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As Frozen Four begins, the Bruins’ locker room commences its cheers, chirps, and friendly wagers
"He's walking around like they already won the whole thing."
The puck has to drop on the ice at Tampa’s Amalie Arena for the 2023 Frozen Four tournament.
But the Bruins’ dressing room has already commenced the annual ribbing and lofty boasts that come whenever collegiate bragging rights are up for grabs.
“Cliff’s already sky high, chest out,” Charlie Coyle said of his teammate, Connor Clifton. “He’s walking around like they already won the whole thing. Typical Cliff.”
Clifton, donning a Quinnipiac cap following Thursday’s morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena, is one of two factions in Boston’s room that will be rooting for their alma mater later this evening.
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Clifton’s No. 2 Bobcats will take on No. 3 Michigan in a national semifinal matchup at 8:30 p.m. down in Tampa — at the same time the Bruins will battle the Maple Leafs at TD Garden.
While Clifton might be able to catch the tail end of that collegiate bout, Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk, Charlie Coyle, and A.J. Greer will be glued to a screen ahead of their matchup against Toronto.
The black-and-gold quartet will be cheering on their No. 5 Boston University Terriers in their semifinal contest against No. 1 Minnesota, with that game tabbed for a 5 p.m. start.
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Clifton might be outnumbered when it comes to college comrades in the locker room. But the hard-nosed defenseman isn’t lacking in confidence for QU, especially if they managed to advance and battle the Terriers on Saturday night.
“Creeps me out sometimes,” Clifton said of sharing a room with four BU products. “No, it’s all good. Hopefully we face them in the final. That would be pretty cool. No wagers going on, not yet. Wait ‘till we play them Saturday, I guess.”
Jim Montgomery has plenty of experience when it comes to the NCAA title games, both on the ice and behind the bench. After captaining the Maine Black Bears to a national championship in 1993, Montgomery coached the Denver Pioneers to two Frozen Four appearances — winning it all in 2017.
And even though Montgomery’s frequent clashes with BU in the early ‘90s have led to some icy sentiment toward the Terriers, he added Thursday that he’ll be rooting for Jay Pandolfo in his first year at the helm on Commonwealth Ave.
“I’m a big fan of Jay Pandolfo and his style of coaching and I’m excited to see how his group — first time any of those players have been to the Frozen Four — how they handle the big moment. They’re going to be in front of 18,000 people and they’re going to be playing the number one team in the country. So it’s a good opportunity, win or lose, that program is going to grow and get better.
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“And then to see, there’s two Big Ten teams that have the most talent on paper in Minnesota and Michigan and to see how Quinnipiac and BU, the underdogs, do against those teams. … College hockey, you don’t have seven games. It’s one game and you have to be able to put anything that’s happened, good or bad, behind you to be able to maintain or change the momentum of the game.”
Even though none of the Bruins with New England collegiate ties managed to win a championship, Grzelcyk, Greer and Clifton all advanced to the Frozen Four during their tenures on campus.
Grzelcyk, Greer, and the 2014-15 Terriers came up short against Providence in the national title game at TD Garden. Clifton and the 2015-16 Bobcats fell to North Dakota in the championship bout the following year.
Still, getting the opportunity to see a season through and scrap all the way to a title game stands as a fond memory for Clifton.
“It’s the time of your life,” Clifton said. “2016 — my Frozen Four was down there too [in Tampa]. And it was an amazing weekend. Something I’ll never forget, obviously we lost in the final. But some of my best friends I met at Quinnipiac and you go through so much together through the hockey year.
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“Obviously you don’t play as many games as up here. But nonetheless, they’re all more important, right? Obviously, only one team can win their last game. So wishing them luck tonight.”
Beyond their links to campus, McAvoy and countless Bruins are invested in the success of the Terriers’ coaching staff.
Prior to his return to the Terriers, Pandolfo served as an assistant coach with the Bruins for five seasons. Kim Brandvold, who spent seven seasons as the Bruins’ skating and skills coach, is now serving on Pandolfo’s staff at BU.
“You knew Pando from his time here — obviously as a hockey player, as a person and then as a coach, he’s been at the highest levels of everything,” McAvoy said. ‘So I really kind of thought the sky was the limit and then in one year, though, it’s pretty crazy to turn everything around so fast.”
As of now, there are no bets that have been agreed upon between Bruins teammates. After all, both the Terriers and Bobcats need to punch their ticket to the national championship first.
But regardless of the outcome, the early days of April always stand as a special time for NHLers to reflect and cheer on their cherished college programs.
“You’re proud of where you come from,” said Greer, who is still taking classes and will graduate from BU in the fall. “I’m proud to have experienced Boston University and that’s why I want to continue my degree there. I want to make sure that I finish there and then I honor my commitment in the classroom.
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“I think it’s nice to see the guys rep their school and they don’t forget where they came from, especially when you start making a lot more money and stuff, it’s a big kudos to shows where their values …
“A.J. — you went to school for like two months,” Maine product Jeremy Swayman shouted across the room.”
“Is Maine even D-1?” Greer answered.
“Shut up!” Swayman replied.
Their time in the college ranks might be over. But that pride in their alma maters — and friendly rivalries that it sparks — isn’t waning in the Bruins’ room.
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