Boston College has advanced to the Frozen Four for the fourth time in the last five seasons, and it’s trying to win its second national championship in the last three years. Boston University, which didn’t earn a berth in this season’s NCAA Tournament, won last year’s national title, making it four consecutive years the Eagles or Terriers played in the title tilt.
Wisconsin will take on RIT in Thursday’s first game at Detroit’s Ford Field, and BC battles Miami in the nightcap. The winners will meet Saturday night.
The tag, “Frozen Four,” was officially put in place in 1999 to give the week a catchier public-relations spin, but its term is retroactive to the first NCAA Tournament in 1948, when only four teams made the tournament. There was also a third-place game until 1989.
Here is a glance at the 11 teams from New England have made a combined 87 trips to the Frozen Four and won 11 total national championships:
Boston College
Frozen Four appearances: 22, including this year
National championship appearances: 9
National championship victories: 3 (1949, 2001, 2008)
Boston University
Frozen Four appearances: 21
National championship appearances: 8
National championship victories: 5 (1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, 2009)
Brown
Frozen Four appearances: 3
National championship appearances: 1
National championship victories: 0
Dartmouth
Frozen Four appearances: 4
National championship appearances: 2
National championship victories: 0
Harvard
Frozen Four appearances: 12
National championship appearances: 3
National championship victories: 1 (1989)
Maine
Frozen Four appearances: 11
National championship appearances: 5
National championship victories: 2 (1993, 1999)
New Hampshire
Frozen Four appearances: 7
National championship appearances: 2
National championship victories: 0
Northeastern
Frozen Four appearances: 1
National championship appearances: 0
National championship victories: 0
Providence
Frozen Four appearances: 3
National championship appearances: 1
National championship victories: 0
Vermont
Frozen Four appearances: 2
National championship appearances: 0
National championship victories: 0
Yale
Frozen Four appearances: 1
National championship appearances: 0
National championship victories: 0
Here is a look at the 14 Frozen Fours that have been held in New England:
1960
City: Boston
Venue: Matthews Arena
National championship: Denver beat Michigan Tech, 5-3
1963
City: Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Venue: McHugh Forum
National championship: North Dakota beat Denver, 6-5
1965
City: Providence, R.I.
Venue: Meehan Auditorium
National championship: Michigan Tech beat Boston College, 8-2
1972
City: Boston
Venue: Boston Garden
National championship: Boston University beat Cornell, 4-0
1973
City: Boston
Venue: Boston Garden
National championship: Wisconsin beat Denver, 4-2
1974
City: Boston
Venue: Boston Garden
National championship: Minnesota beat Michigan Tech, 4-2
1978
City: Providence, R.I.
Venue: Providence Civic Center
National championship: Boston University beat Boston College, 5-3
1980
City: Providence, R.I.
Venue: Providence Civic Center
National championship: North Dakota beat Northern Michigan, 5-2
1982
City: Providence, R.I.
Venue: Providence Civic Center
National championship: North Dakota beat Wisconsin, 5-2
1986
City: Providence, R.I.
Venue: Providence Civic Center
National championship: Michigan State beat Harvard, 6-5
1995
City: Providence, R.I.
Venue: Providence Civic Center
National championship: Boston University beat Maine, 1995
1998
City: Boston
Venue: FleetCenter
National championship: Michigan beat Boston College, 3-2, in overtime
2000
City: Providence, R.I.
Venue: Providence Civic Center
National championship: North Dakota beat Boston College, 4-2
2004
City: Boston
Venue: FleetCenter
National championship: Denver beat Maine, 1-0
