HAMDEN, Conn. - Going into the Frozen Four, the centre of the college hockey world may very well be around New Haven, Connecticut.
Rivals Quinnipiac and Yale, whose campuses are less than 10 miles from each other down Interstate 91, make up half of the schools playing for the NCAA championship.
Quinnipiac (29-7-5), the top-ranked team in the nation, takes on St. Cloud State in one national semifinal next Thursday.
Yale (20-12-3), upset winners of the West Region championship, faces UMass-Lowell (28-10-2) in the other game in Pittsburgh.
A meeting for the national championship would be their fourth game this season. Quinnipiac won the other three.
Goalie Eric Hartzel says the Bobcats are thrilled to see their ECAC rivals in the Frozen Four, because that means more respect for their conference.