The NCAA hockey championship Frozen Four kicked off April 6 and 8 with appearances from four of the top college hockey teams in the country.

   On April 6, the semi-finals of the championship took place in Tampa Bay. Tampa’s Amalie Arena, home of the NHL team Tampa Bay Lightning, served as the venue for this year’s Frozen Four.

    The first of the two brackets of games included University of Minnesota and Boston University. Minnesota took home the win in a 6-2 game, securing their place in the finals on April 8.

    The second game in the bracket was Quinnipiac University versus University of Michigan. Quinnipiac eliminated Michigan in a 5-2 win.

   On April 8, Minnesota and Quinnipiac took the ice for the final game of the Frozen Four Championship. Tied at 2-2 by the end of the third period, the teams headed into overtime.

   The first period of the final game of the Frozen Four championship ended 1-0 in favor of Minnesota. John Mittelstadt’s goal in the first period set Minnesota above Quinnipiac.

    Both teams scored in the second period, still holding Minnesota and a one goal advantage. During the third period, however, Quinnipiac’s Collin Graf scored, tying the game.

    10 seconds into overtime, Jacob Quillan of Quinnipiac scored to end the championship 3-2. For the first time ever, Quinnipiac had won the national title. 

    Both Minnesota and Quinnipiac held impressive season statistics. Minnesota topped the Big Ten standings with a 29-10-1 record, while Quinnipiac held a 34-4-3 record at the top of the ECAC standings.

   Eliminated semi-final teams Michigan and Boston University also came in near the top of their respective standings, Big Ten and Hockey East. Michigan held a 26-12-3 record; Boston held a 29-10-0 record. Both teams were in the top two of their divisions.

   The championship ended in a surprise for Quinnipiac. The team had been a runner-up in 2016 to North Dakota, and this was the first national title the team earned.

   Both Boston University and Minnesota hold five national titles, and Michigan holds nine.