The UMass Minutemen shut out St. Cloud State 5-0 in the Frozen Four Championship in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at PPG Paints Arena. The Minutemen dominated the game to capture their first National Championship. This year's appearence in the NCAA Tournament was only their third and their Frozen Four appearence this year was only their 2nd (2019, 2021). Ever since hiring Greg Carvel in 2016, they have grown their program massively. They won the Hockey East Regular Season in 2019 and made the tournament. They made it to the Frozen Four to face Denver. They beat Denver in an OT thriller to advance and face Minnesota-Duluth where they lost 3-0. They made it back in 2021 by winning the Hockey East Tournament. They then made it through Lake Superior State and Bemidji State to make it to the Frozen Four where they faced defending champs Minnesota-Duluth. They beat them in overtime 3-2 to make the final.
St. Cloud State's tournament appearence theis year was their 15th appearence. St. Cloud State's program has always been very good, but in 2018, after hiring Brett Larson, they have won the 2019 NCHC Regular Season Championships and have made the tournament every year. Their Frozen Four appearence this year was their 2nd appearence. Their first was in 2013 when they made it by upsetting Notre Dame, 5-1 and upsetting Miami, 4-1 to make the Frozen Four. They were stopped though, by Quinnipiac in the Frozen Four, 4-1. Quinnipiac then lost to Yale, 4-0, in the Championship. St. Cloud State made it to the 2021 Frozen Four by beating Boston University, 6-2, and beating Boston College, 4-1. They beat Minnesota State, 5-4, to make the National Championship.
In the final, UMass opened up the game with 2 goals in the first period and countinued their run with 2 in the second period. They then secured a win with a goal in the third period. Filip Lindberg kept the net unharmed by securing the clean sheet with 25 amazing saves. He did really well and I think he was the man that kept UMass in the Frozen Four. The MOP of the Frozen Four was UMass's Bobby Trivigno who scored a goal in the Championship and had two assists in the game against Minnesota-Duluth.
