Here are the updated pairings and three stories I found on the AP wire.
 
By The Associated Press
All Times EST
EAST REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
At The Centrum
Worcester, Mass.
Friday, March 24
   Denver 9, New Hampshire 2
   Lake Superior State 5, Clarkson 4
Regional Finals
Saturday, March 25
   Maine (29-5-6) vs. Denver (25-14-2), 4:30 p.m.
   Boston University (28-6-3) vs. Lake Superior State (23-11-6), 7:30 p.m.
   ------
WEST REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
At Dane County Coliseum
Madison, Wis.
Friday, March 24
   Minnesota 3, RPI 0
   Wisconsin 5, Michigan St. 3
Regional Finals
Saturday, March 25
   Colorado College (30-11-1) vs. Minnesota (24-13-5), 4:30 p.m.
   Michigan (28-7-1) vs. Wisconsin (24-14-4), 8 p.m.
   ------
National Semifinals
At Providence Civic Center
Providence, R.I.
Thursday, March 30
Times TBA
   Boston University-Lake Superior State winner vs. Colorado College-Minnesota
winner
   Maine-Denver winner vs. Michigan-Wisconsin winner
National Championship
Saturday, April 1
   Semifinal winners
 
WISCONSIN 5, MICHIGAN STATE 3
 
By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer
   MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Mike Strobel scored two goals and assisted his twin
brother, Mark, on another as Wisconsin rallied to beat Michigan State 5-3 Friday
night in the first round of the NCAA West Region hockey tournament.
   The Badgers (24-14-4) advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals against top-seeded
Michigan (29-7-1), with the winner going to the national semifinals next weekend
at Providence, R.I.
   Wisconsin went ahead 4-3 when defenseman Mickey Elick fed the puck through
the neutral zone to Strobel, who flipped it high past Spartans goaltender Mike
Buzak 3:05 into the third period.
   Defenseman Chris Tok, with an assist from defenseman Brian Rafalski, capped
the comeback with a 4-on-4 goal at 9:27.
   It marked the seventh time this year that Wisconsin rallied from a two-goal
deficit to win.
   Rafalski also got two assists in the second period after the Badgers had
given up three straight goals and fallen behind 3-1.
   Rafalski, in his team-leading 27th post-season appearance, fed Strobel with a
two-line pass on a power play, and Strobel scored from the right hash marks at
10:25.
   On a similar play at 15:29, Rafalski dished the puck in the slot to left wing
Shawn Carter, who put it between Buzak's legs to tie the game at 3.
   Michigan State, which finished third in the Central Collegiate Hockey
Association during the regular season and lost to defending NCAA champion Lake
Superior State, 5-3, in the playoff finals, ended the year 25-12-3.
   Wisconsin got a shorthanded goal just 1:36 into the first period when Strobel
fed the puck to his twin brother Mark, who scored to make it 1-0.
   But fifth-seeded Michigan State, which beat Wisconsin 3-2 at the College
Hockey Showcase in St. Paul, Minn., on Nov. 26, had the lead less than five
minutes later.
   Left wing Steve Guolla scored a 4-on-4 play off goaltender Kirk Daubenspeck
at 4:22, and defenseman Chris Slater added another score on a power play from
inside the left circle at 6:10, quieting the Badgers' boisterous home crowd at
the Dane County Coliseum.
   Michigan State center Anson Carter scored his career-high 34th goal at 4:09
in the second period, off an assist from Guolla that made it 3-1.
   Fourth-seeded Wisconsin finished second in the WCHA during the regular season
and won the league's playoff title with a 4-3 overtime victory over Colorado
College last week in St. Paul.
   Also Saturday, Minnesota (24-13-5) will meet second-seeded Colorado College
(30-11-1). The Gophers beat RPI 3-0 Friday.
 
Michigan St. 2 1 0--3
Wisconsin    1 2 2--5
First Period--1, Wisconsin, Mark Strobel (Mike Strobel, Spencer), 1:36. 2,
Michigan State, Guolla (Slater, Carter), 4:22.3, Michigan State, Slater
(Murray), 6:10.
   Second Period--4, Michigan State, Carter (Guolla), 4:09. 5, Wisconsin, Mike
Strobel (Rafalski), 10:25. 6, Wisconsin, Carter (Rafalaski), 15:29.
   Third Period--7, Wisconsin, Mike Strobel (Elick), 3:05. 8, Wisconsin, Tok
(Spencer, Rafalski), 9:27.
   Shots on goal--Michigan St. 14-7-7--28. Wisconsin 15-14-9--38.
   Goalies--Michigan St., Buzak. Wisconsin, Daubenspeck. A--7,751.
 
DENVER 9, NEW HAMPSHIRE 2
 
   WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) -- The University of Denver scored four goals in the
first period and went on to beat New Hampshire 9-2 Friday in the NCAA hockey
tournament.
   Denver (24-14-2) will play Maine Saturday for a berth in the semifinals.
   Warren Smith scored two goals as the Pioneers jumped to a 4-0 lead in the
first period. Smith scored on a power play and later added another goal on a
rebound. Denver also got first-period goals from Anders Bjork and Erik
Andersson.
   New Hampshire (22-10-4) scored early in the second period when Todd Hall
evaded three Denver defenders and fired the puck past Sinuhe Wallinheimo.
   But Denver responded quickly, with John McLean blasting a loose puck between
the pads of New Hampshire goalie Trent Cavicchi 47 seconds later.
   The Pioneers scored three more goals in the second period to take an 8-1
lead.
 
 
MINNESOTA 3, RPI 0
 
By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer
   MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Nick Checco scored two first-period goals and senior
Jeff Callinan was perfect in goal for just the second time in his career as
Minnesota shut out Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 3-0 Friday in the first
round of the NCAA West Region hockey tournament.
   Minnesota (24-13-5) advances to meet second-seeded Colorado College (30-11-1)
on Saturday, with the winner going to the national semifinals next weekend at
Providence, R.I.
   RPI, which qualified for the 12-team NCAA tournament field by winning the
Eastern College Athletic Conference's tournament Sunday after finishing sixth in
the regular season, ended coach Dan Fridgen's first season at 18-14-4.
   The shutout marked the second straight year RPI bowed out of the tournament
without scoring a goal. RPI lost to New Hampshire 2-0 in the NCAA East Region
last season.
   Callinan, who led the Western Collegiate Hockey Association with a 2.73 goals
against average and 43 shutout periods, had 22 saves. His first career shutout
was on Feb. 10 against Minnesota-Duluth.
   Checco opened the scoring at 4:19 with a slapshot from the top of the left
circle. He flipped the puck over the right shoulder of Engineers goalie Mike
Tamburro, who had a career-high 50 saves, at 15:41 to make it 2-0.
   Checco, a sophomore who was eighth on his team with 20 points this season,
had four goals and an assist in last year's playoffs.
   "I don't save myself for the playoffs or anything like that," Checco said.
"Everyone tries to pick it up for the playoffs and I did tonight."
   Right wing David Larson, who had five assists this season, assisted on both
of Checco's goals as the Gophers advanced to their record 11th consecutive NCAA
quarterfinals.
   Minnesota outshot the Engineers 18-4 in the first period and 53-22 overall.
   RPI had three power plays in the second period but failed to score, and
Callinan made a sprawling save on a 2-on-1 break nine minutes in.
   "That as a big confidence builder," Callinan said. "It snowballed from
there."
   Bobby Dustin capped the scoring with a power-play goal between the circles at
9:38 of the third period, dropping RPI to 2-8 lifetime against the Gophers.
   "I thought off the opening faceoff we fell behind a little bit. "It was tough
playing catch-up hockey," Fridgen said. "There weren't many times when we took
the puck over the blue line and were able to make a play."
   Minnesota finished fourth in the WCHA during the regular season and third in
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the playoffs. But by virtue of having the nation's toughest schedule, the
Gophers were seeded third, one spot ahead of host Wisconsin, which won the WCHA
tournament after finishing second during the season.
 
RPI        0 0 0--0
Minnesota  2 0 1--3
   First Period--1, Minnesota, Checco 12 (Brink, Larson), 4:19. 2, Minnesota,
Checco 13, (Larson, La Fleur), 11:52.
   Second Period--None.
   Third Period--3, Minnesota, Dustin 4 (Bell, Brink), 9:38.
   Shots on goal--RPI 4-12-6--22. Minneosta 18-13-22--53.
   Goalies--RPI, Tamburo. Minnesota, Callinan. A--3,131 (8,250).
 
 
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|                   Lynn Burke    Newport News, Va.                     |
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