No kegs or beer-pong here. Just 16 of the top college hockey teams in the States doing battle in the opening weekend of the ‘Frozen Four’.
Of the 7 NCAA (Div I) grads from last year’s 2007/2008 Championship Vees, all three players who qualified for the National Championship are active in the Northeast Bracket. Ohio State earned the final ‘at large’ bid to the tournament and will face Boston University Terriers - the top seed in the Bracket. The Ohio State Buckeyes have 5 BCHL alumni in their youthful line-up: Former Vernon Viper sniper Hunter Bishop, Nanaimo defender Erick Belanger and skilled Langley forward Taylor Stefishan are joined by Penticton Vees Zac Dalpe and Cory Schneider.
The other match-up of the Northeast Bracket being played in Manchester, New Hampshire sees former Vees Captain Brett Hextall and the North Dakota Fighting Sioux facing a lower ranked, but heavily supported New Hampshire Wildcats team playing in their home State. Hextall and former Vees forward Evan Trupp are just two parts of a team that was the hottest in the WCHA from Fall on, and actually closed out the regular season as the top team in the conference. Quite a feat considering the after the Fighting Sioux won just 5 of their first 14 games.
A win for the Buckeyes and Sioux on Saturday would make for quite a game on Sunday for Dalpe, Schneider and Hextall. Hextall and Dalpe were inseparable on the ice last year, while Schneider and Hextall not only played in Penticton together, but also at Northwood School. In fact, last season the trio were all on the same line for nearly half a season for the Vees last year.
