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The GIST: After six months of ice grinding, we’re just one game away from the season’s best celly: The puck drops on the NCAA Championship tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Frozen Four recap: Last night’s first game was a dog fight deep into overtime, until No. 3–seed Denver junior forward Tristan Broz scored the sudden-death game-winning slapshot that ousted No. 2 Boston University from the semis for the second straight season. With the win, the Pioneers return to the national final for the second time in three years.

• In the nightcap, No. 1 Boston College scored in the first 90 seconds and never looked back, walloping unseeded Michigan 4–0 to advance to their first title game since 2012. Like BU, Michigan was iced out of the 'ship once again.

Tomorrow’s championship: The Frozen Four squads have relied on high-powered offenses all season, but last night’s victors advanced thanks to ferocious defense. The nation’s Top-2 goaltenders — BC’s Jacob Fowler and Denver’s Matt Davis — will have to be at their best, or split-second mistakes could cost them the confetti.

• Denver’s top priority will be containing BC sophomore Cutter Gauthier — the Caitlin Clark of men’s hockey — and the Fresh Prince of Boston, freshman Will Smith, who both scored beauties last night.

• As for BC, they’ll have to keep an eye on the aforementioned Broz and his late-game heroics — he’s already proved he has, ahem, ice in his veins, plus he scored the equalizing goal when DU bounced BC 4–3 back in October. Cold.

The GIST: With less than a month before softball and baseball conference tournaments, here’s who’s dominating diamonds…and who’s been crushed by the pressure.

No. 1 Texas softball makes a statement: The Longhorns are still vibing from last weekend’s history-making upset of the sport’s It Girl, then–No. 1 Oklahoma. Powering the league’s hottest team? Sophomore catcher Reese Atwood, who’s gunning for Texas’ single-season home run record — a mark she’ll strive for during her Horns’ series at No. 24 Baylor starting tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Canady circles up: No. 7 Stanford softball's on a six-game win streak thanks to pitcher NiJaree Canady and her mind-blowing 0.48 ERA — meaning she gives up less than one run every two games. Her case to add Player of the Year (POY) to her 2023 Division I Freshman of the Year title grows stronger by the day.

• Speaking of POY, the reigning queen Valerie Cagle’s No. 19 Clemson Tigers are recovering from a late-March slump. But they have a huge opportunity to regain their groove when they host a series against red-hot No. 3 Duke starting today at 7 p.m. ET.

Woo Pig win streak: On the baseball diamond, Arkansas ascended to the poll’s top spot five weeks ago and still hasn’t budged, thanks largely to a bullpen with the nation’s best ERA by a mile. The Razorbacks have won four straight series in the cutthroat SEC, with another against No. 25 Alabama on tap this weekend.

• With a hot streak of his own, Georgia redshirt sophomore Charlie Condon is swinging toward multiple NCAA records as he continues to go yard in nearly every game, leading the charge in college baseball’s recent offensive explosion.

2023 natty contenders flail in SEC play: Last year’s Men’s College World Series finalists — reigning champ LSU and runner-up Florida — are struggling with disappointing seasons: Florida slid 18 spots to No. 24 in this week’s poll despite excellent play from 2023 Golden Spikes finalist Jac Caglionone, and LSU exited the rankings altogether. Is it a curse yet?

• On the other hand, No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 6 Vanderbilt are both thriving in SEC play — although this weekend’s head-to-head series, starting today at 7 p.m. ET, will be the true test of their stamina.

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🎾 Men’s tennis: ITA Wheelchair Tennis National Championship — Today and tomorrow at various times — Live scores here

• The NCAA’s commitment to including Paralympic sports in NCAA Championships has seen wheelchair tennis grow on campuses nationwide: This edition’s 10-team field matches the most squads in the tourney’s 24-year history. Love to see it.

🏖️ Beach volleyball: Center of Effort Challenge — Today and tomorrow at various times — Live stats here

• Seven of the Top-10 teams, including No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 USC, and No. 4 Florida State, will dig into this crucial late-season tournament — there’s only a week and a half before the postseason turns the Kenergy up to 10.

🏌️ Men’s golf: The Masters — Today through Sunday at various times — ESPN or CBS

• Of the five amateurs who scored an invite to men’s golf’s most prestigious tournament, three currently grace NCAA rosters: Georgia Tech senior Christo Lamprecht, Houston senior Santiago de la Fuente, and Ohio State grad student Neal Shipley. Let’s par-tee.

🥍 Men’s lacrosse: No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers (10-1) vs. No. 4 Duke Blue Devils (10-3) — Sunday at 2 p.m. ET — ACCN

• The Blue Devils will face their sixth ranked opponent in a row — a tough Virginia squad who happens to be riding a seven-game win streak. With just three weeks left before conference tournaments, neither of these ACC rivals can afford to give an inch.