GRAND FORKS -- The UND men's hockey team is headed back to St. Paul.
One day after winning the Western Collegiate Hockey Association championship in the Xcel Energy Center, the top-seeded Sioux found out that they'll be going back there to play fourth-seeded Western Michigan at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The other West Regional matchup will be host Minnesota, the No. 2 seed, against Boston University, the No. 3 seed.
The Sioux-Broncos game will feature two of the hottest teams in the country.
Western Michigan, which finished second in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association during the regular season, ran through the postseason tournament, beating Miami and Michigan this weekend en route to the title.
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UND is 21-5-2 since Thanksgiving, including last weekend's run to the WCHA postseason title and a third straight Broadmoor Trophy.
The Sioux (25-12-3) extended their NCAA tournament streak to 10 straight years, which is the second-longest active streak in the country, trailing only Michigan's run of 22 consecutive years.
UND has a couple of connections with Western Michigan.
The Broncos' first-year coach is former St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings coach Andy Murray. He's the father of former Sioux forward Brady Murray (2003-05).
Former Sioux forward Mike Cichy also transferred to Western Michigan after last season but is not eligible to play until next year.
The Broncos, who will move to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference with UND for the 2013-14 season, enter the NCAA tournament on a six-game unbeaten streak. They have a 21-13-6 mark for the season.
Western Michigan also was in UND's regional a season ago, but lost in double overtime to the University of Denver in the first round.
The Sioux have had plenty of success in the Xcel Energy Center, winning eight straight WCHA playoff games there. But they also have an ugly memory from last season, losing in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals to the University of Michigan in the building.
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Because UND is under NCAA sanctions, it won't be allowed to wear its Sioux jerseys at the event. UND has alternate jerseys lined up, but they have not been unveiled yet.
The Sioux are 10-2 in NCAA regional games under eighth-year coach Dave Hakstol.
The regional pairings and seedings:
St. Paul
(1) North Dakota vs. (4) Western Michigan, 12:30 p.m., Saturday
(2) Minnesota vs. (3) Boston University, 4 p.m., Saturday
Worcester
(1) Boston College vs. (4) Air Force, 3 p.m., Saturday
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(2) Minnesota-Duluth vs. (3) Maine, 6:30 p.m., Saturday
Green Bay
(1) Michigan vs. (4) Cornell, 8 p.m., Friday
(2) Ferris State vs. (3) Denver, 4:30 p.m., Friday
Bridgeport
(1) Union vs. (4) Michigan State, 2 p.m., Friday
(2) Miami vs. (3) UMass-Lowell, 5:30 p.m., Friday
