Toldeo Regional preview

The NCAA hockey tournament is here and it starts with regionals. They are played at multiple sites including Allentown, Fargo, Manchester and Toledo. While all of the regionals have great teams playing one that has some of the best is the Toledo regional.

Any team could come out of here if they get hot and all have been playing great hockey recently.

Let's start by taking a look at the worst-ranked team at the regional the Cornell Big Red. They just snuck in being ranked at 17 in the PairWise by winning the ECAC defeating Clarkson 3-1 to find their way in.

They draw a tough matchup as they will have to face one of the toughest teams in the country Michigan State.

It has been a good season for the Big Red as they have been scoring 3.1 goals per game while opponents have only scored 2.2 goals per game against them. They have an 18-10-6 record on the season.

Cornell’s leading scorer is Ryan Walsh who had 28 points in 34 games. Dalton Bancroft is only two points shy of Walsh’s total with 26 points in 34 games.

It won’t be easy for Cornell as they go up against the Michigan State Spartans. Adam Nightingale has turned this team into a powerhouse and there is plenty of reason why. The Spartans are second in the PairWise only behind Boston College.

A big reason for the Spartans' success has been Hobey Baker finalist Isaac Howard. He has 51 points in 36 games which gives him a huge lead in points. The next closest is Karsen Doorwart who has 29 points.

Along with Howard and all the skills the Spartans have, they have one of the best goalies in College hockey. Trey Augustine has been lights out providing a 19-6-4 record, a 2.01 Goals Against Average and a .927 Save Percentage. These are crazy numbers a big reason Michigan State finds itself at the top of college hockey.

Another Big Ten team finds itself playing in Toledo. After losing to Michigan State in the Big Ten championship the Ohio State Buckeyes get a game close to home against Boston University.

It has been a great season for the Buckeyes as they have a 24-13-2 and are ranked tenth in the PairWise. A major piece of their success has been the Northeastern transfer, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine. He leads the Buckeyes in points with 40 points in 39 games played.

Goaltending has been another positive for Ohio State as Logan Terness has had an outstanding season. He’s posted a 12-9-1 record, 2.27 Goals Against Average and a .925 Save Percentage.

Meeting Ohio State in the first round will be the high-power offense of the Boston University Terriers. They have also had an outstanding season with a 21-13-2 record and are seventh in PairWise.

The Hutson brothers have been dynamic for the Terriers as they are both up there in points. On offense, Quinn Hutson leads the team with 47 points in 34 games. While from the backend Cole Hutson has scored 40 points in 35 games.

Toledo is going to be a tough regional and we will see some of the best matchups there.

Ohio State vs Boston University puck drop is set for 2:00 p.m. today while The puck will drop at 5:30 p.m. on today for Michigan State vs Cornell.

Andrew Matz is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email atm5759@psu.edu.