The West Region of the NCAA hockey tournament begins on Saturday afternoon, with the No. 1 seed North Dakota Fighting Sioux playing the No. 4 seed Western Michigan Broncos.
UND scores more than three goals per game (3.25), led by sophomore forward Brock Nelson, a New York Islanders draft pick. Nelson has scored 44 points for UND so far this season. Junior goaltender Aaron Dell has a 2.64 goals against average while saving better than 90 percent of opponent's shots.
Western Michigan averages 2.85 goals per game but has benefited from a strong penalty kill effort throughout tournament play. Sophomore Chase Balisy leads the offense for the Broncos, as the Nashville Predators draft pick has 13 goals and 24 assists on the season.
The winner will play either Minnesota of Boston University in the regional final on Sunday for a spot in the Frozen Four.
Where: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
Game Time: March 24, 1:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3
You can find a full bracket for the NCAA hockey tournament on the official NCAA site.
For more on the 2012 NCAA hockey tournament, check out SB Nation Detroit's StoryStream.
