Previewing the first round of the NCAA men's hockey tournament: Breaking down the matchups - The Boston Globe

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BC is one of five New England teams in the tournament, including four from Hockey East. Boston University is the second overall seed, beginning play in the Sioux Falls regional Thursday against RIT.

"Every shift matters, every detail matters," said BU forward Sam Stevens. "At this point in the year, now it's really one-and-done. If you're not ready, your season could end."

Here is a look at the matchups involving New England teams.

Thursday:

Springfield Regional

1. Denver (28-9-3) vs. 4. UMass (20-13-3), 2 p.m. (ESPN2)

UMass is coming off an 8-1 loss to BC in the Hockey East semifinals last Friday. Defenseman Scott Morrow leads the Minutemen with 30 points (6 goals, 24 assists), while freshmen Jack Musa and Aydar Suniev have 12 goals each. Junior Ryan Ufko was a Hockey East Player of the Year finalist.

The Pioneers will be going for their 10th NCAA title, having last won in 2022 at TD Garden. Denver finished second in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference but won the postseason tournament and comes in as the No. 3 overall seed.

Denver has been without forward Massimo Rizzo (lower body injury) since Feb. 3. With 10 goals and 34 assists, he was averaging 1.57 points per game. Coach David Carle said Rizzo was doubtful for this weekend but did not rule him out. Junior Jack Devine has 27 goals and 28 assists and was a top 10 Hobey Baker finalist.

2. Maine (23-11-2) vs. 3. Cornell (21-6-6), 5:30 p.m. (ESPNews)

Maine is back in the tournament for the first time since 2012, and will be looking for its first win in the postseason since 2007. The Black Bears finished third in Hockey East and lost in the conference semifinals to BU, 4-1.

Freshman Bradly Nadeau (19 goals, 27 assists) leads Maine with 46 points, 1 ahead of his brother Josh (18-27—45). Freshman goalie Albin Boija is 10-6-1 with a 2.01 goals against average and a .916 save percentage.

Cornell finished second in the ECAC but captured the conference tournament. Goalie Ian Shane has been impressive, going 21-4-6 with a 1.70 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Gabriel Seger's 42 points (14 goals, 28 assists) are tops for the Big Red.

The regional final will be Saturday at 4 p.m.

Sioux Falls (S.D.) Regional

1. Boston University (26-9-2) vs. 4. RIT (27-10-2), 5 p.m. (ESPNU)

The Terriers are making their 39th appearance in the tournament as they seek a return trip to the Frozen Four.

They are led by Hobey Baker finalists Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson. The youngest player in the NCAA at 17 and the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Celebrini is second in the NCAA in goals (31) and tied for second in points (59). He became just the fourth player to sweep Hockey East Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors.

Hutson is second among all NCAA defensemen in assists (33) and points (46)

RIT won the Atlantic Hockey regular-season crown, then clinched a spot in the NCAAs with a 5-2 win over AIC in the conference title game. The Tigers are ranked sixth nationally with 3.92 goals per game, fifth in scoring defense at 2.31 goals per game, and fifth with a 1.61 scoring margin.

UMass transfer Gianfranco Cassaro is tops among all defensemen in the country in goals (17) and has 19 assists.

Should the Terriers prevail, they would face the winner of Minnesota (22-10-5) vs. Omaha (23-12-4) in Saturday's regional final at 6:30 p.m.

Friday

Providence Regional

1. Boston College (31-5-1) vs. 4. Michigan Tech (19-14-6), 2 p.m. (ESPNU)

BC is making its 37th tournament appearance. The Eagles have two Hobey Baker finalists in Cutter Gauthier, who has an NCAA-best 35 goals, and Lexington native Will Smith, who leads the country in points with 23 goals and 44 assists. His 1.81 points per game are slightly above linemate Gabe Perreault's 1.78, with Ryan Leonard (27 goals, 27 assists) ninth in the nation at 1.46.

Goalie Jacob Fowler is a finalist for the Mike Richter Award and has started all but two games, going 29-5-1 with a 2.19 GAA and a .925 save percentage.

Michigan Tech defeated Bemidji State, 2-1, in the championship game of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association tournament to reach the NCAAs. Goalie Blake Pietila is 11th in the nation in save percentage (.920) and 15th in GAA (2.18).

2. Wisconsin (26-11-2) vs. 3. Quinnipiac (26-9-2), 5:30 p.m. (ESPNews)

Quinnipiac captured the ECAC regular-season title before being upset by St. Lawrence in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Lincoln native Collin Graf leads the way for the defending national champions with 22 goals and 26 assists in 32 games to earn ECAC Player of the Year, as well as being named a Hobey Baker finalist.

BU transfer Vinny Duplessis has gone 20-6-2 between the pipes with a .903 save percentage and a 2.09 GAA.

Wisconsin finished second in the Big Ten but has not played since being upset by Ohio State in the conference quarterfinals March 10. Kyle McClellan is the only goalie on the list of Hobey Baker finalists, leading the nation with a .931 save percentage. The Badgers rank third in the country on defense, allowing 2.00 goals per game.

The regional final is set for Sunday at 4 p.m.

Maryland Heights Regional

1. Michigan State vs. Western Michigan (21-15-1), 5 p.m. (ESPNU)

2. North Dakota (26-11-2) vs. 3. Michigan (21-14-3), 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

While there are no New England teams in the regional that has been dubbed The Group of Death, there are players with local connections.

Stoneham native Sam Colangelo has 23 goals and 19 assists in his first season with Western Michigan after transferring from Northeastern. BU transfer Ethan Phillips had 9 goals and 14 assists in 27 games for the Broncos.

Former UMass forward Reed Lebster has 6 goals and 13 assists in his graduate season with Michigan State, while defenseman Marshall Warren, who served as captain at BC last year, has 3 goals and 13 assists in his graduate season for Michigan.

Follow Andrew Mahoney @GlobeMahoney.