HOT TOPIC

There’s a lot to like about all four teams in the West Regional, and question marks also surround all four teams. Denver won 23 games in the regular season and finished second in the WCHA but has battled injuries all year. The status of star forwards Tyler Bozak and Tyler Ruegsegger is still unclear as Friday’s opener approaches. Fellow WCHA member Minnesota Duluth was hot in the last two weeks and won the Final Five but has been streaky all year. Princeton set a school record for wins, but won neither the ECAC Hockey regular season or playoffs. Miami was right in the mix with Notre Dame and Michigan for CCHA honors, but faded slightly in the second half and was bumped in the quarterfinals of the CCHA playoffs. All four are talented and capable of winning two games at this regional. Getting that done and earning a trip to the Frozen Four will overshadow both the mild successes and mild disappointments from the season’s first six months.

BACK STORY

George Gwozdecky

There is so much commingling between the coaching staffs of Denver and Miami that Friday’s first-round matchup between the two teams could be coined Pioneers West vs. Pioneers East (or RedHawks East vs. RedHawks West, depending on your point of view).

Here’s a brief recap, kind of like the one you’d see at the start of an episode of “Soap”: George Gwozdecky, lured to Oxford to resuscitate the moribund Miami program, did just that, guiding the then Redskins to the CCHA regular season title. One of the leaders on that team was a gritty forward from Toronto named Enrico Blasi, who a couple years later would later join Gwozdecky’s staff in Denver as an assistant - the Pioneers’ other assistant at the time, Steve Miller, had served in a similar capacity at Miami under Gwozdecky.

Blasi was named head coach at his alma mater prior to the 1999-2000 season. Prior to his second season in Oxford, he brought on a former teammate, Chris Bergeron, who obviously played for Gwozdecky at Miami, as an aide. The connection grew even stronger this season when former DU defenseman Bryan Vines, a four-year letterwinner at Denver from 1997-2002, latched onto Blasi’s staff as a volunteer assistant.

ON A ROLL

Minnesota Duluth coach Scott Sandelin knew when he recruited Alex Stalock that he was getting a goalie who thinks he’s a defenseman, and loves to play the puck. In three years of college hockey, Stalock has learned a more controlled game, while still routinely coming out to play pucks and start breakouts. Sometimes that’s a recipe for getting burned, but the Bulldogs will gladly trade the occasional miscue in exchange for playoff runs like the one Stalock is on. In five postseason games, he’s allowed a total of three goals, and captured WCHA Final Five MVP honors with shutouts in the semifinals and championship game.

SOMETHING TO PROVE

It seems like Miami’s name comes up consistently enough this time of year, and coach Enrico Blasi has put together a top-tier national program. But if Blasi and his team wish to solidify their place amongst the NCAA’s elite, this would be a great time to take that next step. After a disappointing quarterfinal exit in the CCHA tournament while playing at home against Northern Michigan, the RedHawks need to bounce back with strong goaltending from Connor Knapp and/or Cody Reichard and some offensive bite off the sticks of scorers like Carter Camper, Justin Mercier, Andy Miele and Pat Cannone. The RedHawks drew a tough matchup with Denver in the first round, but they have played up to the Pioneers’ caliber at various points throughout the season and could make it to the nation’s capital with a highly-focused effort on two consecutive nights.

When healthy, Cam MacIntyre is a difference-maker for the Tigers.

ONE TO WATCH

This is a section usually reserved for top scorers, but we’ll mention a guy who has exactly one goal this season. Princeton’s Cam MacIntyre is a little bit atypical in the Princeton line chart because he’s a powerful forward, but also fits in because of his skill. He battled injuries for most of the year and has played in just 13 games all year, but was dominant in the ECAC Hockey semifinal against Cornell with a goal and two assists while causing havoc in the offensive end. His line with Dan Bartlett (Princeton’s leading scorer) and Sam Sabky has become their best offensive trio up front.

MR CLUTCH

Perhaps the 15 goals that Luke Salazar has snapped off as a college hockey rookie shouldn’t have been such a surprise. He was a 41-goal scorer in the NAHL last season, but the suburban Denver kid was still an unknown commodity when he first donned the sweater of the team he’d idolized since he first learned to skate. When he potted two goals (including the game-winner) in a 5-2 win over Notre Dame in his college debut, it was the first of many, many good things to come for Salazar, who leads the Pioneers with five GWGs and comes to Minneapolis on a mission to get them to their first Frozen Four since 2005.

SATURDAY STORYLINE

Denver has the best resume, pedigree, and talent, but is the most banged up. Miami is nearly as skilled an offense that can go cold at a moment’s notice is an issue. Princeton has the best goalie and skill just a tick below that of DU and Miami, but has been average during the second half of the season. Then there’s Minnesota Duluth, which has the hottest goalie and unmatched confidence, but did the Bulldogs peak at last weekend’s WCHA Final Five?

This region is as wide open as the Bering Sea-sized sheet of ice on which the games will be played. One could make a legitimate case for any of the four teams to advance to D.C. The team that prevails here may not be the one that best plays to its strengths, but the one that best manages its weaknesses.

James V. Dowd, Mike Eidelbes, Joe Gladziszewski and Jess Myers contributed to this preview.