Beecher Looking Forward to Frozen Four Appearance at TD Garden

BOSTON- Barely a day away from his first-ever NCAA Frozen Four appearance, Bruins prospect John Beecher finally got to see TD Garden for the first time on Tuesday - the same day as his 21st birthday.
"This was actually my first time at the Garden, yesterday when we arrived," Beecher said Wednesday after practice on Causeway Street, where the Wolverines are using the Bruins' dressing room for the week. "Just never really had the chance to get here before. Just walking in and seeing it…obviously it's a beautiful facility, and there's so much history in it.
"Stepping out to practice, I was almost a little nervous, but it was so cool just to get out there and skate around a little bit and get a good practice in."

Beecher, Boston's first-round draft pick (30th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, is in his junior year at Michigan. Through three seasons, the 6-foot-3, 209-pound forward has played in 80 games with 19 goals, 20 assists, and 39 points for his career.
So far this season, Beecher has played in 33 games with six goals and nine assists for 15 points. His last point was an assist on Michigan's final goal in the NCAA Midwest Regional, solidifying Michigan's 5-3 win over American International College and a chance to play in the Midwest Regional Final.
Beecher and the Wolverines, who are 31-9-1 this season, will face Denver at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 7 at TD Garden in the first game of the 2022 Frozen Four Tournament. The game is Michigan's 86th NCAA Tournament appearance, with its last national title coming in 1998 - 24 years ago in the same building, which was then called the FleetCenter.
"It's crazy," Beecher said. "You look up in Yost and see all the national championship banners, and obviously we want to add to the history ourselves and be part of the history books. Our assistant coach, Bill Muckalt, he was here in '98 when they won it. I know it's extremely special to him, coming back and seeing it all unfold from a different lens. Everybody couldn't be more excited to be here and get ready to play."
Almost two weeks have passed since Michigan's last game, a 7-4 win over Quinnipiac in the Midwest Regional Final to punch their ticket to the Frozen Four. Despite the time in between games, the Wolverines have been focusing on practice and dialing in before their trip to Boston.
And even though the trip marks Beecher's first visit to TD Garden, it's also the next step in his college career - one he's been looking forward to since he was a kid.
"It's one of those things you watch as a young kid growing up - it's like World Juniors, you know?" Beecher said. "It's one of those next steps in the whole process. To finally be here and to put it into action is unbelievable.
"I was texting with my dad the other day, and we were just kind of saying how, 15 years ago, we couldn't even imagine it. I'm so excited to be here."