If you watched the Hobey Baker announcement yesterday on NHL Network and stuck around for NHL Live, you'd know who my pick is for tonight's National Championship game between Minnesota and Union.
If you didn't, Watch here!
I've been saying for over a month now that this is the most complete Minnesota team I've seen since I started covering college hockey. In years past, they've relied too heavily on one or two lines or had a porous defense or inconsistent goaltending or a combination of the three. There's always been something...but not this year. This year, there is no superstar and they are playing like one cohesive unit and as a result they've been consistent and effective. I thought North Dakota would be a tough win for them given the intensity of their rivalry and the magnitude of the Frozen Four stage - which it was....a shorthanded game-winning goal with 0.6 left in regulation...doesn't get much closer than that! Now that they have the national title in their sites, it's time to do what they do best and that's win.
Standing in their way is an outstanding team from Union College. The difference between these two teams is razor thin as they are nearly mirror images of each other....Defensive stalwarts with offensive depth and goalies with incredibly similar numbers. The Dutchmen are entirely capable of winning this hockey game and wouldn't exactly be a surprise if they do. They have tremendous leadership highlighted by a senior class that literally changed the course of this program. Union had never made the Frozen Four until this year's senior class did it as freshman in 2011. Since then, they've won three consecutive ECAC championships and made two trips to the Frozen Four all while offering no athletic scholarships and have one NHL draftee on their roster.
In my opinion, this game is going to come down to goaltending. I'm fully expecting a low-scoring, one-goal game and I think Adam Wilcox is going to come out on top. While he and Colin Stevens have very similar numbers, they have very different styles of play and I'm give the slight advantage to the one that plays cool, calm and collected on a consistent basis. I think Minnesota wins their sixth national title and first since 2003. Either way it should be a fantastic game!!
Tune in to ESPN tonight at 7:30 ET to watch live!
Julie
JulieLovesHockey@gmail.com
Follow @JulieRobenhymer
Facebook
Be sure to like HockeyBuzz on Facebook!