Union's Road to Frozen Four

While March Madness, NCAA Basketball's Championship Tournament is going on, the NCAA Hockey Championship is about to begin. And the road to the Frozen Four began in Atlantic City this weekend.

Saturday night in Atlantic City at the Boardwalk Hall, the NCAA Division I Hockey ECAC (Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) Conference Championship took place, with the winner advancing to the big dance. Union College (the Dutchmen) 21-12-5, 4th in the conference, defeated Brown University 16-14-6, 7th (the Bears) in the ECAC Finals 3-1. Union got off to a 2-0 lead after the 1st period, and then when they increased their lead to 3-0 they went into shutdown mode, securing their 2nd title in as many years. Union's road to the Finals went through the 5th seeded Dartmouth and the 3rd placed Yale, while Brown upset both the 2nd seeded Rensselaer and then the 1st place Quinnipiac advancing to the Finals for the first time since 1993.

As Union successfully defended their title, they automatically advanced to the annual NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournament. Two years ago they made it to the tournament for their first time in team history, while last year they advanced to the Frozen Four, before being upset by Ferris State University.

The 5 division winners automatically make the tournament, while the other 11 spots get invites based on their season.

Flyers Connection:

The Philadelphia Flyers have a close connection with the ECAC and Union College. Philadelphia recently signed St. Lawrence University forward Kyle Flanagan to a 1 year entry level contract starting next season. Flanagan, 24, scored 15 goals and 32 assists in 35 games. The 5'9" 170lbs center, who captained the Saints, scored 46 goals and 101 assists in 134 games in his 4 year collegiate career. Flanagan was selected as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given out to the league's top collegiate player. He will immediately be assigned to the Adirondack Phantoms for an amateur try-out. Kyle Flanagan is eligible to play for the AHL since his team, St. Lawrence University, lost to Yale in the playoffs officially ending their season.

The Flyers connection continues for Union College as the starting defensive pair is sophomore Shayne Gostisbehere (Goss-tis-bear), the Flyers 2012 3rd round draft pick and senior Greg Coburn, Braydon's younger brother. Gostisbehere, who recently became the first player ever for Union College to be selected to play for the United States at the World Junior Championship, has scored 7 goals and 25 points in 34 games with Union this season. The 19 year old, who is 5'11" 160lbs, registered 2 points, 10 shots and was a +4 in 6 games as he helped team USA win Gold at the World Junior Championship in Russia in January.

Shayne Gostisbehere then came back to Union College and helped the Dutchmen successfully defend their title against Brown University this weekend in Atlantic City winning 3-1.

Union College, who advanced to the Frozen Four (Final Four teams out of the 16 team tournament) for the first time in their history last year, will be the 3rd seed in the East Regional Division.

Shayne Gostisbehere and Greg Coburn will help Union as they will face off against the defending Champion 2nd seeded Boston College, Saturday March 30th at 9PM. The tournament is single elimination.

The 2013 NCAA Hockey Championship Tournament begins March 29th and the Frozen Four is scheduled for April 11th and 13th

More Information:

• For more information on the NCAA Hockey Championship Tournament: CLICK HERE
• For more information about Shayne Gostisbehere: CLICK HERE
• For more information on Kyle Flanagan: CLICK HERE