Connecticut college sports teams are continuing to dominate on the national stage and two of the teams in the Frozen Four men's hockey tournament in Pittsburgh today are from here.
Number 1 ranked Quinnipiac takes on take on Minnesota’s St. Cloud State University tonight and Yale takes on number 3 UMass-Lowell this afternoon.
This is the first ever final four for the Quinnipiac men’s hockey team and the Yale Bulldogs’ first trip to the Final Four in 61 years.
"We don't get to play against them very often, even though we are really close, so we're really excited to play the final game against them. It'll be really cool," Erin Maher, a junior at Yale, said "It's pretty much a once in a lifetime experience. My freshman year, we were number one in the country and we thought we'd make it and we didn't, so this year was a total surprise, so we're completely thrilled to be able to skip our classes and head to Pittsburgh."
“I’m not worried. It’s just going to make everything much more exciting,” Bridget Fossel, a senior at Quinnipiac, said.
Yale University is up first, at 4:30 p.m. with a battle against number 3 seed UMass-Lowell.
Then, at 8 p.m., Quinnipiac University will take on Minnesota’s St. Cloud State University.
Students from both universities hopped on buses to make the trip to see their schools. Quinnipiac sent three busloads to Pittsburgh.
But, many students will stay right here in Connecticut and there are several options to watch the game with other Bobcats, including at the Carl Hansen Student Center of the Mount Carmel Campus and the Rocky Top Student Center on the York Hill Campus.
The QU Alumni Association is also hosting several regional game watch parties in several Connecticut cities and towns, as well as in New York, Boston, Rhode Island, Florida and even Arizona.
The parties are free, but registration is required.
Yale’s hockey team arrived at the airport in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night to students from Pennsylvania playing college fight songs and chanting “Let’s Go Bulldogs,” according to the Yale University site.
Yale Athletics is hosting a special viewing party for fans on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in the John J. Lee Amphitheater, Payne Whitney Gymnasium.
Admission is free and the first 500 fans will receive free T-shirts. Pizza and beverages provided by Modern Apizza will be available while supplies last.
Are you showing Bobcat or Bulldog pride? Send your photos to photos@nbcconnecticut.com.
