." On Friday, Machado didnt like the force of the tag by Oak

Its a return to tradition, as three schools which boast rich histories along with multiple NCAA Division I championships and one program which shouldnt be treated like the new kid on the block, comprise the field for the 2014 Frozen Four, set to kick off today at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Adil Rami Jersey . Three of the four programs vying for supremacy -- Minnesota, Boston College and North Dakota -- account for 65 of 67 collective appearances in the final weekend of the college hockey season. The other one, Union, entered the tourney as the No. 1 program in the nation after spending the majority of the season climbing up the top 10. In the early semifinal, the Hockey East regular-season champion faces off against the pride of the ECAC. Watch it live NOW on TSN2 and TSN GO. UNION (30-6-4) HEAD COACH: Rick Bennett (78-27-16); Captain: Mat Bodie Newcomers to the Frozen Four two years ago, the Dutchmen were taken down by upstart Ferris State in the semifinals, but that only served to stoke their competitive fires. Last year in Pittsburgh, Union shocked the college hockey world by posting an easy 5-1 victory over defending champions and 2014 semifinal foe Boston College in the opening game of the East Regional before they were vanquished by the same score in the regional final by eventual national runners-up Quinnipiac. This season, fueled by senior forward Daniel Carrs team-best 48 points, a junior defenseman in Shayne Gostisbehere who got a taste of national hype machine as a Philadelphia Flyers prospect and Hobey Baker Award finalist, and junior backstop Colin Stevens (26-4-2, 1.93 GAA, six shutouts), Union simply has been on the warpath. It finished the year having claimed the Cleary Cup and Whitelaw Cup as ECAC regular-season and playoff champions, then ousted Vermont and Providence to win the East Regional to reach Philadelphia unbeaten in 15 games (14-0-1). After taking down Dartmouth, Cornell and Colgate in the conference playoffs, the Dutchmen earned a well-deserved honor, vaulting over the two programs which checked their rise to the top spot in the country for most of the season. With Minnesota and BC having bowed out early in the Big Ten and Hockey East playoffs, respectively, Bennetts kids gained the first No. 1 ranking in program history and the heads that wear the crown have not grown heavy just yet. Union has its work cut out, though, if it wishes to claim the programs first hockey championship. The last time the ECAC boasted back-to-back national titles, Boston University won under legendary coach Jack Kelley in 1971 and 72. It also must contend with BCs lingering memory from last years premature exit. BOSTON COLLEGE (28-7-4) HEAD COACH: Jerry York (963-576-102); Captain: Patrick Brown The Mighty Mites of the Heights invade the Quaker City looking to uphold a bit of a recent successful trend. BC has won four national championships since 2000 and three in the last six years, all starting with regional play in nearby Worcester. The Eagles have triumphed in each of the last three even numbered seasons (2008, 10, 12) when their path to glory began at DCU Center, and this year was no different as the Maroon and Gold bounced back from a best-of-three quarterfinals loss to budding hockey rival Notre Dame by downing Denver and slipping past UMass- Lowell. Yorks squad has also gained a Frozen Four berth in eight of the last nine even-numbered seasons going back to 1998, when the program burst onto the scene with an overtime title-game loss to Michigan in Boston. Powering the ride is the countrys highest-scoring line of Hobey Hat Trick member and prohibitive favorite Johnny Gaudreau, Bill Arnold and Kevin Hayes. The trio has combined for 76 goals and 192 points along with a plus-115 rating in 39 games, including a mammoth 13-point, plus-15 effort in a tourney-opening 6-2 decision over the Pioneers where Gaudreau -- the nations leading scorer -- picked up six points (3G, 3A). The Eagles didnt reach this point solely on offense. Their defense tied with the Fighting Irish for fewest goals allowed in-conference with 40, and have given up only 89 tallies all season, third-lowest among the final four schools. Freshman phenom and expected 2014 first-round draft choice Thatcher Demko (16-4-3, 2.16 GAA) along with junior Brian Billett (12-3-1, 2.42) have done their due diligence, racking up identical .920 save percentages and combining for three shutouts. Hockey East and the WCHA have battled for supremacy since the dawn of the new Millennium, and if BC should win once more, it will pull the former even with the latter conference for the best in the game. The Chestnut Hill-based school has already snagged a piece of history in reaching this point, tying Michigan with 24 all-time Frozen Four berths. The nightcap features geographic neighbors and former fierce conference rivals which found themselves in different locations this season for the first time in a long time. Watch it live tonight on TSN GO at 8pm et/5pm pt MINNESOTA (27-6-6) HEAD COACH: Don Lucia (650-343-94); Captains: Nate Condon, Kyle Rau Motivated by being knocked off the No. 1 perch it held for most of the regular season and an unexpected exit in the inaugural single-elimination Big Ten playoffs authored by Ohio State, Minnesota has roared back to life with a pair of dominating victories to reach the Frozen Four for the 21st time in program history. The Gophers powered past AHA champion and tournament newcomers Robert Morris and then whitewashed former conference foe St. Cloud State to pull within two victories of their first national championship since winning back- to-back in 2002-03. Lucia led his charges to the seasons final weekend two years ago, only to be toppled by an upstart BC club by a 6-1 count, and then ended up on the wrong side of an NCAA record for the quickest goal scored in overtime in a 3-2 defeat to eventual champion Yale in the first round of the West Regional one year ago. Minnesota began the year in the top five, hit the ceiling soon after, then cemented its place there thanks to a 14-1-4 stretch mid-season and rolled to the Big Ten regular-season crown. Theyve done it with balance: five players have scored at least 10 goals, and while no player recorded more than Raus 37 points, 14 players have sported double-digit point totals. Defense has also been a premium, in sharp contrast to their years spent in the high-speed WCHA. Sophomore stalwart Adam Wilcox, another Hobey Baker finalist, finished 25-5-6 with a 1.89 GAA, .935 save percentage and four shutouts, while he and his fellow blueliners combined to allow a paltry 78 goals in 39 games, by far the lowest total and percentage of all four of this years entrants. Owing to their separate paths, for the first time in 66 years, the Gophers and Fighting Sioux did not play each other in the regular season. In their 284th all-time meeting, the stakes have never been higher for these two upper Midwestern schools, their respective rabid fan bases and bragging rights, since a 1979 NCAA championship meeting saw Herb Brooks Minnesotans take down Gino Gasparinis Dakotans in Detroit. NORTH DAKOTA (25-13-3) HEAD COACH: Dave Hakstol (260-132-40); Captain: Dillon Simpson The solid, but unspectacular Sioux arrive in Philadelphia without the bona fides of the other three combatants, yet still hold a place in college hockey lore. UND has reached the national semifinals for the 20th time -- and first since 2008 -- thanks to sweeping the Midwest Regional as an at-large bid and lowest seed by taking down top-seeded Wisconsin and then outlasting Ferris State in double overtime. Despite holding a late-season lead in the brand-new NCHC, North Dakota conceded the regular-season title to St. Cloud State on the final weekend, then needed three games to take out Colorado College in the conference quarterfinals before bowing to Miami-Ohio in the semis. Sophomore winger Rocco Grimaldi can lay claim to the tournaments first hat trick, which he recorded in a 5-2 win against the Badgers, and also sits atop the club in scoring with 39 points (including a team-best 17 goals and a team- high 156 shots on goal). Behind him, the largely-ignored Flyers prospect Michael Parks, a junior and projected senior leader of the squad with 12 goals and 30 points. Like their border brothers, the Sioux have made it this far thanks to 14 players who have tallied at least 10 points, a defense which did not allow more than six goals in any game, and a unique adaptability to opponents playing styles. North Dakota faced a known quantity in long-time WCHA rivals Wisconsin, going shot for shot and stride for stride in victory, then showed uncanny patience in outwaiting the molasses-in-January pace of the Bulldogs. The Big Green will have to shift into yet another mode, as Minnesota can stretch the ice like few teams and turn forechecking schemes into taffy. Hakstol reached the national final in his first year at the helm of 2004-05, eventually coming up short as Denver completed its consecutive championships, but hasnt been back since. The Sioux havent won it all since 2000, beating Boston College in Providence. A berth in Saturdays terminal contest, and a victory, will go a long way towards securing his legend and long-term viability in Grand Forks. Saturdays national final is set for a 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt puck drop on TSN2 and TSN GO. Steve Mandanda France Jersey . Bayern led second-place Leverkusen by 10 points with a game in hand, while Dortmund was another four points off the pace. Freiburg midfielder Felix Klaus scored in the last minute as his side twice came from behind to climb provisionally out of the relegation zone. Ousmane Dembele Jersey . Messier, who had been a special assistant to Rangers general manager Glen Sather, announced Thursday in a statement that he is resigning in order to "expand the game of hockey in the New York area by developing the Kingsbridge National Ice Center. http://www.nationalfrancesoccer.com/customized/ . Forsman closed with a 3-under 69 in windy conditions Sunday for his third Champions Tour title. He beat Jay Don Blake by two shots.BALTIMORE -- The Oakland Athletics were cruising to another road win when Manny Machado upset them -- again. Brandon Moss hit a grand slam and Scott Kazmir threw seven scoreless innings as Oakland beat the Orioles 11-1 in a game that featured another bench-clearing confrontation between the teams. For the second time in three games, Machado, the Orioles third baseman, was in the middle of a dugout-clearing scrum. "It got pretty intense there for a while," Jaso said. "There is a certain respect you have to have for this game. Its a blessing for all of us to be where we are. When I feel somebody doesnt see that and doesnt respect the game as such, it doesnt sit well with me. "I think guys like that need to be taught a lesson because theres millions of other people that would love to have the spot that he has," Jaso said. This time, Oakland left-hander Fernando Abad threw inside to Machado in the eighth. The bat flew out of Machados hands and went down the third base line. Both players exchanged words before the benches and bullpens emptied. Machado and Abad were ejected. Crew Chief Larry Vanover said Machado was ejected for throwing the bat and Abad was tossed for throwing at him a second time. Machado said he did not mean to throw the bat. "The bat slipped out of my hands," Machado said. "Trying to make contact and the umpire thought it was intentional and he tossed me at that point." On Friday, Machado didnt like the force of the tag by Oakland third baseman Josh Donaldson and the two had to be separated. Jaso also had four RBIs for the As, who took two out of three in the series and improved to a major league-best 22-12 on the road. Baltimore allowed a season-high 11 walks in its most lopsided loss of the year. Staked with an early lead, Kazmir (7-2) dominated the Orioles lineup. He allowed four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Jimenez (2-7), who signed a four-year, $50 million deal in the off-season, continued to struggle with his command. He allowed a season-high six runs on two hits with two strikeouts and five walks over just 2 1-3 innings, his shortest outing since April 16, 2013, against Cleveland. He has not earned a victory since May 8 and has an ERA of 5.01 ERA over 70 innings with Baltimore (31-30). Jimenez walked three consecutive batters to open the second before Jaso appeared to clear the bases with a shot over the centre field fence. However, the umpiring crew reviiewed the play for 3 minutes, 18 seconds before ruling the ball bounced off the top of the wall for a double. Corentin Tolisso Jersey. Jimenez then walked Nick Punto to reload the bases before Moss hit his second career grand slam. "Mentally and physically, Im good," Jimenez said. "Im never going to give up. I know I disappointed the team today and the bullpen had to come into the game early throwing so many innings, but I never give up. Im going to forgot about a tough game like this one and try to get better for the team." Jaso increased the lead to 7-0 in the fourth on an RBI single to left off right-hander Brad Brach. After Brach issued three consecutive walks to load the bases again in the fifth, T.J. McFarland entered and got Jaso to hit into a fielders choice that scored Derek Norris before allowing a two-run single to Nick Punto. That was more than enough runs that Kazmir would need. "When you get a lead like that, you have to attack the hitters," Kazmir said. "You have to get strike one. Theyre trying to get something going so they want to see some pitches. Trying to get a rally started." The Orioles finally got on the board in the ninth when Chris Davis walked with the bases loaded off right-hander Ryan Cook. A single by Kyle Blanks in the eighth boosted the margin to 11-1. "Were very close to winning two out of three against statistically the best team in the league, so theyre good." Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "We knew that. We knew that Kazmir is having about as good a year as anybody in baseball. We beat one of the best pitchers in the American League last night." NOTES: Norris left the game in the sixth after taking a back swing to the head by Machado. ... As OF Coco Crisp, in the midst of a team-high 11-game hit streak, was given a breather Sunday. "Given his neck issues, hes getting a lot better," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. ... As 2B Alberto Callaspo ended 19-game hitless streak with a double in the fourth. ...The Orioles activated RHP Tommy Hunter (left groin strain) from the 15-day disabled list Sunday. To make room, RHP Evan Meek was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. ... Orioles RF Nick Markakis extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a first inning single. ... Baltimore SS J.J. Hardy committed his fifth error in the past four games and was replaced by Ryan Flaherty in the eighth. Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 China Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Stitched Jerseys NFL T-shirts From China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 ' ' '