This is a column about hockey. And while I am quite familiar with the fact that most people here don't care about hockey, it's important.
The NCAA Frozen Four - yeah, they shamelessly give their tournament a moniker that sounds strikingly similar to a more popular college tournament - starts April 10, with the University of New Hampshire, winner and top-ranked team in the Northeast region, facing Cornell, winner and top-ranked team from the East region, at 10 a.m., on ESPN2. Cornell and UNH are also the top two teams in the country.
College hockey has always been relegated to the back shelves of sports fans' interests, along with college baseball. Both sports also have seasons that are largely ignored by the mainstream media until the postseason comes along. But now, just like when the College World Series starts up in June, the Frozen Four is in full swing and each team has an intriguing story to muster a rooting interest.
Cornell enters the Frozen Four as the No.1 team in the nation, yet surprisingly had the toughest region to play through. To earn the chance to play in Buffalo, N.Y., Cornell had to beat Boston College, which they did in overtime, 2-1. How often does an Ivy League team win anything? There are occasionally Ivy League champions in individual sports, like wrestling, but its occurrence is rare enough in team sports to support Cornell.
UNH is the "Kansas basketball" of hockey. It seems like every year they make the Frozen Four, and every year they choke. In 1999, archrival Maine beat them 3-2 in overtime in the national championship, and last season - when UNH was the top-ranked team in the country - they were pummeled, 7-2, by those same Black Bears. The Wildcats have never won a hockey championship.
Minnesota is trying to win its second consecutive championship. As strong as the Gophers hockey program has always been, Minnesota has never won two in a row. That is reason enough to be excited about the Gophers.
The last Frozen Four team is Michigan, which has won more NCAA championships than any other school. The Wolverines were the No. 3 seed in the Midwest and are clearly the underdog against Minnesota and UNH or Cornell - should they get past the Gophers.
College hockey is a heck of a lot of fun to watch, and since the men's basketball Final Four will have been decided already this weekend, hopefully people will tune in.
Reach the reporter at gregory.salvatore@asu.edu.
