Rangers Reflect on NCAA Frozen Four Tournament

The 2018 NCAA hockey tournament begins Friday, and several current Rangers had great success at the tournament over the years. Chris Kreider, Brady Skjei, Neal Pionk and more share their memories from their college days, and make predictions for this year's tournament.

Paul Carey, Boston College, National Championship in 2010 and 2012

"It was an incredible experience for myself. I was part of two teams that were able to go all the way and win the championship. It was pretty special that I got to share that with those guys. Especially winning my senior year in my last game of college."
"When you win a championship like that, you and your teammates are forever bonded together by that experience. I'm lucky enough to be able to play with Chris [Kreider] and Kevin [Hayes] here. We can look back on that and joke about it, laugh about it and hopefully rub it in some guys' faces."

Rob O'Gara, Yale, National Championship in 2013

"I remember watching on the internet Michigan play Notre Dame, and we needed that game to go one way to get in. Luckily enough, it happened that way. The last team in, a 15 seed, going against Minnesota in the first round. They had 15 or 16 draft picks and we had maybe three or four. We really embraced that underdog role. We get a hat goalie, Jeff Malcolm. The more I think about it, every time I think about it, the more improbable it seems in my head that we did it. It was incredible and something I'll never forget."
"Getting a hot goalie at the right time was ideal, but we had lost five in a row at one point in the season, and usually that's a death sentence. We went into the ECAC playoffs and lost both games in Atlantic City that year. The pieces fell in the right place, and then we started - we had nothing to lose. Everyone was playing their best hockey at the right time. We got some good bounces, we won in overtime against Minnesota. Everything clicked."
Prediction: "I like a lot of ECAC teams in the field. Cornell, it seems is putting it all together. I've got my money on those three ECAC teams."

John Gilmour, Providence, National Championship in 2015

"Thinking back on it, we just squeaked in. It doesn't matter where you're ranked because I know we weren't a top seed. We just got hot at the right time. You win four straight and you're a national champion. I remember my senior year, I thought we might have been a better team. We were first seed and then we lose the first game to Neal [Pionk's] team. It really doesn't matter where you're at. You just have to be at your best. Every mistake matters even more, or you're out."
"I remember being pretty nervous before that final game. It was a feeling like no other. We had our whole school there. We were the underdogs against B.U. at [TD] Garden, so it wasn't far away from school. Everyone was there, my whole family."
"I'll never forget that and the two months after that. It was like we were on a cloud."
Prediction: Providence, absolutely.

Chris Kreider, Boston College, National Championship in 2010 and 2012

"Winning is so fun. When you're winning trophies, I think it just begets more wininng. It's something that you just want to keep doing. It's addictive. It's so much fun. There's things and details that make you more successful at this level that you can get away with not doing at that level. The everyday approach at B.C. that coach York cultivated in how you prepare. Going there kind of taught me to be a pro, I think. Just in terms of how you approach the game. Obviously you have a ton to learn once you turn pro, but I think I would have been in big trouble had I not gone to B.C."
Prediction: No B.C., no North Dakota, no Minnesota? Who cares?

Brady Skjei, three years at the University of Minnesota

"It's a blast. I played in it all three years, and my sophomore year we ended up going to the final. You remember those memories for sure. The Frozen Four game, the semifinals, we beat North Dakota with .6 seconds left. That game will always stick with me forever. The guys you go to school with are the friends you'll have the rest of your life. It's a fun tournament and the hot team always wins."
Prediction: "I've got a buddy on St. Cloud. As much as it hurts for me to cheer for them, for him, I'll probably cheer for him."

Neal Pionk, National Championship game in 2017

"It's so much fun. It's something I still think about almost every day. Just playing in the Frozen Four and playing with your best friends in college. I can't wait to tune in Friday and watch Duluth."
"A lot of things stand out. The National Championship game, we had 20,000 people there watching. You have students coming, family flying in. I think the biggest thing - and we'll talk about it the rest of our lives - the classmates that I had, they'll be my best friends for a long time. Going through that experience with them makes it that much better."
Prediction: Duluth