Five Former 'Runners in NCAA Hockey Tourney
Published on March 25, 2011 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Topeka Pilots News Release
As much of America immerses its sports attention on basketball's "March Madness", the NCAA has another bracket constructed, ice hockey's road to the "Frozen Four". 16 teams begin play this weekend at four different venues as they battle their way to play for a national championship in St. Paul, MN in April. Five former Topeka RoadRunners are among those who have made the tournament.
Beginning Friday, March 25 Tony Thomas, Eric Artman and the Air Force Falcons (20-11-6) will skate against the #1 ranked Yale Bulldogs in Bridgeport, CT. On Saturday Bryce Merriam and the RPI Engineers (20-12-5) take on the #2 ranked North Dakota Fighting Sioux in Green Bay, WI, followed by Dennis Brown and the Western Michigan Broncos (19-12-10) facing Denver University also in Green Bay. Meanwhile, in Manchester, NH, it will be Bryon Paulazzo and the #4 ranked Miami-Ohio Redhawks (23-9-6) battling the New Hampshire Wildcats. The field of 16 teams will play down to a "Frozen Four" over the weekend, with the Semi-Finals and Championship Game taking place April 7 and 9 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN, the home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild. The Semi-Final games on April 7 will be aired on ESPN2-HD and also online at ESPN3.com, and the Championship Game will air April 9 at 7:00 PM EDT on ESPN-HD and ESPN3.com as well.
"Playing in that tournament is an unbelievable experience they will treasure forever", said RoadRunners head coach Scott Langer. "We are all so very proud of everything these young men have achieved for themselves since moving on in their careers." In the 2010 NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament, five different RoadRunner alumni were there, including Aaron Gens (Alaska-Fairbanks), Jared Brown (Northern Michigan), Jordan George, Matt Hartmann, and Ben Kinne (Bemidji State).
North American Hockey League Stories from March 25, 2011
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- Record Crowd Of 6.253 Watches Season-ending 3-2 Loss For Corpus Christi - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Jets Mauermann One Point Away from 100 - Janesville Jets
- Lots Going On Saturday At Bulls Fan Appreciation Night - Amarillo Bulls
- Five Former 'Runners in NCAA Hockey Tourney - Topeka Pilots
- Fresno Monsters Wrap up Season this Weekend with Games at Home - Fresno Monsters
- Bulls Fall to Topeka 4-2 - Amarillo Bulls
- Bobcats to Close Regular Season with Must-Win Trio - Bismarck Bobcats
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