Frozen Four outlook: Who is the X-factor for each team this week in St. Paul?

While Denver, Boston University, Michigan and Boston College all bring star power to the Frozen Four in St. Paul, it’s depth and those who do the dirty work on the ice that often decide which team takes home the trophy. A look at which player might be the X factor for their team:

The freshman second-line right winger ranks seventh on the team with 32 points on 20 goals and 12 assists. Matikka, a Helsinki native, has heated up in the postseason with two goals against St. Cloud State in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals, one against Nebraska Omaha in the NCHC final and one against Cornell in the Springfield Regional final. He’s a 2022 third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes.

The fourth-line center, a fifth-year senior from Montreal, has 10 goals and seven assists this season and scored in both the Sioux Falls Regional semifinal win over Rochester Institute of Technology and in the final against the Gophers. The alternate captain has a championship pedigree, helping the Sioux Falls Stampede win the USHL’s Clark Cup championship in 2019. Stevens also had two 50-point seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s.

On a team with seven players with 30 or more points, Warren has flown under the radar. The graduate transfer from Boston College and former captain for the Eagles has four goals and 14 assists this season and scored against Michigan State in both the Big Ten tournament final and in the NCAA Maryland Heights Regional final. The Wild selected Warren in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL draft but did not sign him, making him a free agent.

A graduate transfer from Cornell, Malone centers the Eagles third line and has 12 goals and 13 assists this season. His most recent goal was a big one, as he scored 3:07 into overtime to give Boston College a 5-4 win over Quinnipiac in the Providence Regional final. A sixth-round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 2019, Malone had 18 goals and 27 assists in three seasons at Cornell.