While the NCAA鈥檚 Madness of March pertains mainly to the hardwood, those who toil in their shadow on ice will have their Final Four moment, too.
The 2013 Frozen Four takes place April 11-13 at the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Consol Energy Center, and Victoria鈥檚 Zack Currie of Quinnipiac aims to be there. The Bobcats (26-6-5), ranked No. 1 in NCAA hockey before being edged to No. 2 last week behind Minnesota, survived a tense double-overtime quarter-final victory Sunday against Cornell to advance to the ECAC semifinals Friday against Brown in Atlantic City.
鈥淒efinitely the Frozen Four is the goal,鈥� said the senior defenceman Currie, by phone, on the eve of the ECAC playoffs.
鈥淲e鈥檝e put ourselves in a very good position with the season we鈥檝e had. We have a very good team.鈥�
Quinnipiac鈥檚 recent NCAA No. 1 ranking was its first in any sport for the school. This is all heady territory for the unassuming school located in the softly undulating countryside at Hamden, sa国际传媒icut.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very cool feeling to bring such a small school to this level,鈥� said Currie, a Claremont Secondary grad who began playing with the Victoria Minor Hockey Association and later switched to the Racquet Club of Victoria.
Quinnipiac鈥檚 big season has been built on its sa国际传媒 Hockey League pipeline, which numbers seven players and includes Cowichan Valley Capitals graduate Currie. Other BCHL grads on the Bobcats are goaltender Michael Garteig and forward Travis St. Denis from the Penticton Vees, defenceman Zach Davies from the of the Prince George Spruce Kings, forward Russell Goodman from the Nanaimo Clippers and forwards and brothers Kellen and Connor Jones from the Vernon Vipers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been an amazing experience the last four years,鈥� added the sports-medicine major, who has eight points and a plus-10 rating in 36 games this season.
The Bobcats roster also includes junior forward Brooks Robinson from Duncan via the Fort McMurray Oil Barons.
