matthew knies

ESSENTIALS

WHAT	#1 Minnesota vs #4 Michigan
WHERE	3M Arena at Mariucci  Minneapolis, MN
WHEN	Saturday, 8:00 PM EST
KRACH Prob.	Minnesota (61.3%)
TELEVISION	BTN

PROGRAMMING NOTE: As hinted at on the HockeyCast this week, we will be doing a WATCH-ALONG on Saturday night for the game being previewed in this article. It will be me, David, and Brian watching the Michigan-Minnesota clash on the MGoBlog Live YouTube channel. If you want to follow along, feel free to join us! We are planning to go live at 8:00 PM EST when the game gets underway and will post the link to the site and tweet it out beforehand. 

OVERVIEW

Let's do it again: for the second straight year, Michigan meets Minnesota in Minneapolis to decide the Big Ten Hockey Tournament championship. Last season the Wolverines were the better team but did not have home ice due to a late lull in B1G play. They went into the Twin Cities and asserted themselves as the better team, scoring four goals in the first half of the game to take a commanding lead into the final minute, allowing a pair of late goals with the net empty but never seriously threatening to blow the lead. This season it's a bit different, even if the final destination is the same. Minnesota's been the better, more experienced team all year long, but Saturday night is one game for glory. The trajectory of the season need not matter. 

THE US

Michigan manhandled arch-nemesis Ohio State last Saturday in the semifinals of this tournament, building a 3-0 lead within the first eleven minutes and then going in cruise control the rest of the way. Adam Fantilli added two more goals, showcasing himself as the best player in NCAA Hockey, and it was a banner day for Michigan's defense, both in preventing chances at 5v5 but also in driving offense forward. Seamus Casey scored a goal, Keaton Pehrson created another with a great pass for a tap-in, and Luke Hughes was effective at creating offense in transition all game long. The only rough spot in that game was a leaky PK that let the Buckeyes go 2/3 with the man advantage (and allowed a 6v5 goal late). 

For Michigan, the stakes are pretty obvious. Not just do you get a championship ring and a B1G Tournament banner to hoist in Yost, but the Wolverines will also lock up a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a win (likely the 4th one seed, which would set Michigan up for a trip to Manchester, NH). 

[Marc-Gregor Campredon]

THE THEM 

If you remember the feeling we felt when Owen Power, Kent Johnson, Thomas Bordeleau, and Matty Beniers all decided to come back for the 2021-22 season... that's the feeling that Gophers fans have had all year long. After making the Frozen Four but coming up short against Minnesota State last season, nearly the whole team agreed to run it back rather than sign professional contracts, and they've been joined by a crop of uber-talented freshmen. This loaded Minnesota roster is no question the best in college hockey, a talent level only topped by Michigan but blending experience and veteran poise that Brandon Naurato's inaugural team lacks. 

With that roster, Minnesota has been dominant wire to wire. They've been a little more vulnerable in the non-conference, splitting with Minnesota State, North Dakota, Arizona State, and St. Cloud, but have steamrolled their way through the best B1G in conference history. In conference play, Minnesota went 17-3 in regulation and 19-4-1 overall. They won the conference regular season title by a mile, finishing 19 points up on second place Michigan. After losing in regulation to Penn State on November 10, they would not lose in regulation again until a shocking defeat in Madison at the hands of the Badgers on February 11. Even late in the season, with nothing to play for in the B1G, they swept Penn State and Ohio State, two top ten teams. Given the #1 seed in the BTT and a bye into round two, they easily dispatched Michigan State last weekend in the semifinals 5-1. 

Minnesota's team revolves around their deep and experienced defense corps. Their top four defensemen in scoring are all juniors or seniors, including 2019 first round pick Ryan Johnson (BUF) and 2019 second round pick Jackson LaCombe (ANA), as well as 2020 second round pick Brock Faber (LAK). When you toss in 2019 fifth rounder Mike Koster (TOR), you have a top four that has played a lot of college hockey and who have legitimate NHL ambition, a rarity in the NCAA. Those four are the players who the team will lean on in crunch time, but freshman Ryan Chesley (WSH) was a top 40 draft pick in the most recent draft himself. Not too shabby!

[AFTER THE JUMP: More preview]