Michigan’s Seamus Casey, Gavin Brindley Return To Florida For Frozen Four

There might be just a few hundred members of the family, family members, pals and pals of pals within the stands at Amalie Area cheering on Seamus Casey and Gavin Brindley on the Frozen 4, which will get underway Thursday night.

Shut pals since they have been 5, the Michigan freshmen grew up about two hours south of Tampa the place they skated and competed at a rink in Estero. There are the one Floridians within the Frozen 4. As such, they discover it surreal that they’re again within the Sunshine State, and within the house of the Tampa Bay Lightning, with an opportunity to win a nationwide championship.

“It means all the pieces,” mentioned Casey, following the Wolverines’ follow Wednesday afternoon. “Simply being again right here and all of the household and pals which might be going to be right here for help. Gavin and I have been skating round on the finish of follow it was type of like, ‘Dude, we will level just about anyplace within the crowd and discover any person we all know. It’s fairly particular.”

Tampa beforehand hosted the Frozen 4 in 2012 when Boston School defeated Ferris State to win the nationwide title, and in 2016 when North Dakota was topped champion after besting Quinnipiac, who the Wolverines meet in Thursday night’s semifinal. This yr makes it a hat trick of kinds with the town internet hosting the occasion for a 3rd time, the one instances the Frozen 4 has been performed within the south.

“It is fairly thrilling,” mentioned Brindley. “It does not occur too usually the place you get to play in a Frozen 4 in your house state, particularly Florida. Positively excited to be again and may’t wait to play (Thursday).”

A win over Quinnipiac would ship the Wolverines to Saturday night’s championship sport in opposition to the winner between Boston College and Minnesota, who face off in Thursday’s first seminal matchup. (The Wolverines even have a Tampa connection in ahead Dylan Duke, who the Lightning chosen within the fourth spherical of the 2021 NHL draft.)

“Coming right here and respiratory on this Florida air has been very nice, and it’s a stupendous rink,” added Brindley, a ahead who has performed in all of Massive Blue’s 40 video games and has 12 objectives and 26 assists. “I’ve seen a ton of video games right here rising up. It is superior to be again and we’re jacked up.”

It by no means took a lot for Casey, a second-round number of the Devils in 2022, to get jacked up when it got here to the Lightning. His allegiance was set in stone as a youth when his father purchased him a sure jersey.

“The primary jersey I ever had was a Stamkos jersey,” he mentioned, of Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. “He was at all times one in every of my favourite gamers rising up.”

Brindley likes the Lightning as effectively. Nonetheless, his allegiance is unfold round a bit due to the title that was on the again of his first jersey.

“I at all times rooted for the Lightning and Panthers rising up,” he mentioned of the Florida Panthers, about two hours east of Estero in Dawn. “My favourite participant rising up was Sidney Crosby. His was the primary jersey I had. So, I am a giant Penguins fan. However I at all times pull for the Florida groups and hopefully they go deep so we will go see some playoff video games towards the tip of the yr.”

Casey, a defenseman with seven objectives and 21 assists in 36 video games, and Brindley lived in the identical neighborhood and performed on the identical youth groups with the AA Florida Everblades and AAA Florida Alliance journey staff amongst them.

Florida Alliance was coached by Brindley’s father, Ryan, a Thunder Bay, Ontario native who was a three-time all-star for the East Coast Hockey League’s Florida Everblades, which performs in Estero. Florida Alliance was the state’s solely journey staff, which made for a singular scenario.

“It is fairly powerful with all the blokes from everywhere in the state,” mentioned Brindley, who’s eligible for this yr’s NHL draft. “We had a pair youngsters from outdoors the state as effectively coming to play. So, we did not follow collectively throughout the week. We might solely follow collectively on the weekends and also you prepare in your individual rink throughout the week, domestically, and type of work by yourself abilities.”

Weekends have been additionally when Florida Alliance traveled to tournaments within the U.S. and Canada. They made it work.

Journey is one thing Casey and Brindley did fairly a little bit of as their teenage years went alongside, together with taking part in on the worldwide stage. They competed for Group USA within the Winter Youth Olympic Video games in Switzerland in 2020, the Underneath-18 5 Nations match in 2021, which was additionally in Switzerland. The most effective pals additionally wore the purple, white and blue in Germany on the 2022 Worldwide Ice Hockey Federation Underneath-18 World Championships.

“To see these nations collectively was type of particular,” mentioned Casey. “We hadn’t performed collectively for a few yr at one level and we received again collectively for these tournaments. It was a lot enjoyable. They have been undoubtedly rising experiences, touring the world collectively.”

Roommates in Ann Arbor, the 2 take pleasure in getting, or at the least making an attempt to get, beneath one another’s pores and skin.

“Oh, yeah,” mentioned Casey, grinning from ear to ear. “On the ice (at follow Wednesday) we have been going in opposition to one another and attempting to piss one another off. We room collectively at Michigan, so we’re at all times with one another. We wouldn’t have it some other approach, however we’re undoubtedly at all times at one another’s throats.”

They could additionally hoist a nationwide championship trophy collectively of their house state come late Saturday night.