NCAA hockey will be well represented on both sides as Canada and the United States renew their rivalry Saturday in the semifinals of the IIHF World Championship.
Former Union goaltender Keith Kinkaid stopped 31 shots and all three shootout attempts as the U.S. beat the Czech Republic, 2-1, in the quarterfinals.
Alabama-Huntsville alum Cam Talbot posted a 24-save shutout in Canada's 6-0 quarterfinal win vs. Sweden.
Saturday's semifinal matchup takes place at 11:15 a.m. ET in Moscow and will be televised on NBCSN and TSN.
Leading the way
Talbot's .941 save percentage ranks third in the tournament, while former Boston College captain Michael Matheson shares the tournament lead among defensemen with 6 points. They are two of four NCAA alums on the Canadian roster.
The U.S. team features 19 NCAA alumni, including seven who played NCAA hockey in 2015-16. Dylan Larkin (Michigan) and Frank Vatrano (Massachusetts) - both just one year removed from college hockey - rank second and third among the Americans in scoring, respectively, trailing only No. 1 draft prospect Auston Matthews.
The bronze and gold medal games will take place on Sunday, May 22.
NCAA Players in the IIHF World Championship
| Canada | |||
| Ben Hutton | D | Vancouver (NHL) | Maine |
| Michael Matheson | D | Florida (NHL) | Boston College |
| Cam Talbot | G | Edmonton (NHL) | Alabama-Huntsville |
| Chris Tanev | D | Vancouver (NHL) | RIT |
| United States | |||
| JT Compher | F | U. of Michigan | Michigan |
| Mike Condon | G | Montreal (NHL) | Princeton |
| Kyle Connor | F | U. of Michigan | Michigan |
| Thatcher Demko | G | Boston College | Boston College |
| Hudson Fasching | F | U. of Minnesota | Minnesota |
| Noah Hanifin | D | Carolina (NHL) | Boston College |
| Matt Hendricks | F | Edmonton (NHL) | St. Cloud State |
| Vinnie Hinostroza | F | Chicago (NHL) | Notre Dame |
| Keith Kinkaid | G | New Jersey (NHL) | Union |
| Dylan Larkin | F | Detroit (NHL) | Michigan |
| Jake McCabe | D | Buffalo (NHL) | Wisconsin |
| Tyler Motte | F | U. of Michigan | Michigan |
| Brock Nelson | F | NY Islanders (NHL) | North Dakota |
| Steve Santini | D | Boston College | Boston College |
| Brady Skjei | D | NY Rangers (NHL) | Minnesota |
| Frank Vatrano | F | Boston (NHL) | Massachusetts |
| David Warsofsky | D | New Jersey (NHL) | Boston University |
| Chris Wideman | D | Ottawa (NHL) | Miami |
| Miles Wood | F | Boston College | Boston College |