The NCAA will wrap up the playoffs tonight for each respective conference, as they move towards the Frozen Four tournament which will be announced tomorrow afternoon. This should also kickstart more NHL teams signing NCAA free agents, as bubble teams are currently awaiting their fate for next weeks tournament, the most exciting in college hockey.

Last night saw the top two rated teams in the NCAA fall, as both upsets came at the hand of Danny Kristo and Greg Pateryn who's respective clubs were able to advance to their conference championships. The experience for both underclassman should be big, and for Pateryn it will be his second appearance and a chance at revenge after coming out on the losing end to Notre Dame last year.

WCHA

Danny Kristo was named Player of the Game on Thursday night as North Dakota faced Scott Kishel's UMD Bulldogs in the WCHA Final Five. As the 4th seed, North Dakota had home ice over the 5th seed and the winner would have to face the number one seed in Denver on Friday night.

Kristo had a strong game and picked up the primary assist on the second goal late in the 3rd, it was his efforts behind the net and along the boards as well as in front of the net that sealed the game. The speedy winger created chances for his linemates all night and even made a big play in his own end while playing as a defensemen on the PP. Fellow freshman and current roomate Mike Cichy also saw time due to the suspended Matt Frattin. Despite missing most of the 2nd half of the season as a healthy scratch and making his WCHA playoff debut, the coach had him on the 2nd PP unit where he was able to set up a few opportunities.

With the 2-0 win over UMD, the Sioux would now face the top rated team in the NCAA in Denver, a team that they lost to all four meetings this season. Once again Kristo was buzzing around out there and creating chances for his teammates, and it was only a matter of time before it paid dividends in a tight, hard fought game. While on the point on the PP, Kristo was able to keep the play going and go it over to a teammate with a nice pass which led to a goal to make it 3-1 in the final seconds of the 2nd period.

The 4-3 win set the stage for North Dakota to have a shot at winning the WCHA championship tonight against St Cloud St after they defeated Patrick Johnson and Wisconsin. It is unknown if Cichy will dress but even if he doesn't it should continue to be a positive for the freshman to build off.

CCHA

For sophmore Greg Pateryn it's been an up and down season as he missed some games in the 1st half likely due in part to the struggles that Michigan was having in what was a surprisingly poor start to the season after getting the nod as the favorite to win the CCHA in the coaches pre-season poll. Pateryn was able to secure a spot in the lineup in the 2nd half, playing in every game down the stretch and into the playoffs as Michigan swept through the first two rounds.

Last night saw Michigan as a rare underdog against the 2nd rated team in the NCAA in Miami Ohio, but it was all Michigan as they stepped up their game to a new level and the Redhawks just couldn't keep up. Pateryn did take an undiscplined penalty in the 2nd with a cross check to an opposing players throat but his team was able to kill it off. It was a solid game for the Michigan native and now he will have a second chance at winning his first CCHA Championship, as they face rivals Northern Michigan tonight.

Frozen Four Tournament

The Frozen Four Tournament will be announced tomorrow morning, but here's what we do know. Expect Danny Kristo, Mike Cichy, andPatrick Johnson to be there as they should have their ticket's punched to the big dance, since their clubs were ranked in the top 5 in the pairwise rankings (ranking the NCAA uses to pick the 16 teams that make up the Frozen Fours).

Here's what we don't know. For Greg Pateryn it's a win and they are in, as every conference champion gets an auto bid to the FF's, but a loss still could get them an invite as they have climbed up the rankings after being out of the top 20.

On the outside looking in is Scott Kishel and his UMD Bulldogs, as they have dropped out of the top 10 and will need a lot of help tonight in order to get an invite tomorow. It doesn't look good for them but there always tends to be at least one surprise team making it each year. NHL GM's may be keeping an eye on this, as UMD has three undrafted forwards that are coming off big years, Justin Fontaine, Jack Connolly and Mike Connolly, although it's unknown if they plan on leaving school early or not, when they do, they will likely do so with an NHL contract in hand.

Freshman Awards

In the WCHA, Danny Kristo was named the WCHA Rookie of the Year and named to the WCHA All Rookie Team. In the ECAC, Louis Leblanc was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year and to the ECAC All Rookie Team. Last year saw more of the same with Max Pacioretty being named the CCHA Rookie of the Year and to the CCHA All Rookie Team (over new teammate Aaron Palushaj) and Steve Quailer was named to the Hockey East All Rookie team as well as Northeastern's Rookie of the Year.

Habs Sign Hunter Bishop

The Habs have signed Hunter Bishop out of the CCHA after he spent the last two years at Ohio State where he played against Pateryn and Palushaj. Bishop also attended the Habs development camp this past summer so the club must have seen something they liked from him and for the Alaska native opted not to return for his senior year.

Bishop will join the Bulldogs tomorrow as they look to wrap up the regular season before the playoffs get underway. Having some addition depth will help the club and give Head Coach Guy Boucher options, especially with the injury to Pacioretty again (injured his 1st game back from injury) and with both Pyatt and Maxwell in the NHL currently.