The connections between the four teams set to play in the men's Frozen Four semifinals are undeniable, starting with Thursday night's first semifinal game between Ohio State and Minnesota-Duluth.
The Bulldogs, last year's national runner up, needed significant help to get into the NCAA tournament. The last domino to fall was actually a Notre Dame overtime victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten final. That allowed the Bulldogs to sneak into the last at-large spot, thanks to a RPI rating .0001 better than that of University of Minnesota.