Team Tampa Bay's Take with Joey Johnston: Sunshine State Semifinals
Men’s Frozen Four Teams Compete For a Spot in Saturday’s Championship
By Joey Johnston
It was Thursday, mid-afternoon, in a hyper-busy downtown Tampa. University of Minnesota hockey fans Jim Broadbent and Kevin Thomas were on the top floor of the Port of Tampa Parking Garage, gazing out into the azure sky, the cotton-candy clouds, the Florida Aquarium, the cruise ships and water as far as the eye could see.
“Can you believe we’re about to go inside and watch the Gophers?’’ Broadbent said.
“Do we have to go inside?’’ Thomas said.
They paused for a moment.
“C’mon, dude! Let’s go.’’
As they marched away, their chants reverberated around the stairwell.
Let’s go, Gophers! Let’s go, Gophers! Let’s go, Gophers!
The Gophers did it, breaking open a third-period tie and vanquishing the Boston University Terriers 6-2 (with a pair of late empty-netters) to set up a championship-game matchup against the Quinnipiac Bobcats, who scored a trio of third-period goals to defeat the Michigan Wolverines 5-2.
And so it was on a made-to-order day (and night) for Tampa Bay’s third crack at the Frozen Four, the NCAA championship for men’s college hockey. When referring to Tampa Bay and college hockey, the words “non-traditional’’ should probably be stricken from every fan’s vocabulary because the Frozen Four now has a tradition in Tampa Bay.
Once again, right on cue, the event delivered in an expected manner, while mixing in a few surprises as well before the sold-out, amped-up crowd of 19,119.
The players marched into Amalie Arena like rock stars, walking the red/blue carpets, working their way through hundreds of cheering and adoring fans. They took to the ice and produced a pair of show-stoppers as the local fans witnessed a scene foreign to Lightning games.
There were cheerleaders! There were pep bands! And there was an unmistakable be-true-to-your-school loyalty, the timeless charm that makes the college game shine so brightly.
“This place was absolutely rocking,’’ said Michigan fan Aaron Sievers of Detroit. “This was good stuff.’’
“It was really impressive to see the amount of Minnesota people who showed up,’’ Gophers coach Bob Motzko said. “What a crowd we had tonight. It was just fantastic and nothing would have been worse than having them stick around without their team being here.’’
The Gophers are still very much here.
So are the Bobcats. And if it surprises you to see Quinnipiac in the final — the players jokingly worked with media members on how to pronounce “Quinnipiac’’ in Wednesday’s opening news conference — you aren’t a very savvy college hockey fan.
Quinnipiac, once a Division III school, is an elite performer. For the third time (also 2013 and 2016 in Tampa), the Bobcats are in the championship game.
“Just look at the records, we’re one of the best hockey teams in the nation, but nobody talks about us,’’ Quinnipiac fan Justin Goldberg said. “We always get counted out. It’s an old story. But here we are again.
“Yes, we are a small school (9,744 students in Hamden, Connecticut). I get it. We beat a team tonight (Michigan) that has like 12 draft picks. We’re well-coached. We play together. We just haven’t won the big one. Now we have that chance. We’ve been so good for so long. I guess for total credibility, we’ve got to win the next one.’’
And you can bet that Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold will have his team ready to play against Minnesota, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed.
“It will probably be similar to how we addressed coming to Tampa for the Frozen Four,’’ Pecknold said. “We’re not going to the beach. We’re not going to the pool. We’re not going jet-skiing. We’re here to win a hockey game.
“I told them we need to keep the parents and the girlfriends at bay. They get down here and they all want a piece of the guys. I told all of them, ‘I’ll call your parents and your girlfriends and tell them to leave us alone. We’ll enjoy this in late April, May or June. Right now, we’ve got another hockey game to win.’’
Minnesota vs. Quinnipiac.
The Blue Bloods against the New Bloods.
An interesting matchup that will follow up Thursday’s mesmerizing sights and sounds.
Thursday was about loyalty.
For the eighth straight year, BU alumni Mackenzie Feeley, Jocelyn Thames and Maddie O’Connell joined with other former students on a Frozen Four trip. They are still scarred from 2015, when the Terriers were on the verge of a national title — in Boston, no less — but a fluke goal with 8:36 remaining tied it, then Providence prevailed 4-3.
“Put the biscuit in the basket, boys! Put the biscuit in the basket,’’ Feeley screamed in the early moments of a tense third period.
“This is like a family reunion for us,’’ Thames said. “Having BU here, we finally have some skin in the game again.’’
“We’re all in this together,’’ O’Connell said. “We win as a team. If we don’t win, we’ll be here for each other.’’
Feeley nodded and pointed to her specially made BU-red T-shirt.
The Terriers Are Why I Drink
Thursday was about family.
When this season has completed, Gophers junior captain Brock Faber is expected to join the Minnesota Wild, who hold his NHL rights. If this is the last go-round for Faber, the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year, it’s memorable indeed.
In the standing-room area of Section 128, there were 15 members of Faber’s family who rolled with every emotional high and low. For Jay and Karri Faber, the parents who accompanied him on countless trips through junior hockey, it was one of the best moments yet.
“It’s awesome — that’s all I’ve got — it’s awesome,’’ Karri Faber said.
Faber’s aunt (Angie Clipper), cousin (Jack Clipper) and mother joined in a group hug as the final seconds ticked away.
“We’re going to the finals!’’ Jack Clipper said. “Seeing your cousin have a moment like this on the big stage is unbelievable. Now we get a few more days in Tampa.’’
Beach?
“No way,’’ Jack Clippard said. “I’m resting. I’m drinking a lot of water. I’m saving my energy for Saturday night. It’s going to be huge.’’
Thursday was about irony.
Quinnipiac forward TJ Friedmann wasn’t certain about taking advantage of his COVID year, but he decided to return for a fifth season.
By then, his mother, Dawn, had moved from their native St. Louis. COVID had essentially shut down her career in the hotel industry. So she moved to Tampa and become a flight attendant for Allegiant Airlines.
“Mom, you know the next Frozen Four is in Tampa, don’t you?’’ TJ said before the Quinnipiac season began.
“That’s too much to hope for … but wouldn’t it something if it actually happened?’’ Friedmann’s mother said.
It happened.
She was there Tuesday when the Quinnipiac team charter landed at SheltAir, hugging her son and taking selfies on the tarmac. And she was there Thursday night to witness his final game.
“It’s all pretty crazy,’’ she said. “There’s no way to explain it. Sometimes, circumstances work out in the craziest ways.’’
Now Dawn Friedmann’s son is playing for a national title.
Thursday was about frustration
The Wolverines were deflated in last season’s semifinals, falling against eventual national champion Denver.
“Last year, we definitely learned that it happens fast,’’ said Michigan forward Dylan Duke, whose NHL rights are held by the Tampa Bay Lightning. “You get here. There are a lot of distractions. Then you play one game to win or go home.
“We knew what was at stake. We have a lot or guys who played in that game last year and we know what it takes to win. It’s one game at a time.’’
Michigan was seeking its 10th national title. The Wolverines last won it all in 1998 — 25 years ago. That wait will continue.
Minnesota is also accustomed to waiting. It has five national championships of its own — but none since 2003.
The Gophers are going for their first national title in two decades. The Bobcats are seeking their first — ever. After an action-packed Thursday, Tampa Bay’s Frozen Four is set up for a fascinating finale.