"I was fortunate enough to play in the Frozen Four my junior year," said Lightning defenseman Nick Perbix. "It was the COVID year, which was kind of tough, but it was still one of the coolest experiences ever.
"We went to Pittsburgh and got to do that and spent that time with my teammates. That was definitely really cool."
Perbix also attended a Frozen Four as a fan before he went on to play college hockey at St. Cloud State University. In fact, Perbix went in 2012, right here in Tampa. That was the first time he realized how big the sport really was in Florida, and it's got even bigger over the past decade.
"My grandma lives in Fort Myers, and we just happened to be down during the Frozen Four," Perbix said. "They were playing and so we drove up to watch. BC took it to them. It was a cool experience with a lot of fans. I thought it was really cool seeing all the different jerseys everywhere.
"When I've been down here, it's surprised me how big hockey is. I get why. Having a team have success in your area definitely does that, but it's pretty cool to see all the support and just for the sport in general, let alone us too."
Perbix isn't the only Lightning skater to play in a Frozen Four. Look across the blue line to Ian Cole, who played college hockey at University of Notre Dame. Like Perbix, it was the experience of a lifetime for Cole.
"There's some huge emotional swings and, to be honest, I think it was some pretty good training for when you get to the NHL," said Cole. "Say, for instance, our game the other day against Pittsburgh where they scored five goals in four and a half minutes. I think in college they have those huge momentum swings with the college crowds and the pep band and everything.
"You're trying to stay even keel and you get scored on and it's like, 'Okay great. Next shift. Go win the next shift. Continue that momentum. Keep it rolling.' I think that's something you do learn a little bit in college, is how to deal with those super loud buildings.
"Obviously, junior hockey is too, but you deal with those momentum swings, the emotional roller coaster that is every hockey game, quite frankly, but especially the really high intensity games like playoffs and those types of things."
Cole still keeps up with his alma mater to this day, and he still enjoys watching college hockey. It's some of the best hockey fans can watch, and in the Frozen Four, any team can take home the title.
"I just went to the game when they played Michigan last weekend in Ann Arbor when we were playing Detroit," Cole said. "I went back and saw the game and watched Notre Dame beat Michigan at home and they swept Michigan that weekend.
"Michigan was number four in the country. Any time you can watch Notre Dame beat Michigan or have a consistent program where you can beat the more traditional top hockey schools with regularity, that's a good thing."
After years of junior hockey dominating the NHL prospect pool, college hockey has taken a huge jump over the past several years. Some of the best players in the NHL played college hockey, including Cale Makar, Adam Fox, Connor Hellebuyck, Tage Thompson, Cole Caufield, Quinn Hughes, and many more.
Fans looking to watch high-end talent on the ice will want to be in Tampa for this year's Frozen Four.
"It was always college hockey as the goal for a long time," said Perbix. "Obviously, I ended up getting there and I'm very fortunate to have done that. I never even thought about major junior when I was younger or anything like that. It was always college."
Fans looking for more information on the Frozen Four can click here for tickets and additional details.
