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HomeUniversity newsAthletics newsMen's hockey draws Air Force in NCAA tournament

Men’s hockey draws Air Force in NCAA tournament

Ryan Poehling and Robby Jackson

No. 1 St. Cloud State men’s hockey team (25-8-6) plays Air Force (22-14-5) 3 p.m. CT March 23 in Sioux Falls at the West Regional of the 16-team NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship.

St. Cloud State is the top seed. Air Force is the fourth seed.

St. Cloud State, ranked first in the PairWise Rankings, is the tournament’s top seed. Air Force, which is ranked 27th in the PairWise, earned a tournament berth by winning the Atlantic Hockey playoff championship.

The PairWise Ranking mimics the method used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine participants for the tournament. 

The other West Regional semifinal is 6:30 p.m March 23, featuring second seed Minnesota State, Mankato, and third seed Minnesota Duluth. 

The region final is 8 p.m. March 24. All games are at Denny Sanford Premier Center.

The Frozen Four at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, will feature champions from each of the four regions. The semifinals are April 5. The championship game is April 7.

This is St. Cloud State’s 12th NCAA tournament appearance since 1989. The Huskies earned NCAA berths in 1989, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

In 2013, St. Cloud State won its first regional title at the Midwest Regional in Toledo, advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time. Since 2010, the Huskies are 5-5 in NCAA playoff games under coach Bob Motzko ’89.

Jeff Wood '81 '87 '95
Jeff Wood '81 '87 '95
Living on one Minnesota river or another since 1959.
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