ITHACA, N.Y. – This weekend the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey world will convene at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y., as the puck gets dropped for the 2019 NCAA Men's Frozen Four. Interestingly, there are some considerable Ithaca College alumni ties to this year's event, as half of the programs that have advanced to the season's final weekend are led by Athletic Directors that have graduated from IC.
 
The Semifinal Round of the 2019 Frozen Four is set to get underway on the evening of Thursday, April 11. The first game of the evening, set to begin at 5:00 p.m., features Providence College (24-11-6) against Minnesota-Duluth (27-11-2), while the second semifinal at 8:30 p.m. features University of Denver (24-11-5) against University of Massachusetts (30-9-0). The Bombers ties will be present in both games, as Robert G. Driscoll '74 is in his 18^th year as Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Providence College, while Ryan Bamford '00 is in his fourth full campaign as the Director of Athletics at University of Massachusetts.
 
Providence and UMass are certainly no strangers to competing at the highest of levels. Both programs hail from the Hockey East Conference, one of the most respected power conferences in NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey. Since 1985, the Hockey East has produced more Frozen Four qualifiers than any other conference over that timeframe (115), while 2019 marks the 14^th time that half of the Frozen Four qualifiers have emerged from Hockey East.  
 
Providence is set to make its fifth all-time appearance in the Frozen Four, earning their trip to Buffalo, N.Y., with a 4-0 shutout of Cornell in the NCAA East Regional Final on Sunday, March 31. The Friars greatest hockey triumph occurred during Driscoll's tenure at the helm of the department, as Providence captured its first National Title in program history with a 4-3 win over Boston University in 2015. While the program has now qualified for six straight NCAA Tournaments dating back to 2014, this season marks the first time since that 2015 season that the Friars have advanced to the Frozen Four.
 
Driscoll has had an exceptional 40-plus year career as an ambassador and leader in intercollegiate athletics. He began his post-graduate time at Union College, serving in as an Assistant Athletic Director and as well as holding coaching responsibilities in several of the institution's varsity athletics programs. Other stops include a six-year stint at Mills College and 14-years in a variety of senior administrative positions at the University of California (Berkeley) prior to his current stop at Providence. During his time with the Friars he has ushered in a Golden Era for the department, which has seen several facility upgrades, as well as the construction of the state-of-the-art Ruane Friar Development Center that emphasizes training as well as academic services. Driscoll has earned a myriad of accolades and honors during his illustrious career, which includes being recognized as the Under Armour I-AAA Athletics Director of the Year in 2016.
 
Driscoll is a 1974-graduate of Ithaca College, where he was also a standout on the college's men's ice hockey program present during that time. He was a three-year captain for the varsity program, where he also led the program in scoring all three seasons. Twice he was named Team MVP during his time on South Hill. Driscoll graduated with his Bachelors in Physical Education, while he went on to earn a Masters in Sports Psychology in 1975.
 
UMass has had a historic season in 2018-19, which has culminated in the program's first-ever Frozen Four appearance this week. The Minutemen punched their ticket to Buffalo by virtue of a 4-0 shutout of in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships on Saturday, March 30. The magical season has witnessed several records including: overall wins (30), conference wins (18), as well as the program's first-ever No. 1 rankings in both the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Polls.
 
Bamford has had a direct impact on that success as one of his first hires as Massachusetts' Athletic Director was Men's Hockey Head Coach Greg Carvel, who has overseen the restoration of the program since being appointed in 2016. During his time in Amherst he has enhanced the department's student-experience with a new 3,400-square foot student-athlete lounge, while also amplifying its Student-Athlete Academic Services. Bamford has also been influential in negotiating new cable and digital broadcast contracts, as well as high-profile opponents for the Minutemen football program.
 
Bamford's burgeoning career also featured stops at Springfield College, Plymouth State University, University of New Hampshire, Yale University and Georgia Tech prior to being appointed the seventh Athletic Director in UMass history in March of 2015. He spent eight years at Yale, including five as the Senior Associate Director of Athletics. While with the Bulldogs he had sport oversight of the football, men's basketball and fencing programs, as well as overseeing Yale's event management, operations, sports medicine and strength and conditioning departments. Bamford was at Georgia Tech for four years in Atlanta as a Senior Administrator at Georgia Tech, including the final two seasons as Senior Associate Athletic Director. Among his responsibilities were handling all operational aspects for the Yellow Jackets' football, baseball and men's basketball programs, as well as playing a key role in fundraising for scholarships, endowments, and capital projects.
 
Bamford is a 2000-graduate of Ithaca College, where he was also a standout on the Bombers' men's basketball program. He graduates as the school's single-season and career leader in three-point field goals, while he completed his career 13^th on the program's all-time career scoring list with over 1,200 total points over his four seasons on South Hill.
 
ESPN will handle all broadcasting of the Frozen Four this weekend with all games being aired live on ESPN2. The games can also be watched digitally online or through mobile streaming devices through the WatchESPN App. Digital access: CLICK HERE.