Boston University's Cole Eiserman (34) is congratulated by teammates after scoring during the second period in a semifinal game in the NCAA Frozen Four men's college hockey tournament against Penn State, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in St. LouisAP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Boston University is one win away from their sixth ever NCAA National Championship in men’s hockey.
After a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Penn State in the Frozen Four semifinals, the BU Terriers have earned the opportunity to go up against the Western Michigan Broncos in the national championship game. Western Michigan defeated Denver in overtime on Thursday.
Despite finishing the season with the final No. 1 ranking, Western Michigan has been under the radar the entire time. While always viewed as a top team, few trusted them enough to pencil them into this point.
Let’s take a look at some possible bets to make for today’s national championship game:
We’ve come to the final matchup of the season, and it should be an absolute classic if you’re going to believe the oddsmakers. However, I’m going with Boston University to pull out the victory for two main reasons: game-changing star talent and experience level.
This is the third straight year that the Terriers have played in the Final Four, and for the first time, Jay Pandolfo’s group won in the semifinals. That’s a huge weight lifted off of their shoulders, and a lot of this roster will now play in their fourth Frozen Four game. On the other side, this is the first ever Frozen Four appearance for Western Michigan.
Boston University also has 13 players drafted into the NHL, with nine of those players being taken in the first three rounds of the draft. While Western Michigan does have eight players with NHL affiliations, only one of them was drafted in the first three rounds.
In my opinion, that gives Boston the advantage. For that reason, I’m also betting them to score at least three goals in the game. It’s a general rule in hockey that the winning team should expect to score 3+ goals and BU is a top 5 scoring team in the nation.
As far as our overtime bet, I only recommend a smaller unit bet on this niche prop. The +320 odds are certainly appealing, especially when you consider the oddsmakers view these teams as basically even. On top of that, Western Michigan has seen three of their last four games go to overtime.
When analyzing the betting market for Saturday’s national championship game between Boston University and Western Michigan, the importance of shopping for lines and making sure you find the best price for your bet is made obvious at Massachusetts sportsbooks.
Currently, Boston University is a -120 favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook as well as bet365. At Caesars and DraftKings, it’s Western Michigan who is a -120 favorite. BetMGM decided to split the difference, making both teams an even -115 on the moneyline.
Best odds: -110 at Caesars Sportsbook
As we discussed earlier, Boston University has the edge when it comes to experience. A lot of these players have played in the Final Four already, as this is the third time in three seasons that Jay Pandolfo’s club has reached this level.
On top of that, with former first round picks such as Cole Eiserman and Tom Willander on their roster, Boston University has a maximum talent level that Western Michigan cannot reach.
Boston University has also been greatly helped by the arrival of goaltender Mikhail Yegorov in January. He stopped 32 of 33 Penn State shots in the semi-final and is giving up just two goals a game while stopping over 93% of the shots he has faced.
Best odds: -115 at BetMGM Sportsbook
Western Michigan has been an under-the-radar story throughout the season and the tournament. Entering the tournament, it was Boston College who had all the attention.
Entering Thursday, we were saying Western Michigan was a good team, but Denver is going to be hard to beat. They did just that.
Now, we’re hearing about all of the shiny toys and the proud history that Boston University possesses. While they might not be a historic or blue-blood college hockey institution, the 2024-25 Broncos have passed every test to this point.
Oddsmakers have these teams as dead even. It wouldn’t even be a true upset. However, if they win here, we’ll finally have to talk about them instead of their opponent and give them their well deserved accolades. This team is the top ranked team in the country for a reason.
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