NCAA: Frozen Four Final

The Michigan State Spartans, led by the heroics of Justin Abdelkader, are the NCAA National Champions after defeating the Boston College Eagles 3-1, in the final of the Frozen Four. To reach the final, the Spartans defeated the Maine Black Bears, while Boston College beat the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. McKeen's reviews several players from both the Spartans and the Eagles who had a significant impact this season.

MICHIGAN STATE

The National Champions showed great courage battling back late in the third with a come from behind 3-1 victory over Boston College on the strength of the strong play of Justin Abdelkader and Tim Kennedy. Goaltender Jeff Lerg was also exceptional in net.

Justin Abdelkader (Det), C, Michigan State

Michigan State's best player came up big in the clutch with the game-winning goal in the National Championship game with 18 seconds left in the third .. possesses an elegant stride that is long and powerful .. top gear is decent but his acceleration is top-notch .. threat to score or create, as he owns a quickly released snap/slapshots that have decent velocity and accuracy .. owns a good one-timer .. sees the ice well and is an above average playmaker .. big kid who is gritty and physical especially on the forecheck .. reliable two-way player who plays a pro-style game and plays in all situations .. possible candidate to be signed but patience is probably the best practice with Justin, as he can develop into a second or third-line center.

Jeff Lerg (FA), G, Michigan State

Was brilliant in goal and the backbone for the underdog Michigan State Spartans, as they knocked over higher-seeded teams throughout the tournament .. type of goaltender players love to play for, as he is a great person with a big heart and tremendous courage .. lateral movement is amazing, as he can fly across the ice almost instantly .. displayed his elite-lateral quickness on a 2-1 late in the third period, as he flew across the crease before hitting the splits to make a brilliant glove save on Brian Boyle to keep his team in the game .. showed he can rise to the occasion playing his best in the big games .. possesses a great glove and very quick legs .. athletic and aggressive in goal and plays an unorthodox style .. challenges shooters well .. size is the main issue, as he is only 5-foot-6 and 160 pounds but recent Islander success story Wade Dubielewicz gives goaltenders like Lerg hope .. should be a great asset to some organization at the AHL level but he might make a fine backup some day in the NHL if he continues to overcome his size.

Tim Crowder (Pit), RW, Michigan State

Skating is the main concern, as he has a hunched-over stride along with heavy feet .. has soft hands and is strong on the puck .. has a few quick and deft in-close moves and does a good job using his long reach and big frame to shield the puck .. goes to the net and most of his goals from close range .. sees the ice adequately and can keep the play moving with a pass but lacks the top-end vision and creativity to thread the needle through traffic, as he elects for the safe pass to the point on most occasions .. owns a decent shot and release .. plays on the penalty kill and does a good job marking his man .. can be physical but given his size, he needs to do this more often.

Tim Kennedy (Buf), F, Michigan State

The MVP of the championship game .. made a great individual effort to tie the game in the third with a nice rush from the blueline where he showed his quickness and a rapid release .. helped set up the winner with a slick escape move behind the net before making a nice pass to Justin Abdelkader in front .. can create something out of nothing and has a knack for coming up with big plays offensively .. quick and agile skater with a deceptive change of gear and impressive lateral speed .. possesses soft hands with some slippery and shifty moves to avoid or bounce off checks .. displays impressive vision and the ability to create combined with a quick, accurate shot to score on his own .. has always had the skill but his play away from the puck has been the question mark, though he did a fine job in the Frozen Four in this regard .. played on the penalty kill and was effective in his own zone .. through the odd check and showed good puck pursuit .. stock is definitely on the rise after an exceptional Frozen Four performance.

Jim McKenzie (Ott), F, Michigan State

Physical two-way player with good size and hockey sense .. used his size on the forecheck and on the cycle to be a headache to the opposition's smaller defenders .. hands are OK and he was seeing the ice better late in the season than earlier in the season, as he passed the puck effectively during the tournament .. owns a heavy slapshot, although it is a bit wild .. his icetime was cut this year playing more of a defensive role, which he handled well, as his two-way play improved throughout the season and even saw time on the penalty kill.

Mike Ratchuk (Phi), D, Michigan State

Received very limited icetime in the Frozen Four and only played on the powerplay .. displayed good vision of the ice and impressive puck movement but it was difficult to see anything else, as it was obvious the coaching staff was hesitant to use him five-on-five, for fear of his defensive lapses.

Nick Sucharski (CBJ), F, Michigan State

Landed a devastating open-ice hit that seemed to change the momentum of the game for the Spartans .. he must continue to make these types of plays for a shot at the NHL .. must upgrade his first step to improve his acceleration, although he owns a nice long stride with a decent top gear .. has a nose for the net and scored a number of garbage goals this season .. strong on his feet and has a stocky frame that allows him to excel in traffic.

BOSTON COLLEGE

The Eagles had a 13-game winning streak come to a screaming halt in the championship game, as they blew a late lead to the Spartans. Several prospects played well including the dynamic Nathan Gerbe and the hulking Brian Boyle.

Cory Schneider (Van), G, Boston College

Strong first-save goaltender who does a good job making himself big in the net even while in the butterfly .. reads the play well around him and is always square to the first shot .. displays minimal movements and when he is on his game, he makes it look easy .. smart goaltender that will slow the game down with a cover or speed it up by playing the puck depending on the situation .. quick laterally and fairly athletic .. recovers quickly from the butterfly back to his stance .. closes his five-hole quickly .. possesses quick legs and a sharp glove hand, although his blocker side still has room to improve .. rebound control up high is good, as he uses his glove well to suck up the puck but down low, he gives poor rebounds up the middle, as he needs to learn to utilize his stick better .. flops too much in scrums .. skates well but will need to improve his ability to play the puck .. still a blue chip goaltending prospect but has not progressed much since last season.

Brian Boyle (LA), F/D, Boston College

Was the talk of the Frozen Four for his combination of size, strength, and skill .. lead the Hockey East in scoring .. recently was moved to defense because of injuries after playing forward his entire life .. the velocity on his shots and his puck protection are elite qualities .. strong on the puck and has a long reach making him a force down low .. possesses a soft pair of hands and he's very difficult to dislodge from the puck .. owns a quick release with decent accuracy in tight and displays good instincts to find the open seams near the net .. accuracy from the outside is still a bit wild .. rotates between playing on the point and in front of the net on the powerplay .. a good skater for a big man with a strong stride and his feet seem to be getting lighter every year .. defensively, he shows great range and vision to make a good first pass .. he uses his reach and size well but his decision-making is still very raw and he will probably play in the NHL as a center .. should sign with the Kings immediately and join Manchester for their playoff run before likely playing in the NHL next season.

Nate Gerbe (Buf), C, Boston College

The most dynamic player in the NCAA that pound-for-pound has more ability than any other prospect in college hockey .. an effortless and explosive skater with a powerful and fluid stride to go along with some of the best lateral bursts of speed out there .. forces the oppositions' defenseman back and can buy more time by walking the blueline because of his lateral mobility .. sees the ice exceptionally well and is a creative playmaker .. does a good job forcing the defenseman back with his speed to open lanes for his passing game .. draws the opposition to him before giving his teammates the puck superbly .. owns a quick release that produces a very accurate shot with decent velocity, making him a threat to score from anywhere inside the blueline .. possesses magnetic hands with a dangerous arsenal of one-on-one moves .. size is the concern but he fearlessly goes into traffic, finishes his checks, wins one-on-one battles for loose pucks, and plays a strong defensive game .. strong lower body gives him superb balance .. an exceptional penalty killer that is a threat to score even shorthanded .. maybe the best candidate outside the NHL to become the next Martin St. Louis.

Dan Bertram (Chi), F, Boston College

Delivered a promising two-way performance at the Frozen Four and scored two goals against North Dakota in the semifinals .. gritty player who finishes his checks and goes to the net .. plays on the penalty kill and is a smart two-way player who gives a good effort away from the puck with his vigorous backchecking .. sees the ice adequately but is not a creative playmaker .. release is fine but he does not possess the top-end accuracy to be a top-end finisher .. first step is adequate and owns a fine top gear that he uses very well away from the puck, but is still learning how to use his speed to generate offense .. overrated as a skater coming into his draft year, as he is a good skater but not a great one .. hands are OK, as he can be difficult to contain one-on-one .. molding himself into a third or fourth line candidate but will never be a top-six forward.

Brock Bradford (Bos), F, Boston College

Short and is still paper thin as fragility remains a question mark .. owns a good top gear and he knows how to use it to beat the opposition to the outside .. displays a quick release with an accurate shot and his goal scoring exploits are his best trait .. streaky player who will have a strong shift and than disappear for the next several shifts .. his shot and speed combination are intriguing but he appears too small and one-dimensional to play in the NHL.

Benn Ferriero (Phx), F, Boston College

An offensive player at this level but he will need to round out his game away from the puck to play in the NHL, as he doesn't possess the top-end ability to be a top-six player .. played the point and was the QB on the powerplay displaying decent vision and mild creativity .. had a 10-game, goal-scoring streak heading into the tournament, which shows he can finish .. has a good release .. adequate skater with a decent first step but still lacks explosiveness .. shows good puck pursuit and at times, his feisty, physical game comes through but not nearly enough.

Carl Sneep (Pit), D, Boston College

Type of defenseman that is good at everything but is not great at anything either .. big with adequate mobility, although he needs to improve the burst behind his first step .. smart player with good hockey sense at both ends of the ice .. does a good job jumping into the play offensively .. did a good job pinching down low to become an available shooting option and did a good job getting the puck to the net .. poised with the puck and distributes it maturely but is not a creative powerplay-quarterback type .. good one-on-one defender, as he's sound in a positional sense and uses his reach well, although it would be intriguing to see him play with a physical edge.

Andrew Orpik (Buf), F, Boston College

Big, physical winger is the younger brother of Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Andrew Orpik .. plays a similar style to San Jose Sharks forward Mike Grier .. first step appears heavy but he owns a good top gear, as he gets on the oppositions defenseman in a hurry on the forecheck and can rattle their bones with a thunderous body check .. will drive the net and does a good job cycling the puck down low .. offensively he is limited, as he gets most of his points planting his big body in front by finding rebounds or creating screens.