PITTSBURGH — Keith Allain may be a newcomer to the Frozen Four, but he knows the media drill. Allain served as assistant coach with the Washington Capitals from 1993 to 1997 and as an assistant on the U.S. Olympic teams in 1992 and 2006. Allain was also the head coach of the U.S. National Team in the World Junior Championship in 2001, 2002 and 2011.

It’s no surprise, then, that Allain sounds experienced in the news conferences that are held daily during the tournament.

When asked after practice Friday what he’d done for fun while in Pittsburgh, Allain quipped, “We played a hockey game last night.”

As for the host city of Pittsburgh, Allain said, “It’s hilly. It’s got rivers. And it’s got some real character.”

In the mid-1990s, the Capitals frequently played the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL playoffs, giving Allain some perspective on the changes the city of Pittsburgh has gone through since then.

“It seems to be more of a booming city now than it was then,” Allain said. “It seems a little more vibrant, a little more colorful to me than it was back in the ’90s.

“And this building wasn’t here.”

When a reporter asked Allain a question about Yale’s conference rivalry with Quinnipiac, Allain echoed the reporter’s words when replying. “Obviously,” began the reporter, “it is the national championship … is the approach just like any other game?”

“Yes,” was Allain’s one-word answer, until he was prompted — among some laughter — to say more. “You said obviously,” said the coach. “I mean, yeah, it’s obvious to me, too.”

PITTSBURGH — It isn’t an official designation, but the Shepherds may have become the first family of Frozen Four officiating.

Brad Shepherd was one of the referees for Thursday’s national semifinal game between Yale and Massachusetts-Lowell, making him the third member of his family to wear the orange stripes for a Frozen Four game.

Derek Shepherd, Brad’s brother, has refereed Frozen Four games, including the 2007 title game between Michigan State and Boston College.

And their father, WCHA supervisor of officials Greg Shepherd, said he worked 10 Frozen Fours, starting in 1988.

Brad, Greg and Derek Shepherd pose before a game at Michigan Tech on Nov. 19, 2010 (photo: Jim Rosvold).

The CCHA brother duo of Matt and Mark Shegos presided over a number of Frozen Four games in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1991, Matt Shegos was the referee for the three-overtime championship game where Northern Michigan beat Boston University, while Mark worked the lines.

Brad Shepherd, meanwhile, also has been the referee in the women’s Frozen Four, refereeing the 2003 title game where Minnesota-Duluth beat Harvard in double overtime.

PITTSBURGH — Quinnipiac met with the media Friday morning for the final time heading into Saturday’s national title game against Yale. The Bobcats are 3-0 against their closest rivals this season.

Here’s some of what they were saying:

“I think some of them read the stories and were a little shocked. They didn’t know how far we had come. But that’s OK. We’ve had building blocks all the along the way from our early Division II and Division III years … and in our early years in the MAAC. It’s been a steady progression all the way up.” — Coach Rand Pecknold on if his players knew how far the program has come.

“It couldn’t have happened at a better time for me and in such a pivotal game. But I think it’s more than just the team aspect of it being able to score in a game like that to help your team.” — Forward Jeremy Langlois on getting his 100th career point against St. Cloud State.

“I think the fact that it’s a rivalry game is irrelevant. Right now both teams are competing for a national championship, and that’s kind of what comes first. Obviously, they are our rivals but I don’t think anyone’s thinking about that. They’re thinking about winning a national championship.” — Forward Jordan Samuels-Thomas on facing Yale.

“I guess it’s just confidence. The Atlantic City weekend they didn’t seem to have a lot of confidence and they didn’t have their best weekend.” — Pecknold on what has led to Yale’s turnaround after getting shut out in both games at Boardwalk Hall.

“I’m not going to say they feed off me in particular. I think anytime someone goes out there and works had and makes a play, I think that rallies the guys. I know if I see Jeremy or [Matthew] Peca and they make a great play, I want to go out there and do the same. So guys can really around me if that’s what it takes for that night or [Eric] Hartzell or Jeremy. I think our team is so deep that anyone can have that position, and just last night it happened to be me.” — Samuels-Thomas on his goals giving a big lift to the team.

PITTSBURGH — To fans watching the game, the Frozen Four is a championship tournament that punctuates the end of the college hockey season. For the players, though, it’s more complex than that. They’re trying to win a national championship. They’re dealing with being on a media stage. They’re keenly aware that these are the last games of the season.

Yet the Yale Bulldogs remain loose and relaxed in spite of it all, a quality that was obvious when they played in the West Regional in Grand Rapids, Mich. Freshman forward Charles Orzetti said that the team understands the importance of keeping it in perspective.

“I think it starts with having a good dynamic,” Orzetti said. “We get along well and we’re playing well so we have some confidence, too. It kind of balances out. The focus and being able to enjoy our time at the rink, plus this is our last couple days of the year here, so we’re trying to enjoy every last second of it.”

Like Quinnipiac, Yale brings a sizable freshman class to the Frozen Four, a tournament than can easily overwhelm more veteran guys. Orzetti said that he and his classmates appreciate the opportunity.

“A lot of people are saying, ‘Soak it up,’ because of how rare this is, that it doesn’t come along,” Orzetti said. “I feel lucky as a freshman. A lot of guys go through their four years of college hockey without even making the tournament. As freshmen, the eight of us have already made it to the Frozen Four.”

It’s not by accident that in recent years, the Frozen Four has seen many of the same teams as participants. This year is an exception to that, of course, but a trip to this tournament can change the course of team’s future and the Yale freshmen know that.

“A lot of us have been able to contribute,” Orzetti said. “We’ve all played in some capacity this year. The ice time is going to help us down the road in terms of experience.

“We’re happy to be part of this experience and hopefully we can finish up on Saturday and in the next three years take that forward and keep a winning tradition.”

PITTSBURGH — The phrase “perfect storm” has been used by Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold and several of his players to describe the situation leading up to the program’s first appearance in the national championship game Saturday night.

It’s a fair description. The Bobcats have a veteran defense that has come together at the right time, a breakout year from senior goalie Eric Hartzell, productive newcomers and improvements from underclassman such as Danny Federico and Bryce Van Brabant.

But there was a very real possibility that some of the components of Quinnipiac’s success this year — namely the head coach and their top line — could have left in the offseason.

Pecknold was reported to have looked at Massachusetts’ open coaching spot last summer, but wound up staying in Hamden. And there was some worry that the Bobcats’ top line of Matthew Peca and Connor and Kellen Jones might leave early for the pros.

“I think there are a lot of things in college hockey that head coaches need to be good at,” Pecknold said. “Recruiting is probably the main thing. … I would say retention might be, too. The way the NHL is set up right now with the CBA and everything, if those kids don’t like their coach, they don’t like the school, if you don’t win, it’s really easy to turn pro quickly.”

Fortunately for Quinnipiac, that wasn’t the case. Peca was a seventh-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2011, while Kellen Jones was taken in the same round by Edmonton in 2010. His twin brother Connor is a free agent. All three opted to stay.

“Tampa decides hey, Matthew Peca is ready, and we feel he’s a got a great opportunity, I’ll drive him to the airport,” Pecknold said. “But I think Tampa’s been good. They’re patient, they know he needs to get bigger and stronger, and I’m hoping we get one more year out of him. We’re doing a great job of developing these kids. So the bigger worry is with the free agents. They can go anywhere they want.”

Quinnipiac has never lost a player early to the pros, something Pecknold said other schools have tried to use against the program.

“It’s funny, we had a recruiting battle last year when two schools actually used that against us,” Pecknold said. “They’re like, ‘Quinnipiac doesn’t have kids sign early. You can come here and leave in two years.’ And I turn it around and I’m like, ‘Why don’t they leave?’ And we actually won the battle on those kids. And that’s something that we’re proud of.

“You definitely can’t cater to them, because you’re not going to make them a better hockey player,” Pecknold said. “But you need to be professional, run a good program, and your chances of them staying is much higher.”

PITTSBURGH — We caught up with Quinnipiac defenseman Loren Barron and forward Clay Harvey before their team’s practice Friday to talk about recovering from the win over St. Cloud State and getting ready for Saturday’s Frozen Four championship game against Yale.

PITTSBURGH — We caught up with Yale forwards Stu Wilson and Trent Ruffolo after their practice Friday at Consol Energy Center to talk about playing Quinnipiac in Saturday’s Frozen Four championship game.

Good morning, hockey fans! What a crazy first day of Frozen Four action. We saw two teams less than 10 miles apart advance to the national championship. We promise to keep Quinnipiac out of this as much as possible, but we must make note of the mayhem at QU’s Mount Carmel and York Hill campus, where police had to disperse large crowds after the 4-1 win.

We, on the other hand, are safe and sound in the Steel City prepping for Frozen Friday. Friday is a unique day for fans as they attempt to control the excitement of Saturday by chalking their schedules full of activities. Today, fans grab autographs from Yale and Quinnipiac and, thanks to some great scheduling, can cap off the day with a Pittsburgh Pirates game at PNC Park. It is also important to note that it is free T-shirt Friday at the Pirates game. What the organization was thinking with that A.J. Burnett shirt, I will never know.

Finally, today is a great day to try out the local Pittsburgh eateries. We’ve been told by everyone and their mothers that the Primanti Brothers is a must, so we’ll let you know if the talk of the town is as good as it sounds.

It’s Frozen Friday and the eve of the national championship, but more importantly it is “Free T-shirt Friday.”

How many of you had Quinnipiac and Yale in the national championship game at the start of the season? At the start of the tournament?

At the start of Thursday?

Saturday’s matchup — unexpected by casual fans and experts alike — is notable for a few reasons:

• The last time two ECAC teams faced each other for the NCAA championship was in 1978. Boston University beat Boston College, 5-3, before both teams departed to Hockey East in the 1984-85 season. You have to go all the way back to 1970 to find two current ECAC members in the title game: Cornell beat Clarkson, 6-4, to cap a perfect 29-0 campaign.

• This will be the first national championship for an ECAC team since Harvard in 1989.

• Connecticut becomes the fourth state to be the home of both teams in the championship, joining Michigan, Massachusetts and New York (and not Minnesota or Colorado.)

• The Bobcats have a 3-0 record against the Bulldogs this season, Feb. 2, 6-2; Feb. 22, 4-1; and March 23, 3-0.

“You can throw the 3-and-0 out the window,” said Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold after Saturday’s game.

• “It’s hard to beat a team four times in a row,” said ESPN’s Barry Melrose about Quinnipiac’s prospects against Yale. The current streak is actually five for the Bobcats, going back to last season. Quinnipiac has a 10-5-2 record against Yale all-time.

• Quinnipiac had not won a Division I NCAA game until this year’s tournament. Yale has 27 NCAA national championships: two in women’s fencing, four in men’s swimming and diving, and 21 in men’s golf.

We’ll have more on the championship game coming on Friday at USCHO.com, including highlights from Friday practices and news conferences.

PITTSBURGH — Quinnipiac players Loren Barron, Kellen Jones, Connor Jones and Ben Arnt talk after a 4-1 victory over St. Cloud State in the Frozen Four semifinals Thursday: