Events

Worcester’s NCAA hockey regional to feature UMass, Northeastern

Two Hockey East teams are among the four men's clubs competing at DCU Center for a spot in the Frozen Four.

2 minutes to read

The best college hockey teams in the country are coming to the DCU Center to drop the puck on their own version of March Madness. And that includes the reigning champs, who won’t even need to leave their home state as they defend their national crown.

A year after hoisting the hardware for the first time in program history, the University of Massachusetts was slotted as the No. 3 seed in the Worcester Regional – giving the Minutemen just a 56-mile bus trip from the Mullins Center. Conversely, the trip to the DCU Center is more than 1,300 miles for their opponent, the second-seeded Gophers from the University of Minnesota.

Worcester’s other matchup features a local team, too, with No. 4 Northeastern taking on No. 1 Western Michigan. The Huskies secured one of the last at-large bids offered, and will take on the Broncos at noon on Friday, with the Minutemen and Gophers set to start at 6 that evening. If Northeastern and UMass can pull off the upsets, it would set up an all-Hockey East regional final on Sunday.

Whichever team emerges from Worcester will advance to the Frozen Four, which will be at Boston’s TD Garden on April 7 and 9.

While Western Michigan and Minnesota might be the higher seeds, UMass and Northeastern might have the two best individual players in the regional, in Minuteman forward Bobby Trivigno and Husky goalie Devon Levi, both of whom were named among 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. Trivigno’s resume is ridiculous: he was named Hockey East player of the year for the current season, was the Hockey East tournament’s MVP each of the last two years, and last spring he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament.

Levi, meanwhile, has stopped more than 95 percent of the shots he’s faced this season while allowing just 1.52 goals per game. He’s a former seventh-round pick of the Florida Panthers, and he won’t be the only player in Worcester this weekend who’s right are held by NHL clubs. Levi is one of eight drafted players from Northeastern. UMass has seven, Western Michigan has two, and Minnesota has a whopping 14 – including first-rounders Chaz Lucius and Ryan Johnson.

That’s a lot of high-class talent, and as of early in the week there were still plenty of good seats still available – though the presence of two local entries figures to accelerate sales. Those interested in watching the whole weekend should know the NCAA is also offering an all-sessions ticket, which grants access to all three games at a discounted price.