Quinnipiac vs Minnesota Frozen Four Odds, Prediction & How to Watch NCAA Championship
- The NCAA National Championship will be on the line when the Minnesota Golden Gophers face the Quinnipiac Bobcats
- The Bobcats seek their first title while the Gophers make their first title game appearance since 20145
- Read on for all the odds and trends ahead of Saturday night’s Frozen Four championship game at Amalie Arena
The Quinnipiac Bobcats will be looking to claim their first NCAA national championship in program history when they battle the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday in the final at this season’s Frozen Four.
Seeded at No. 2 in this season’s NCAA tournament, the Bobcats punched their ticket to the final with Thursday’s decisive 5-2 win over no. 3 Michigan, and have now won 15 of their past 16 overall contests. The top-seeded Golden Gophers now seek their first national title in 20 years after rolling to a crushing 6-2 win over Boston University in semi-final action, which also marks their eighth victory in nine games.
Start time is set for 8:00pm ET on Saturday, April 8th at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, with all the action televised on ESPN2.
Quinnipiac vs Minnesota Odds
| Game Time (ET) | Team | Puck Line | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, April 8th | Quinnipiac Bobcats | +1.5 (-185) | O 6.5 (-105) | +130 |
| 8:00pm | Minnesota Golden Gophers | -1.5 (+150) | U 6.5 (-125) | -160 |
Pegged as favorites in the NCAA hockey tournament odds entering this year’s tourney, the Golden Gophers are perched as -160 chalk in Saturday’s Frozen Four odds, and are listed as a +150 puckline bet after claiming victory by multi-goal margins in each of their past four games.
The Bobcats lag as +130 underdogs, and the total is pegged at 6.5, with the OVER sporting short -125 odds.
*Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook on April 7, 2023
Quinnipiac vs Minnesota Recent History
Saturday night’s matchup marks the NCAA tournament’s first-ever meeting between these teams. The Bobcats have been outclassed in two previous trips to the national championship game, capped by a lopsided 5-1 loss to North Dakota in 2016.
The Golden Gophers made their last appearance in the Frozen Four title game back in 2014, dropping a 7-4 decision to Union in that contest. Overall, Minnesota has reached the national championship game on 12 previous occasions, going 5-7 over that stretch, including their most recent victories in 2022 and 2003.
Quinnipiac Bobcats Betting Outlook
The Bobcats have impressed at both ends of the ice during their march to the national championship game. Quinnipiac has outgunned opponents by an overall 14-3 margin through the first three games of the tourney, and have slammed the door on any comeback bids with eight total goals in third-period action.
It'll be No. 1 Minnesota vs. No. 2 Quinnipiac for the national championship Saturday night.
Sophomore Jacob Quillan with two goals and an assist for the Bobcats. #MFrozenFour @QU_MIH | #BobcatNation pic.twitter.com/Z0kEVQ0HFZ
— College Hockey Inc. (@collegehockey) April 7, 2023
Sophomore Jacob Quillan continued his outstanding play at this year’s tourney, tallying the first two goals of the game and setting up the game winner in Thursday’s victory over Michigan, and has now potted four goals and six points in three tournament contests, and seven goals over his past seven overall appearances.
Leading scorer Collin Graf has yet to score at this year’s tournament, but contributed a pair of helpers on Thursday in his seventh multi-point performance in his past 11 outings.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Betting Outlook
The Gophers offense has also been firing on all cylinders at the NCAA tournament. Minnesota shooters have scored 19 total goals through the first three games of the tourney, extending a trend that has seen the Gophers score five or more goals in four of their past six overall contests.
Thursday’s win over Boston featured a breakthrough performance from Luke Mittelstadt. The freshman defenceman potted the game winner and an insurance goal 109 seconds later to go along with an assist, and has now racked up five points at the tournament.
Luke Mittelstadt has his second goal in a row and it's 4-2 Minnesota.
I think Mittelstadt gets drafted this year. pic.twitter.com/iCdl7GtF5A
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) April 6, 2023
This club has also benefited from the steady play of netminder Justen Close. The 24-year-old senior has racked up an impressive .937 save percentage while surrendering just five total goals at the tourney, and has surrendered more than two goals just once in nine outings.
However, the exception over that stretch came in the Big Ten Tournament final, where Close allowed a pair of late goals in Minnesota’s heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Michigan.
Quinnipiac vs Minnesota Prediction
Both these clubs bring surging attacks and hot hands in the crease into Saturday’s national championship game.
However, it is the Golden Gophers who bring both some much-needed experience in big game situations along with a lineup studded with high-caliber, NHL-destined talent into this contest.
That should be enough to get past Bobcats, in what will likely start as a tight-checking game before the offenses take over late in the contest.
The Picks: Minnesota (-160); OVER 6.5 (-125)
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Daniel has been writing about sports and sports betting for over 23 years. The seasoned pro has contributed to the likes of Sports Illustrated, Sportsnet, NESN, Bleacher Report, OddsShark, the Globe and Mail, and The Nation magazine.
