Players to watch during Frozen Four

RIT: The Tigers are the surprise of the tournament and are the first Atlantic Hockey team to make the Frozen Four. They have hot goaltending on their side, which might be the only way they can win the championship. Also, RIT is fifth in the nation with 3.60 goals scored per game, and third in the nation with 2.05 goals allowed per game.

Cameron Burt: the sophomore forward has been on fire for the second half of the season as he has registered a point in 13 of his last 15 games (7 goals, 22 assists), including six straight (3 goals, 8 assists). Burt leads the Tigers with 16 goals, 9 power-play goals, and 47 points.

Dan Ringwald: the senior captain is considered to be one of the top offensive defensemen in the country. Ringwald has tallied a goal and seven assists in his past six games. He is tied for fourth on the team with 11 goals, and third with 25 assists and 36 points.

Jared DeMichiel: the senior goaltender was excellent during the regionals as he stopped 63 of the 66 shots against him. DeMichiel has won 12 straight decisions where he registered four shutouts and let up 3+ goals only twice. He is fourth in the nation with a 1.98 GAA.

Wisconsin: The Badgers feature a high-flying offense that has scored 3.98 goals per game this season (tied for second in the nation). They have four players with at least 47 points and seven players with at least 10 goals.

Blake Geoffrion: the Hobey Baker finalist has putting lighting up the lamp during the playoffs. Geoffrion has scored six goals in his past five games, along with four assists. He is also the grandson of Hall of Fame forward Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion. Geoffrion leads the Badgers with 27 goals (tied for second in the nation), and 14 power-play goals (tied for first in the nation with Quinnipiac's Brandon Wong).

Derek Stepan: the sophomore forward is an assists machine! He has tallied 40 assists in 39 games, which is tied for second in the nation. Stepan has registered a goal and four assists in his past three games.

Scott Gudmanson: the Badger goaltender has been very solid in net in the latter half of the season. In his past 10 games he is 9-1-0, and has not let up more than three goals during that stretch. His only loss came on 3/19 against St. Cloud where he only allowed one goal.

Boston College: The Eagles have scored 19 goals in their past three games, but have also allowed 14 during that span. Their 3.98 goals per game is tied for second in the nation with Wisconsin.

Cam Atkinson: the pint-sized (5'8", 165 lbs.) sophomore forward leads the Eagles with 27 goals (tied for second in the nation), 23 assists, and 50 goals. Atkinson has only scored in three of his past 10 games, but in those three games he recorded a hat trick. He recorded a hat trick in his last game against Yale in the regional final.

Matt Lombardi: when you look at Lombardi's stats over his collegiate career you might be wondering why I'm putting him on this list. This year he has only tallied seven goals and seven assists, but he has scored six goals and two assists in his past eight games. Lombardi has also proven to be a clutch player this year as he scored a the game-winning goal, which was his third goal of the game, against Maine in the Hockey East Championship game, and scored a short-handed goal in BC's 3-1 win over Alaska in the first round of the NCAA tournament. If the Eagles are in a tight game make sure you keep an eye on this guy.

John Muse: the junior goaltender hasn't been good lately as he has allowed 14 goals in his past three games. But, Muse was in between the pipes when BC beat Notre Dame 4-1 for the national championship two years ago.

Miami: the Redhawks are hungry to avenge their heartbreaking loss in the championship game last season. They returned all of their big players from last season, so the loss to Boston University in Washington D.C. should be very fresh in their minds. Miami also has the top ranked defense in the country. The one thing they cannot do is take too many penalties. The Redhawks are second in the nation with 19.60 penalty minutes per game, but luckily they have the nation's fifth best penalty kill (86.8%).

Patt Cannone: the junior forward scored two goals in Miami's 3-2 overtime win in the regional final. He also leads the team with 10 power-play goals, so look for him on the power-play.

Tommy Wingels: Wingels was stellar last Frozen Four as he picked up three goals and an assist and will hope to replicate that performance. After registering a point in four straight games, he has gone pointless in his last three... maybe he's due?

Cody Reichard and Connor Knapp: the sophomore goaltending tandem is the best in the nation as they are #1 and #2 in the nation in GAA (Reichard: 1.76, Knapp: 1.85). Reichard has made seven more starts than Knapp and has a slightly better GAA. But, Knapp had a stellar performance in the regional final against Michigan where he made 55 saves in the Redhawks' 2-1 win. Reichard is the more athletic goaltender, while the 6'5"Knapp is more of a standup specialist.

Predictions: In the first game I think Wisconsin will end RIT's Cinderella run. Wisconsin has more experience in the tournament and I assume they will have more fans. I say the score with be 4-1, Badgers. I feel the second game between Miami and Boston College will be the best game of the tournament as it features the tournament's best two teams. I'm still going to go with Miami because I feel that they want to win so badly, and have won tight games lately. I think the final score will be 3-2, Miami in double overtime.