HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Dawn Friedmann was watching her son's hockey game in style.
"I was on the beach watching the game. I'm a Floridian, right?!" Friedmann, a St. Petersburg resident, was watching her son's team, Quinnipiac University, play in the NCAA quarterfinals.
"When they won, I just started screaming and the voice went even worse," Dawn joked during Tuesday's team arrival at Tampa International Airport. "But that goal, when they showed the instant replay- against Ohio St.- It was just unbelievable. At that point, I was like; I think I can breathe."
The Bobcats beat Ohio St. 4-1 to earn a spot in the NCAA Men's Frozen Four, the crown jewel of college hockey. So now, Dawn can watch her son play for a national championship in person.
"She had trust in the Bobcats like she should. She knew we'd be down here," TJ said with a big smile. "She just recently moved down to St. Pete. She's like, 'It's a quick trip for me. I'll definitely be there. You do your job and I'll see you there.' That's what we did."
TJ's mom won't be the only one in attendance this week. TJ's three sisters are on their way to Tampa Bay.
"One's coming from Chicago. One's coming from New York, and one's coming from Southern Missouri," Dawn added. "They're all coming to support on the Bobcats."
This is the third time Tampa Bay gets to host the Frozen Four. Tampa Bay Sports Commission Executive Director Rob Higgins said there was skepticism when Tampa won its first bid in 2012. But now, fans and media alike can't stop talking about AMALIE Arena being a perfect venue for the event.
"You gotta bring your sunscreen, your flip-flops, your shorts and be able to cheer on your team," Higgins said. "That's the best of both worlds and a truly great backdrop for what is the crown jewel of college hockey."
With the popularity of the NCAA events- all three of this week's games are sold out and the success of the Lightning, Tampa Bay continues to earn the label of "Hockey Town."
"You look at the last two decades alone. Three Stanley Cups. Three NCAA Men's Frozen Fours. This is truly incredible," Higgins added. "Again, it's an awesome, awesome week for us."
Youth hockey players, a band, and Team Tampa Bay hospitality experts welcomed all four teams at the airport. But all the players and coaches still consider this week a business trip.
"The goal coming down here is two wins and national championship," Friedmann added.
"Being in the Frozen Four now. It's unbelievable. We still have job to do," said Boston University captain Domenick Fensore. "We have two more games to win."
"All four have had terrific seasons. All four deserve to be here," said Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko, whose Gophers are the #1 seed. "So it sets up to be a terrific tournament."
Minnesota faces off with Boston on Thursday at 5 P.M. Michigan and Quinnipiac will play the second game at 8:30. The winners will play for the national championship on Saturday at 8 P.M.
