CCHA Championship match-ups set
With yet another shocking upset, the Bowling Green State Falcons punched their ticket to the Joe, and finalized the match-ups for the 2012 CCHA Championships.
Bowling Green posted a 4-3 win over Ferris State in overtime Sunday night, led by freshman Dan DeSalvo’s natural hat trick – the last of which being the series-deciding goal 2:38 into the extra period.
The University of Michigan swept their series against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, securing their return to the Joe Saturday night. Miami and Western Michigan also recorded sweeps in their quarterfinal match-ups, over Michigan State and Lake Superior, respectively.
Here’s a look at what is coming in the final weekend of the CCHA playoffs:
Friday, March 16
Semifinals
4:35 p.m. – No. 3 Miami vs. No. 2 Western Michigan (TV: FOX Sports Detroit PLUS)
After posting a convincing sweep over Michigan State this weekend, Miami (23-13-2, 15-11-2-1 CCHA) will take on Western Michigan in the first semifinal match-up. The RedHawks will be looking to defend their Mason Cup title from last season. Meanwhile, the team they defeated in last year’s championship game – the Broncos (19-13-6, 14-10-4-4 CCHA) – will be looking for revenge. WMU will be brimming with confidence after a home sweep of Lake Superior to earn their spot in the CCHA semifinals.
8:05 p.m. – No. 4 Bowling Green vs. No. 1 Michigan (TV: FOX Sports Detroit PLUS )
The Falcons (14-23-5, 5-19-4-3 CCHA) continue to shock the hockey world. After bouncing the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the first round, BG took out the CCHA regular-season champion Bulldogs with four unanswered goals to win Game 3. At No. 11 in the CCHA regular-season standings, Bowling Green is the lowest seed in league history to make it to the CCHA Championship. However, they will have some stiff competition in the semifinals. The Wolverines (23-11-4, 15-9-4-1 CCHA) head to the CCHA Championship for the 24th consecutive season after sweeping Notre Dame at home. It’s starting to look like Michigan has hit their stride at just the right time, and are setting up for another run in both the CCHA playoffs, and in the NCAAs.