Previewing the Fargo region

The Fargo Regional is set. As many projected, it will be Western Michigan, Minnesota, UMass, and Mankato State. This is a unique regional, considering three of the four teams were jammed into the Worcester Regional in 2022, where the Golden Gophers defeated Western Michigan 3–0 to win the region. The seeding is identical from 2022 with Western as the 1 seed followed by Minnesota and UMass as 2-3. The only newbie is Minnesota State who replaces Northeastern from that region and would ultimately beat the winner Minnesota in the frozen four the following game. My initial reaction to this bracket is the coaching, this is a bracket filled with 4 very good coaches with very different styles of play as WMU and Minnesota are much run and gun while Umass and Mankato play with a lot of structure. 

The semifinals start on Thursday, with (27–8) Mankato taking on (30–7) Western Michigan, followed by the nightcap of (25–10) Minnesota taking on (20–13) UMass. The stats indicate that Western is the favorite to take the crown of this region, but I would argue all four teams have a legitimate shot. Heres what each team needs to well to come out of their semifinal.

Western Michigan

The recipe for Western is simple: put pucks in the net and keep feeding Alex Bump the puck. Unfortunately, it’s likely going to take more than that. One of the big keys for Western is that they are going to need good goaltending— all three other teams rank well in scoring offense. The last thing Western wants to do is chase a game against Mankato. The next big key is to get production out of all four lines. Alex Bump isn’t going to be able to do it all himself; he’ll need help from Washe, Constantini, Michaels, and others. If Western can put on an all-around offensive clinic, it’s going to be tough for Mankato to stop them.

The Broncos will meet the Minnesota State Mavericks on Thursday, and it’s an interesting matchup for Western. The Mavericks will rival Western's potent offense with a structured defensive style. The Mavericks don’t boast much offense, but Rhett Pitlick, Josh Groll, and Adam Eisle are players who you need to watch out for. If the Broncos are able to shut down the Pitlick line, the only thing left to do is solve Alex Tracy—but that’s not an easy task. It's worth noting that this will be the Mavericks’ first game this season against a tournament team. Western recipe is very much to score first and don't look back. The longer you let Mankato hang the more the game falls into the Mavericks style.

Keys for the Broncos:

Feed Bump the puck:  If Bump gets going, it’s game over.

Goaltending: Broncos need solid goaltending, you can't let Mankato into the game.

Get output from all four lines: Big games from guys like Washe, Constantini, and Michaels will help, as a lot of attention will be spent defending Bump.

Solve Alex Tracy:  Alex Tracy is the truth. Getting pucks past him will not be an easy job; it might take greasy goals.

Minnesota

There’s a lot of people who don’t know what to think about the Gophers. Starting the season 15–2, they looked to be the best team in the country and at one point the highest-scoring team in the country. But the Gophers hit a rough patch come Christmas and are 10–8 with a handful of shootout losses since. The big question comes from the loss to Notre Dame that has kept the Gophers idle for the past 17 days. How will they respond with that much off time? The Gophers have the best roster of the four teams in Fargo and when on their game are the biggest threat to Western Michigan. Things I think need to go right for them to head to St. Louis start with the need to get Snuggerud going. Jimmy hasn’t had a dominant March in any of his three seasons with the Gophers, with only one point in six games. A Snuggerud takeover is the last thing any of the goalies would want to see. 

More players to watch will be Connor Kurth, Oliver Moore and Matthew Wood up front and Sam Rinzel and Cal Thomas on the blue line. Rinzel’s offense has gone a little quiet since the first half, but a scoring threat on the blue line can make a big impact. In my opinion, the biggest key for the Gophers is goaltending. Whether it’s Airey or Souliere, they are going to need to be big, allowing teams to stay in games due to poor decision making or bad rebounds will end Minnesota's season. One of the biggest aspects of Minnesota's game to watch is how they come out. Anyone who has watched this team get hot this year knows that there isn't a better team in the country when that happens. If this team gets going, they are my pick to come out of this region and I believe they’ll be a legitimate threat in St. Louis. The Gophers will meet UMass for the second time in four seasons on Thursday. It will be a good test for a team looking to reestablish its identity after an embarrassing series vs. Notre Dame. UMass boasts Cole O’Hara, who, like Jimmy Snuggerud, has 22 goals on the season. The Gophers being able to shut down Trivigno in 2022 was key, and it will be the same with O’Hara on Thursday. Both UMass and Minnesota have been very hit or miss this season, curious to see which teams show up, a high scoring game favors the Gophers and a low scoring grease fest favors the Minutemen. Here are some keys for the Gophers to advance to the regional final.

Keys for the Gophers:

Stay out of the box: The Gophers have one of the worst penalty kills in the country. You can’t give teams momentum by allowing a PPG.

Utilize your weapons: The Gophers need offensive output from Kurth, Snuggerud, Wood, Moore, and Ziemer. They have a lot of options. Snuggerud needs to get going; he has only one point in six NCAA tournament games.

Goaltending: I assume Liam Souliere will be the starter Thursday. His last outing was a night he probably wants back. Liam has the ability to be an excellent goalie and is very smart. A couple of redemption performances from him could propel the team forward.

Shut down Cole O’Hara: O’Hara can put the puck in the net from anywhere on the ice. Shut him down.

Wear the Notre Dame loss: Use that series as motivation. You just embarrassed yourself in front of the entire college hockey landscape. Prove the doubters wrong—because there are a lot of them.

Score first:  I’d argue this is the most important key. Play from in front. Time and time again, when this team plays from behind, they lose rationality and try to force plays that don't exist.

UMass

The UMass Minutemen have put together a solid 2024–25 season, finishing with a 20–13–5 record and earning a spot as the 3-seed in the Fargo Region. Known for their gritty style and strong team chemistry, the Minutemen have leaned on key players like forward Cole O’Hara, goaltender Michael Hrabal, and sophomore Aydar Suniev to push through a competitive Hockey East schedule. Their defensive discipline and ability to capitalize on special teams have made them a tough matchup throughout the year. Now preparing to face Minnesota, UMass will need to rely on balanced scoring, strong goaltending, and smart, physical play to continue their postseason run. With a mix of veteran leadership and young talent, the Minutemen are poised to make some noise on the national stage. This group is built differently than the 2021 title team. They rely more on structure, goaltending, and grit than star power—but make no mistake, they can compete with anyone. The biggest question heading into Thursday’s game is whether goaltender Michael Hrabal can hold up under pressure. Minnesota is an offense-heavy team, ranking third in the country in scoring offense and taking a high volume of shots. Hrabal has been fantastic in stretches this year and has the potential to be a game-changer if he’s locked in. Up front, Cole O’Hara has taken a big step forward, notching 22 goals on the year and becoming the go-to guy in clutch moments. If UMass is going to pull off the upset, O’Hara needs to be buzzing, and the Minutemen need to slow the pace, defend hard, and make Minnesota uncomfortable. They did it to higher seeds in 2021—they're built to do it again.

Keys for UMass:

Slow the tempo and limit Minnesota’s transition game: Minnesota plays a fast style of hockey. Slowing down their transition game will make it harder for them to generate offense.

Capitalize on the power play: Minnesota's PK ranks near the bottom of the league. UMass can use this to swing momentum and take control.

Michael Hrabal: The Gophers take a lot of shots and have a very high octane offense. Hrabal and his defense need a big game to keep them out of the net.

Win the Net-Front Battles (Both Ends): UMass doesn’t have the elite firepower that Minnesota does, so they’ll need to generate chaos in front of the Gophers' net to create second-chance opportunities. At the same time, they’ll need to clear traffic in front of Hrabal to let him see pucks cleanly. 

Minnesota State – Mankato

There’s nothing flashy about Minnesota State, and that’s exactly what makes them dangerous. Year after year, the Mavericks build teams that are hard to play against and even harder to eliminate and the 2024–25 squad fits that mold perfectly. With a 27–8–3 record and another Mason Cup in the trophy room, the Mavericks are an interesting 4-seed as they come in with the second-best record of all four teams but draw the 4-seed purely due to pairwise implications. This is a Mavericks team that’s surprised a lot of people, including myself—I had them picked second-to-last in my preseason Minnesota rankings. The late addition of Rhett Pitlick has helped this team tremendously. Their stat line isn’t as shiny as Western’s or Minnesota’s, but they are no pushover. They also have one of the best goalies in the country in Alex Tracy. While the Mavericks don’t have the offensive firepower to match Western, they do boast a highly structured, defense-first style backed by elite goaltending. The Mavericks will meet Western Michigan for the first time ever on Thursday. To beat WMU, they’ll need a shutdown performance. The Mavericks don't want to get into a shootout with Western but if they can keep the Broncos offense limited, I like their odds. Coach Luke Strand has this team humming at the right time and while they may not be the loudest team in the bracket, nobody wants to see Mankato on their side of the region. I think they are a legitimate threat to Western and maybe even the entire region.

Keys for the Mavs:

Limit Time and Space for Alex Bump: Western’s offense runs through Bump he’s lethal with time and space. The Mavericks need to play him tight, shadow him physically, and force him into the boards as much as possible. Taking away his passing lanes and keeping him off the rush will disrupt Western’s flow.

Alex Tracy: Tracy is the backbone of this team. He’ll need a big performance against Western.

Groll, Eisele, Pitlick: This is the Mavericks most potent lines, they need to generate offense to keep pace. Pitlick has the ability to change the game, we saw it with the Gophers, and we’re seeing it again at Mankato. Getting him going strengthens the whole line.

Get WMU out of rhythm: Whether it’s aggressive backchecking or physicality, Mankato needs to throw Western off its game.

Score first and early: Getting WMU to chase the game opens it up for the Mavericks. Western relies on high-octane offense, getting them down early will allow Mankato to get some control.

Stay Disciplined: WMU’s power play can be lethal if they start buzzing. Avoiding stick penalties and retaliation calls will be crucial. Mankato’s PK is good, but you don’t want to test Western’s man-advantage more than you have to.

Semifinal Predictions: 

It's hard to pick against the Broncos, and I won't be now. I like everything that WMU has to offer. They rank top 10 in almost every team statistic and have offensive firepower. I think the Mavericks also have every ability to win this game, but the path is much harder, it will need to run through a defensive shut down which is not easy to do against Western. I do think this game will be close for a majority, but I have WMU walking away late.

WMU 4

MSU 2

I have a hard time picking against Minnesota. I feel like a lot of things will need to go wrong for the Gophers with all the talent they have. I can see them coming out hot and using the Notre Dame series as motivation. If being embarrassed by Notre Dame doesn't motivate these Gophers to come out hot and take over, then we are looking at a bigger problem. I like the Gophers winning 3-1 

UMN 3

UMASS 1

It will be a great set of games on Thursday, I will touch back once the championship game is set. I truly need to see all 4 teams play before I can make a pick for a champion. We will see who comes out on top on Thursday.