This year’s Frozen Four is at TD Garden, which gives Boston University and Providence somewhat of a home ice advantage. But the two teams certainly aren’t looking at it that way.
It took the Friars a whole 50 minutes to get to Boston ahead of practice Wednesday, while the Terriers are just a hop, skip and a jump away from Causeway Street. BU and Providence fans almost certainly will make up a huge majority of the crowd, but neither team believes that’ll make much of a difference when the puck drops.
“Well, I think people assume automatically there’s going to be a huge advantage for us because of the home crowd, and we’ve played in this building before,” BU coach David Quinn told reporters Wednesday. “But I really think once the game starts, you get so enthralled with what you’re doing, obviously we probably will be able to respond to the crowd and the support they’re going to give us, but we know we’re playing a great team (in North Dakota), and if we’re jumping to any conclusions that we’re at some huge advantage because of the fact that we’ve played in this venue four other times and we’re going to have a huge advantage with the crowd, we’re sadly mistaken.”
Friars coach Nate Leaman concurred in an earlier press conference that even though Providence has played on the TD Garden ice before, its matchup against Nebraska-Omaha on Thursday won’t be like any old game.
“There’s definitely feels, both the regional last weekend and coming into Boston here, that it’s a big moment,” Leaman said. “It’s the Frozen Four. … All the media on the bench at practice and things like that, those aren’t things that we’re used to being around. … I think traveling 50 minutes up the road to Boston helps us kind of maybe feel a little bit more like our routine. There’s not a flight involved. We’ve played in this building before; that helps us a little bit.”
“But the guys know it’s the Frozen Four,” Leaman added. “They know there’s going to be big moments, and that’s where competitors step up. Competitors play their best hockey in the big moments.”
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@Sean_Leahy
