Frozen Four-bound!

The Associated Press

Freddy's three thoughts (from afar ... sigh):

1. Carrying the banner: At the beginning of each season, Mike Hastings makes sure to emphasize that it's a new year, a new team, one that has to build its own "book of business" or "go back to the basement" and "build a new foundation." The past being the past and all. But this Mavericks team, which is Pittsburgh-bound after defeating — really, dominating — Minnesota 4-0 on Sunday, might have been playing for all of those MSU teams that suffered through bad bounces, controversial goals, comebacks and collapses. Certainly they must have had last year's team — the one that so many thought would be competing for a national title, only to have its chances wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic — on their minds. With the weight of 0 for 6 off their backs after defeating Quinnipiac in OT on Saturday, the Mavericks played one of their finest, most-complete games in recent memory to get to their first Frozen Four.

2. 29 on the Richter scale: Dryden McKay, as usual, got a lot of help from his defense, which blocked 23 shot and held the Gophers to just nine shots on net over the first two periods. But he still came up big when he had to, stopping 13 shots in the third period and finishing with his 10th shutout of the season and the 24th of his career in the biggest game of his career (so far). McKay is one of three finalists for the Mike Richter Award, which goes to the nation's top goaltender. He out-dueled one of the others tonight in the Gophers' Jack LaFontaine (23 saves), while the other, Boston College's Spencer Knight, lost 4-1 to St. Cloud State, MSU's opponent in the national semifinal. McKay is also the only one of the 10 Hobey Baker Award finalists whose season is still alive.

3. Breakout weekend: Ryan Sandelin was named the regional's MVP after his two-goal, on-assist weekend that included Saturday's OT winner. He scored the second goal on Sunday, tipping in a Jack McNeely point shot. Sandelin, Sam Morton and Brendan Furry earned Hastings' trust over the course of the weekend and seemed to get more and more playing time as the weekend went on. Morton scored the first goal against Minnesota. Nathan Smith also had a two-goal weekend, and his goal in the third period was the backbreaker. Dallas Gerads added an empty-netter. It was quite a weekend for the Sandelin family, of course, after Minnesota Duluth, coached by Ryan's dad, Scott, made a fourth straight Frozen Four after a five-OT win over North Dakota late Saturday night.

Relive the historic night in Colorado! #HornsUp😈 #FrozenFourBound pic.twitter.com/zom09vq2tu

— Minnesota State Hockey (@MavHockey) March 29, 2021