Miami of Ohio athletics is more than just Ben Roethlisberger - and I'm not just saying this as a Steelers fan. The Red Hawks face Bemidji State at 5 p.m. this afternoon in Washington in the first national semifinal of the Frozen Four. Miami Coach Enrico Blasi captained the school's first NCAA tournament team in 1993 and is in his 10th season of coaching.

"There were really a lot of former players and coaches who are the backbone," Blasi told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "Miami was on the verge of being cut as a hockey program, and a lot of people stepped forward to save it to where it was fully funded for the first time in 1990. A lot of time and sweat went into building this."

Following Miami-Bemidji is arguably the marquee game, Boston University (the favorite to win the national title) against Vermont at 8:30 p.m. Get this - Vermont took the season series from the Terriers 2-1 ... but the teams faced each other three times in the first two months of the season.

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Does D.C. have a chance to become a hockey hotbed? Will Maryland join Massachusetts, Michigan and Minnesota as one of the other "M" states in hockey? The Washington Post examines the state of hockey today in the District and vicinity.

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And on a related note - the Boston Globe is confirming that Fenway Park will host the 2010 NHL Winter Classic.

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The Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced tomorrow, and this much is true - the winner will be from Hockey East. The three finalists for the award are BU's Colin Wilson and Matt Gilroy, and Northeastern's Brad Thiessen.

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