Four Canadiens prospects featured in NCAA Tournament

MONTREAL - Four Canadiens prospects will be competing in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, which gets underway with regional action later on this week.

The first Habs hopeful to hit the ice will be 20-year-old centerman Brett Stapley, a freshman at the University of Denver.
Stapley and the Pioneers will play Ohio State to open the West Regional on Friday afternoon at Scheels Arena in Fargo, ND.
Then, Ryan Poehling and top-ranked St. Cloud State will battle American International in Fargo as well.
The 20-year-old centerman wasn't in uniform for the Huskies' most recent outing over the weekend after suffering an injury in last Friday's NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinal against Colorado College.
He will be evaluated on Monday, according to media reports out of Minnesota.
On Saturday afternoon, goaltender Cayden Primeau and defenseman Jordan Harris will be in action for Northeastern University against Cornell in the East Regional at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI.

The East Regional also features Providence and Minnesota State.
Sixteen teams will be taking part in the NCAA Tournament, which is played in a single elimination format.
The winners of each of the four regionals will advance to the Frozen Four at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo scheduled for April 11-13.
For further information on the 2019 NCAA Tournament,
click here
.
Locker room connections
Goaltender Charlie Lindgren will be paying close attention to St. Cloud State's run in North Dakota.
Lindgren spent three seasons between the pipes with the Huskies before turning pro and joining the Canadiens' fold.
Last week, we detailed the 25-year-old Lakeville, MN native's desire to see his former squad win a national title this time around.

For his part, Matthew Peca will surely be cheering his beloved Quinnipiac University on.
Peca played four seasons for the Bobcats, registering four consecutive 30-point campaigns.
He also made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament along the way, and reached the Frozen Four in 2013.
Quinnipiac will be competing in the Midwest Regional at the PPL Center in Allentown, PA, and will square off against Arizona State on Saturday night.
Brendan Gallagher will undoubtedly be interested in the outcome of the Quinnipiac - Arizona State matchup as well.
His cousin, Dylan Hollman, is a forward for the Sun Devils, who put up 12 goals and 19 points in 34 games this season.
This will be Arizona State's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament after joining the Division I ranks just four years ago.