Despite their Hockey East Title dreams ending, the Boston University Terriers have a new opportunity to shine in the NCAA National Tournament.
On Sunday, during its selection show, the NCAA announced the full bracket for the regional rounds, revealing the path ahead for Tom Willander and the Terriers.
The tournament features 16 seeded teams split across four regional sites: Allentown, Pennsylvania; Fargo, North Dakota; Toledo, Ohio; and Manchester, New Hampshire.
Following a single-elimination format, one team will emerge victorious from each regional to advance to the coveted Frozen Four.
The Terriers, boasting Vancouver Canucks’ prospects Tom Willander and Aiden Celebrini, have been placed in the Toledo bracket alongside Michigan State, Ohio State, and Cornell University.
BU’s first match is against Ohio State, scheduled for Thursday, March 27th, at 11:00 a.m. PT in Toledo, Ohio.
A victory in this opening game will propel BU to the Toledo finals (likely March 29), where they will face the winner of the Michigan State-Cornell matchup. The successful team from Toledo will then secure a spot in the Frozen Four finals, set to take place in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 10 and 12.
If the Terriers fall short at any point, there’s a silver lining for fans of the Vancouver Canucks. In that case, Tom Willander would become available to sign with the NHL team should he choose to embark on his professional career.
While it’s still not confirmed if he will be signing with the Canucks upon elimination, there is a strong sentiment that he will finally put pen to paper to join the Canucks’ system.
As for Celebrini, he will be returning to BU for his junior year, regardless of the outcome.
We will have all the updates on the Tom Willander watch here at CanucksArmy.
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