Frozen Four: UMass should get past Denver

If the Minutemen play to their potential, they should be moving on to Saturday’s national championship game. (Getty Images)

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ever since the University of Massachusetts announced its arrival as one of the top teams in college hockey this season, there’s been little doubt the Minutemen could make noise at the Frozen Four.

“Obviously, it's very special. (Head coach Greg Carvel) touched on it. Coming into this year, we knew we had a special group. I think it's a credit to everybody on our team coming to the rink every day knowing and wanting to work hard and make everybody else better,” said Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist Cale Makar.

Despite being a historically underwhelming program, this year’s version of the Minutemen are different. They’ll look to continue that narrative on Thursday night when they take on Denver, one of the greatest college hockey programs of all time.

While Denver and its eight national championships, including the latest one in 2017, might seem like a daunting task, UMass is the better team. If the Minutemen play to their potential, they should be moving on to Saturday’s national championship game against the winner of the other semifinal between Minnesota Duluth and Providence.