Latest news, weather, high school sports for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Courtesy:  NMU

The Northern Michigan University hockey team is back in the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship for the first time since 1999.  NMU (20-12-8), the No. 3 seed in the West Regional at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. will face No. 2 seed St. Cloud State (23-13-5) of the WCHA Friday, March 16 at 5:30 p.m. The Wildcats are appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time overall.

Wisconsin the No. 1 seed will play No. 4 seed Vermont at 9 p.m. Friday.  The West Regional Championship will be played Saturday, March 27 at 9 p.m.

Fans interested in going to St. Paul, Minn. to catch the Northern Michigan University hockey team in action at the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship West Regional at the Xcel Energy Center can purchase tickets or get a seat on the fan bus.

Tickets for the regional are available at the NMU Ticket Office in the Superior Dome until Wednesday, March 24 at 10 a.m.  All tickets are $94, which would be good for all three games.  For more information contact the NMU Ticket Office at 906-227-1032.

A fan bus will be making the trip Friday morning (March 26) and returning Saturday (March 27).  The trip would include round-trip transportation, a ticket to the weekend’s games and a hotel room.  The price would vary depending on the hotel room occupancy (single $320, double $235, triple $207 and quad $193).

Friday, March 26
5:30 p.m. (Eastern) – NMU vs. St. Cloud State
9 p.m. (Eastern) – Wisconsin vs. Vermont

Saturday, March 27
9 p.m. (Eastern) – Regional Championship

For more information or to reserve your room contact Bridget Berube (906-227-2371) or bbeerman@nmu.edu.

The dates, sites, times (Eastern) and pairings of this year’s championship are as follows:

East Regional, March 26-27
Times Union Center, Albany, N. Y.
March 26, 3:00 p.m.        No. 1 Denver (27-9-4) vs. No. 4 Rochester Institute of Technology (26-11-1) - ESPNU HD
March 26, 6:30 p.m.        No. 2 Cornell (21-8-4) vs. No. 3 New Hampshire (17-13-7) -  ESPNU HD
March 27, 6:30 p.m.        East Regional Championship - ESPNU HD

West Regional, March 26-27
Excel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn.
March 26, 5:30 p.m.        No. 2 St. Cloud State (23-13-5) vs. No. 3 Northern Michigan (20-12-8) - ESPN Syndication HD/ESPN360.com  (ESPNU tape delay – Friday, March 26, 11:30 p.m. Eastern) 
March 26, 9 p.m.              No. 1 Wisconsin (25-10-4) vs. No. 4 Vermont (17-14-7) - ESPNU HD
March 27, 9 p.m.              West Regional Championship - ESPNU HD

Midwest Regional, March 27-28
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Ft. Wayne, Ind.  
March 27, 4 p.m.              No. 1 Miami (27-7-7) vs. No. 4 Alabama-Huntsville (12-17-3) - ESPNU
March 27, 7:30 p.m.        No. 2 Bemidji State (23-9-4) vs. No. 3 Michigan (25-17-1) - ESPN Syndication/ESPN360.com (ESPNU tape  delay – Saturday, March 27, 11:30 p.m. Eastern)
March 28, 8 p.m.              Midwest Regional Championship - ESPNU

Northeast Regional, March 27-28
DCU Center, Worcester, Mass.
March 27, 1:30 p.m.        No. 1 Boston College (25-10-3) vs. No. 4 Alaska Fairbanks (18-11-9) - ESPN Syndication/ESPN360.com (ESPNU  tape delay – Sunday, March 28, 9:30 a.m. Eastern)
March 27, 5 p.m.              No. 2 North Dakota (25-12-5) vs. No. 3 Yale (20-9-3) - ESPN Syndication/ESPN360.com (ESPNU tape delay Sunday, March 28, noon Eastern)
March 28, 5:30 p.m.        Northeast Regional Championship - ESPNU

Men’s Frozen Four, April 8 and 10
Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
Thursday, April 8, 5:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.            ESPN2 HD/ESPN360.com (order of games TBD)
Midwest Regional Champion vs. Northeast Regional Champion
East Regional Champion vs. West Regional Champion

Saturday, April 10, 7 p.m.                                              ESPN HD/ESPN360.com
National Championship