The field of 16 has been set in the race for the Frozen Four and the NCAA Division I National Championship in collegiate hockey.
Among the 16 teams, four teams have ties to the Aberdeen Wings.
Nebraska-Omaha will play Harvard in the Midwest Regionals this weekend in South Bend, Indiana. Former Wings captain and UNO forward Justin Parizek has played in 35 games this season scoring 12 goals and 6 assists. UNO finished 18-12-6 and entered the tournament as a 2nd seed, their highest ever.
Miami University (OH) will also be in the tournament taking on Providence in the East Regional in Providence, Rhode Island. Former Wings defenseman Taylor Richart, a member of Miami (OH), has a goal and 4 assists in 34 games played this season. Miami has been a force this season, going 25-13-1. Miami won the NCHC Tournament Championship against St. Cloud State.
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are no stranger to the tournament, or the Frozen Four, or the National Championship. The Gophers have won 5 National Championships in 11 National Championship appearances. A freshman this season with the Gophers is defenseman Steven Johnson, who played for the Aberdeen Wings in the 2012-2013 season. Johnson has played in only 11 games for Minnesota this season, but the Gophers won the B1G Championship over Michigan. Minnesota will play Minnesota-Duluth in the Northeast Regional in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The fourth team with ties to the Aberdeen Wings is Quinnipiac, the future home of Wings goaltender #35 Andrew Shortridge (G-Eagle River, AK). Shortridge made his Division-I commitment to Quinnipiac earlier this season. Quinnipiac will play the University of North Dakota at the West Regional in Fargo this weekend.