April 6, 2018 When Notre Dame Hockey landed in Minnesota on Tuesday night, five players were screaming, “home sweet home.”
Minnesota natives Bo Brauer, Jordan Gross, Tony Bretzman, Dylan Malmquist and Matt Hellickson are home playing for a national title.
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Since this is my first trip to Minnesota, I caught up with the five natives to get the scoop on their home state.
First thing that comes to mind when you think of Minnesota:
“Hockey.”
What’s the best part about Minnesota:
“Family.”
First reaction to hearing the Frozen Four would be hosted in Minnesota:
“I thought about the state tournament back in high school and hopefully the atmosphere will be just like that. The whole team is in for a treat that hasn’t played in the Xcel Energy Center before.”
First reaction to advancing to the Frozen Four to play in Minnesota:
“It’s really good for the game going to a place where everyone here knows what hockey is. They know the rules and everyone watches it. So I think that’s it’s really good to have it here.”
First thing that comes to mind when you think of Minnesota:
“Hockey, no doubt. I mean growing up my whole life everyone is playing hockey at a young age so you dream of getting to settings like this.”
What’s the best part about Minnesota:
“I mean it’s always nice to be home to see friends and family and be able to play in front of them and show them where I’m at and the team’s at. We’re just happy to be here and moving forward for our next game.”
First reaction to hearing the Frozen Four would be hosted in Minnesota:
“At the point I didn’t think too much of it because it was like five years in advance but it’s definitely one that you circle on your calendar for sure.”
First reaction to advancing to the Frozen Four to play in Minnesota:
“Pure happiness. I don’t think you could ask for much more to be in this situation we’re in. The boys are just going to stick to the process and we’re going to play tomorrow and play our best game and see what happens.”
One word to describe Minnesota: “Cold.”
What’s the best part about Minnesota:
“The people, everyone is so nice and willing to help.”
First reaction to hearing the Frozen Four would be hosted in Minnesota:
“I was extremely excited. I wanted to come back here and play in front of all my family and friends.”
First reaction to advancing to the Frozen Four to play in Minnesota:
“It’s really special. I have a ton of my friends from high school come to the game and my entire family even the distant ones come. So it’s been awesome being able to play in front of my hometown.”
One word to describe Minnesota:
“Majestic.”
What’s the best part about Minnesota:
“There’s so many good things about being here. I have to say the atmosphere, it’s hard to describe like I just know when I’m in Minnesota. It feels good to be back.”
First reaction to hearing the Frozen Four would be hosted in Minnesota:
“I was really really excited. When I first figured out my Mom and I were joking around and we were like, “Oh my gosh it’s in Minnesota how cool would it be if you made it here.”
First reaction to advancing to the Frozen Four to play in Minnesota:
“Now the fact that we’ve made it here it’s pretty exciting and kind of surreal because we were just joking about what if I made it here.”
First thing that comes to mind when you think of Minnesota:
“Hockey.”
What’s the best part about Minnesota:
“That everyone likes hockey.”
First reaction to hearing the Frozen Four would be hosted in Minnesota:
“I was very excited and so was my mother.”
First reaction to advancing to the Frozen Four to play in Minnesota:
“I was very excited to just get back. I haven’t played in this arena since high school I’m excited to get back in front of this great atmosphere.”
The Fighting Irish scored in the final seconds of the game and stunned Michigan 4-3 to advance to the championship game, making it the fifth consecutive game where the Irish came in clutch.
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Now all the team keeps saying is, “one more.”
For the first time since 2008, Notre Dame Hockey is headed to the National Championship Game to face the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.
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The final puck drop of the season is set for April 7th at 7:30pm Eastern Time on ESPN.
The Fighting Irish are looking to win their first national championship in program history and the university’s third national title in three weeks.
Missed the semifinal post-game press conference? Click here.
Want to watch the national championship pre-game press conference? Click here.
To stay up to date on @NDHockey’s road to the National Championship visit http://www.und.com/sports/m-hockey/ncaacentral/nd-hockey-2018.html
Tamara Brown, the Notre Dame Sports Blogger, has been part of Fighting Irish Media since August 2016 and provides exclusive, behind-the-scenes coverage of all 26 varsity sports. A native of Newport News, Virginia, Brown graduated from Virginia Tech in 2015 with a degree in Multimedia Journalism.
For more follow the @NDSportsBlogger on Twitter and Instagram.