AROUND HOCKEY EAST: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish ended its season to the 2017 Frozen Four over the weekend, in the program's third trip to the final weekend of the college hockey season (2008, 2011). Notre Dame fell to the number one overall seed and eventual national champion Denver Pioneers, 6-1, at the United Center in Chicago ... The Pioneers scored five unanswered goals to start the game before Irish rookie Cam Morrison (Aurora, Ont.) got the Irish on the score sheet at 11:24 of the third period ... The Irish became just the fourth host to play in the Frozen Four and first since 2006, when Wisconsin won the NCAA title in Milwaukee. Minnesota hosted in 2002 in St. Paul and Boston University hosted in 1972; Both teams also claimed the NCAA trophy in that year ... Notre Dame advanced through the Northeast region, topping number one seed Minnesota, 3-2, in the semifinal before squaring off with UMass Lowell in a rematch of the 2017 Hockey East semifinal, a 5-1 River Hawk win. Two goals Morrison and three assists from Anders Bjork (Mequon, Wis.) in that regional championship secured the Irish a spot in the Frozen Four. Bjork had five points in the two regional games as he scored two goals in the semifinal on March 25, including the game winner, and set up all three tallies in the final the next day. The junior forward factored in on 13 of Notre Dame's 23 game-winning goals on the year ... Boston University freshman Clayton Keller (Swansea, Ill.) was honored as the National Rookie of the Year on Friday and was awarded the Tim Taylor Award during a ceremony coinciding with the Hobey Baker announcement ... Northeastern's Zach Aston-Reese (Staten Island, N.Y.) was honored as a Hobey Hat Trick Finalist as one of the top three collegiate hockey players over the 2016-17 season. Other finalists included Union's Mike Vecchione and winner Will Butcher of Denver ... Several Hockey East players will be honored at Tuesday night's annual New England Hockey Writer's awards dinner, including Aston- Reese as the winner of the Leonard Fowle (MVP) and Herb Gallagher (Best Forward) Awards, Keller as the George C. Carens Award winner (Rookie of the Year), New Hampshire's Jason Salvaggio (Hanson, Mass.) as the Paul Hines Award winner (Most Improved), Boston College's Austin Cangelosi (Estero, Fla.) as the Frank Jones Award winner (Best Defensive Forward), Merrimack's Hampus Gustafsson (Ljungby, Sweden) as the Joe Tomasello Award winner (Unsung Hero), and Joe Gambardella (Staten Island, N.Y.) as the Walter Brown Award winner (Best Player).