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Best College Hockey Bets Today: Expert Frozen Four Picks for April 10-12
The Frozen Four will begin Thursday, April 10 in St. Louis with a matchup between Denver and Western Michigan at 5:00 p.m. ET followed by a meeting between Penn State and Boston University at 8:30 p.m. ET. The winners will battle for the National Championship on Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET. All games will be available to watch on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Denver -- the defending National Champion -- and Boston University are blue bloods with a combined 45 Frozen Four appearances and 15 National Championships. Penn State and Western Michigan are heading to the Frozen Four for the first time in their program histories. We'll put together a handful of bets and parlays to get you ready for an excellent weekend of college hockey. Let's get started.
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Denver Pioneers vs. Western Michigan Broncos
Denver (31-11-1) and Western Michigan (32-7-1) meet for the fourth time this season. Western Michigan has won two of those games, including the NCHC Championship. Each game was decided by one goal, with two of the clashes going to overtime. To make it to the Frozen Four, Denver defeated Providence and top-ranked Boston College. Western Michigan defeated Minnesota State in double overtime and Massachusetts.
Goaltending has been outstanding among all four finalists, but Denver's senior Matt Davis and Western Michigan's freshman Hampton Slukynsky (Kings) have reigned supreme. Davis has registered a .970 save percentage in the tournament compared to Slukynsky's .966 mark, each allowing just two total goals through two games. While Davis has experience on his side with last year's National Championship, Slukynsky has looked unfazed by the spotlight as a 19-year-old, possibly drawing on his experience from winning the Clark Cup Championship (USHL) last season.
While the goaltenders look poised to steal the show, it's hard to overstate how dominant these offenses are. Denver leads the country with 4.0 goals per game, and Western Michigan sits second with 3.95. Denver ranks third in the country with a 29.1 power-play percentage. Western Michigan sits sixth at 25.9 percent.
Jack Devine (57 points) and Aidan Thompson (54 points) maintain the top two spots on the nation's scoring list, but Denver's offense garners elite status because of sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium, who was selected No. 12 by the Wild in the 2024 NHL Draft. The pick looks like grand larceny every time Buium steps onto the ice, as the 19-year-old has compiled 24 goals and 98 points through 82 college games. Buium and Devine are two of the 10 Hobey Baker Award finalists.
Western Michigan forward Alex Bump (Flyers) appears to be a Hobey Baker snub after piling on 23 goals -- eighth in the country -- and 47 points through 40 games. The 20-year-old is the only 20-goal scorer on the team -- Denver has three -- but six other skaters have at least 10 scores. The Broncos need Bump to win this game, but fifth-year senior Tim Washe -- who has seven goals and 14 points over the last 10 games -- is one to keep an eye on.
When elite goaltending meets elite offenses, something has to give. Through three contests during the regular season, goaltending has earned the edge with 5.0 combined goals per game during regulation. Both goaltenders have proven to be calm under pressure, and while these two teams are familiar with each other, we should expect some slight nerves among the skaters now that there's truly no safety net. This will allow the goaltenders to establish themselves early, and each side's shutdown defense should shine. Ultimately, Denver's ability to stymie Boston College's stacked offense gives me confidence that this group will move on to Saturday in a low-scoring affair.
- Denver ML (-132 at Fanduel Sportsbook)
- Under 6 Goals (-110 Fanduel Sportsbook)
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Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Boston University Terriers
Penn State (22-13-4) and Boston University (23-13-2) will face off against each other for the first time in history.
Penn State lost its first eight Big Ten games en route to a 6-9 record to begin the season. The Nittany Lions turned the page, however, going 16-4-4 the rest of the way and eventually advancing out of the Allentown Regional following wins over two Hockey East programs -- fourth-ranked Maine and seventh-ranked UConn.
Boston University's season is littered with huge wins in Hockey East and a few head-scratching losses. They overcame a sluggish start in the first round of the Toledo Regional to put forth a decisive 8-3 win over Ohio State before winning a 3-2 overtime thriller against Cornell to advance to their third straight Frozen Four.
The Nittany Lions will start junior goaltender Arsenii Sergeev (Flames) in net. Sergeev endured some rough patches early in the season and had the occasional dud in the second half, but the Russian netminder has stood tall this tournament with a .958 save percentage. On the other end of the ice, fellow countryman Mikhail Yegorov (Devils) will start for the Terriers. Yegorov is an interesting case, as he joined the Terriers in January after starting the season in the USHL. Since joining the team, Yegorov quickly won the starting job and has been remarkable, producing a .931 save percentage and a 2.04 GAA through 16 games.
Outside of Denver, Penn State sophomore forward Aiden Fink (Predators) is the only Hobey Baker finalist still playing. The Calgary product has generated 23 goals and 30 assists through 39 games. Fink and linemate Reese Laubach -- the Sharks prospect who has 30 points this year -- have no goals over the past seven games, but sophomore forward Matt DiMarsico has picked up the slack with seven goals and three assists in that stretch. That has been Penn State's mantra this year, evidenced by having seven skaters with at least 12 goals.
Boston University has 13 draft picks on its team compared to Penn State's three. NHL teams make picks based on potential, so it doesn't tell the whole story, but this BU team is polished with transcendent upside. Junior forward Quinn Hutson and freshman forward Cole Eiserman each have 23 goals, and defenseman Cole Hutson -- St. Louis native and brother of Lane and Quinn -- leads all blueliners with 14 goals and is second (behind Buium) with 46 points.
Boston University looked uninspired through the first two periods of the first round before breaking the game open in a convincing fashion during the third period. They tightened up their defense against Cornell, but their overtime win could've easily gone the other way. Meanwhile, Penn State has looked hungry all tournament, controlling the first two rounds despite their struggles in figuring out UConn goalie Callum Tung. While sleepwalking through part of a tournament game is concerning for BU, they learned their lesson quickly. Their talent is undeniable, their goaltending is steadier, and they've been there before. I'm rolling with the Terriers in a high-scoring affair.
- Boston University -1.5 (+154 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Over 6.5 (-110 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Final Prediction: Denver over Boston University
It's exciting to see Western Michigan and Penn State make the tournament for the first time, but there's no substitute for experience. Denver goaltender Matt Davis will end up as the tournament MVP, as I'm predicting Davis will win the goaltending battle in the final.
- Denver over Western Michigan (3-2)
- Boston University over Penn State (5-2)
- Denver over Boston University (2-1 OT)
Best Frozen Four Parlays Today
4-Leg College Hockey Super Parlay (+1,103 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Boston University -1.5 (+154) vs. Penn State
- Over 6.5 (-12) - Boston University vs. Penn State
- Denver ML (-132) vs. Western Michigan
- Under 6 Goals (-110) - Denver vs. Western Michigan
Team Futures - National Champion
- Denver (+200 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Western Michigan (+280 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Boston University (+280 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Penn State (+400 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
