The 2008 NCAA Frozen Four will take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado next month. However, the tournament starts with sixteen teams playing in 4 regional brackets, essentially in hockey, we start at the Sweet 16.

Michigan, winners of the CCHA regular season and the Mason Cup,  is the #1 overall seed, playing in the East region. The Wolverines will play CHA Champion #4 Niagara. The winner of that game will play the winner of #2 St. Cloud State/ #3 Clarkson. The East regional will be played in Albany, NY.

After losing the Hockey East Tournament in the semi-finals in triple overtime, New Hampshire was able to hold on to a #1  seed, but will have to go all the way out to Colorado Springs, to the home rink of the #2 seed Colorado College. UNH drew Notre Dame while CC will play defending champion Michigan State. Also, real disadvantage that UNH has is that their game will be played at 1:00 a.m. EDT

The northeast region features 4 interesting teams. #1 seed Miami, OH will play AHA champion Air Force, who nearly beat Minnesota in the 1st round last year. The other match up pits #2 Boston College, winners of Hockey East against #3 Minnesota, who made an improbably run to the WCHA final, after finishing 7th in the WCHA regular season. These games will be played in Worcester, MA.

The Midwest region might be the most interesting region of the four. #1 North Dakota, who beat Colorado College in the WCHA 3rd-place game for the right to be a #1 seed, will play Princeton who won the ECAC for the first time in 10 years. #2 seed Denver, winners of the WCHA Final Five, will play #3 Wisconsin. Questions have been raised about the viability of Wisconsin’s inclusion in the tournament, as they are below .500, but are hosting the tournament in Madison.

A lot of WCHA fans such as I felt that Minnesota State (formerly Minnesota-Mankato) belonged in the tournament over Wisconsin. Minnesota State played Minnesota at Mankato in a 3-game set for the right to play in the WCHA Final Five, and I think it was probably the best 3-game series I’ve ever seen. All 3 games went to over time, two of them deep into double overtime with Minnesota winning games 2 and 3 at Mankato to win the series.

The tournament starts Friday, all the regional games are on ESPNU.