DI Final 4 Is Set

At the conclusion of Friday night, twenty teams have been sent packing and only four teams can claim they have made the Division I Semi-Finals. Neumann, Michigan State, Lindenwood and UNLV round out this years Final Four. 

The Neumann Knights are on a quest to bring home a National Championship to Aston, PA.  They reached the Final Four by knocking off  an Eastern Michigan Eagles squad 8-4 in Friday night’s Elite 8 Matchup. The Eagles had momentum heading into the Elite 8 after three impressive performances in a row, including a comeback tie against UNLV and victories over both UC Santa Barbara and Hofstra.  However, they struggled to carry it into Friday night’s game. Neumann jumped out to a 4-1 lead on the backs of two freshmen, Brandon Boyle and Shane Fox and never looked back. The third period was full of penalties and goals, but both teams kept their heads and finished off what was a great effort by two very strong teams.  Neumann will advance to their first DI Final Four in program history. The Knights have three DII National Championship banners, winning in 2005, 2006 and 2008.

The Knights will play MCRHL powerhouse Michigan State, who used an 8-3 victory over UC Santa Barbara to advance. The Spartans’ early start, a 2-0 lead after one period, was the difference maker in whether UCSB would be able to climb back into the game. A 3-1 game heading into the 3rd, MSU and UCSB traded goals before Mike Paraskevin and Zach Paul both found the net just 11 seconds apart. With a 4 goal deficit to make up and only half a period to go, the Gauchos from California’s Central Coast picked up the pace and had quite a few chances, but Jason Stross continued to come up big for Michigan State, and the Spartans skated away with the victory. This marks the Spartan's 8th DI Final Four Appearance.

After a near collapse against Arizona State, Lindenwood came out with something to prove against Long Beach State. From the drop of the puck, Lindenwood controlled the game and the scoreboard reflected that. The Lions scored six unanswered goals and never gave Long Beach a chance to get back into the game. Lindenwood cruised through the rest of the game, eventually finishing off Long Beach by a score of 9-3. Lindenwood is the winningest program in NCRHA history and they look to add to their trophy case stating tomorrow.

Lindenwood had to wait to hear who their oppononet would be.  Their matchup would be determined from “The Rematch”: UNLV vs Bethel. Clearly, the intensity matched last years National Champion game but the outcome was slightly different. UNLV’s Austin Shannon took over this game scoring their first two goals and helped the Runnin‘ Rebels jump out to a 4-0 lead. The Wildcats did everything in their power to get back into the game but goaltender Travis Barendt slammed the door on a Bethel come back, saving 19 of 22 shots. UNLV went on to win by a score of 6-3. UNLV has now made consecutive Final Four appearances for the first time in school history.