tournament will have a Manitoba stamp on it. In fact, there will be five Manitobans competing in this year’s Frozen Four, the NCAA’s national hockey championship tournament.

The University of North Dakota, featuring Manitobans Stephane Pattyn (Ste. Anne), Bryn Chyzyk (Virden) and Brendan O’Donnell (Winnipeg) along with the Providence Friars and their top player, Shane Luke from Dauphin and the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks with Lorette’s Joel Messner will all be in Boston this weekend.

Providence will meet UN-O in the first semifinal game on Thursday night beginning at 4 p.m. CST while North Dakota will face Boston University at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be televised on TSN in Canada.

Winnipeg’s Brendan O’Donnell, UND

According to the experts, UND is favored over the Boston University Terriers even though Boston has home ice advantage.

“It’s going to be a great match-up,” said the NCAA college hockey experts at USCHO.com. “It will come down to Boston’s high-end talent and whether it can beat North Dakota’s high-tempo play.

“Junior Drake Caggiula may be the closest skater that North Dakota has to a bona fide star. He leads the team in goals (18) and points (36) in 41 games played. However, his team-high 22 points in NCHC play placed him in a tie for 13th in conference scoring. North Dakota has 10 forwards with at least 13 points, making it extremely deep.

“They are very balanced,” the analysts continued. “They can roll four lines and that really is a weapon for them. And playing goal for them is Zane McIntyre, one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award and one of five finalists for the Mike Richter Award. In 41 games this season, McIntyre has posted a 29-9-3 record with a 2.00 GAA and a .931 save percentage. He appears to be just as comfortable making 19 saves as he did in the regional final against St. Cloud State as he is making a season-high 43, which he did on March 6 against Miami.”

The player to watch for Boston University is Jack Eichel who will likely be the No. 2 selection in this June’s NHL draft.

“For North Dakota to beat the Terriers, it will have to stick to keeping the game from becoming a track meet,” said USCHO.com. “ The simpler, the better. For the Terriers, it will take solving McIntyre early. North Dakota lost both games it played in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff (the conference toyrnament) in part because it was playing from behind after the first 20 minutes.”

In the first game of the evening, the UN-O Mavericks will make their first trip to the Frozen Four while the Providence Friars will make their first trip in 30 years.

Lorette’s Joel Messner UN-O

The Mavericks are a bit of a surprise team in this year’s field. With a 20-12-6 record, they finished third in the NCHC with 43 points. However, after Rochester Institute of Technology beat the “other” Mavericks, the ones from Minnesota State, UN-O beat the RIT Tigers to win the Midwest Regional.

“We’re looking forward to this game because these teams are so different,” said USCHO.com. “Both teams play really well, but they have very different styles. It will come down to which team can assert its game on the other. If it becomes a transition game, Omaha will win. If it becomes a structured game in the zone, Providence will win.”

While no team is a prohibitive favorite, one thing is certain: A Manitoba player will play in Saturday’s final. Last year, Mat Bodie from East St. Paul was the captain of the NCAA Champion Union College Dutchmen. His coach praised Bodie’s Manitoba heritage.

“I think Mat has that pride factor, he’s got that Winnipeg, Manitoba pride going,” Union head coach Rick Bennett told reporters after Union beat Boston College 5-4 in the NCAA semifinal. “I just love the pride he has. Just the way he carries himself. Ever since his first year, just working with him… you could really sense that pride in himself and the game right from the first practice on.”

You can bet that pride will continue with a new Manitoba hero this weekend.

Dauphin’s Shane Luke, Providence.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com