CLICK HERE for Game Recap from Kristy McNeil and other pertinent information and HERE for current Pairwise Rankings.

What just happened (TL;DR): Michigan just bounced Michigan State in their first ever NCAA Tournament meeting, sealing the Wolverines THIRD STRAIGHT Frozen Four appearance. After an unlucky bounce in an evenly played first period, Ethan Edwards tied the game at one via an odd man rush in the second. Heading into the third period, all tied at one, Michigan re-upped their best third period of the season by beating Trey Augustine FOUR times in the final 14 minutes. Dylan Duke earned Most Outstanding Player of the Regional on the back of his game-winning and game-sealing goals to go with his earlier assist. Jake Barczewski was also absolutely nails once again. Oh, and Frank Nazar had the Assist of the Year. See below!

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

	Total Attempts	Even Strength	Power Play	Close (within 1)	Even Strength %
Michigan State	68	56	12	46	58%
Michigan	56	41	15	35	42%

Forward Notes.

-Michigan and Michigan State played a very even game through two periods with Michigan probably getting more dangerous chances overall. Michigan would get some looks with their top six, but Trey Augustine was there pretty much every time. Finally, the Wolverines started finished their chances in the third period. This is where it felt like Michigan just had better scorers and finishers. While State has depth and attacks in waves, it was once again Michigan’s individual efforts that sent them to St. Paul.

-Dylan Duke had himself a weekend. After tallying twice against North Dakota, Dylan added a couple more goals on Sunday night. He gave Michigan the lead on a phenomenal individual play flying down the boards, swooping above the crease, and beating Augustine to the far post. He later added to it with a power play deflection that put the cherry on top of the sundae for the Wolverines. He’s really starting to have a flair for the dramatic getting some really clutch goals in the career in Maize and Blue.

-Speaking of flair, Frank Nazar lead a 2v1 rush into the Spartan end, pulled the puck back between his legs, and hit Gavin Brindley on the tape to double Michigan’s lead to 4-2 with 7:06 to go in the game. Words do not do this pass justice. Go find it on Twitter (@Nastyisland, I posted it). I’ve seen goals scored this way (hello Kent Johnson and Brendan Brisson), but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an assist like that. He also had a double dangle going through two Spartans, but his chance was fired wide of Augustine in the second period.

-Gavin Brindley finished Nazar’s ridiculous pass and assisted on Dylan Duke’s tip. Brindley has had his lines jumbled, played up top on the power play, and was given a phantom penalty early in the game. It was a weird weekend for him, I thought. Regardless, he forechecked well and wreaked havoc in both games.

-Philippe Lapointe was having a nice game until he took maybe the worst penalty of the season. He was called for boarding in the offensive zone with 10:35 left in the game. That just cannot happen. He’s a fourth year player, wearing a letter. His team is up a goal, half a period from the Frozen Four. The PK breaks down, and MSU pulls even. Thankfully, his teammates bailed him out and scored three more times. If not, it could have been a long trip back to Ann Arbor.

Defense Notes.

-Seamus Casey was scratched for the biggest game of the season. That just sucks so bad for him. On the ice, though, Michigan did actually manage very well. The biggest thing is losing what he bring is a major loss. It also spreads around minutes and responsibilities. Steve Holtz and Luca Fantilli both had to take on more. For the second game in a row, they both did very well. Over the course of the season, they have been points of concern on Michigan’s blue line. They were not against North Dakota, and each backed up that performance with another solid one against Michigan State. Major props to each of them.

-With no Seamus Casey, Ethan Edwards put in a very Casey-esque performance. Another blueliner who has been up and down this season was very up again. He finished the 3v2 rush by getting into the slot and burying his chance, tying the game. Edwards also sprung Nazar on his 2v1 and eventual insane pass. Ethan was credited with an assist on Duke’s final goal of the evening, as well. That’s a 1-2-3. If you really squint, maybe you can kinda see 26 instead of 73.

-Marshall Warren might have been the best defenseman on the ice for the Wolverines…again. He’s really starting to stack games. Without Casey, he was another Wolverine that was going to be relied upon for more. Marshall was solid in his own zone, skating well, and moving the puck. He also used his size and thickness well again. It was very apropos for Jacob Truscott to find him for his goal, breaking the 1-1 deadlock with a tally from inside the dot. They’d struggled together throughout the season at times, but on a Sunday night outside of St. Louis, they combined for a crucial goal.

 

 

 

Tickets! Tickets please! (Vince Coughlin)

SPECIAL TEAMS CHART

	PP Opportunities	PP Corsi For	PP Shots/Minute
Michigan State	2/3	12	1.8 (9/5)
Michigan	1/5	15	1.9 (15/8)

Power Play. Missing Seamus Casey was going to be big all game, but it was the most obvious on the power play. Michigan was still very dangerous, almost averaging two shots per minute. They created a number of good looks, but just could not beat Trey Augustine. The thing that Casey does so well it move guys and hit tape with his passes. Michigan tried Jacob Truscott, Ethan Edwards, and even Gavin Brindley up top at different times. It was okay, but Seamus Casey is a maestro. If he’s running this unit, I wouldn’t be surprised if Michigan had at least one more. Dylan Duke finally beat Augustine on a deflection from a Gavin Brindley shot from the point. That was the icing on the cake, giving Michigan a three goal lead with 2:19 to go.

Penalty Kill. Normally super reliable, Michigan’s penalty kill had a rough go on Sunday night. They were having a very nice kill until Matt Basgall let a shot go from straightaway that Gavin O’Connell redirects downward with his stick just at crossbar height. It looked like Dylan Duke probably should have been tying him up instead of eyeing the guy way out by the boards. Still a redirect like that is hard to execute even with no one around. Unlucky in the end. Michigan’s second kill was much better thanks to Jake Barczewski’s outstanding saves. On the third MSU power play, Michigan was again en route to a solid kill when Mark Estapa left Joey Larson alone in the slot, making it all four Wolverines along the boards. Larson had time and space to even the game at two. All in all, one bad play, one unlucky bounce, and a number of good Barzo saves.

 

Look who’s heading to St. Paul (Vince Coughlin)

GOALTENDING CHART

	Michigan Shots Faced (House)	Michigan State Shots Faced (House)
First Period	11	13
Second Period	11	11
Third Period	18	11
Overtime	n/a	n/a
TOTAL	39	35

Notes. Jake Barczewski started in net to no one’s surprise. He was outstanding, once again, being named the All-Regional Goalie. After a rough few weeks, Barzo showed up massively playing in his own backyard. Jake saved 37 of 39 shots, including a number of tough scramble chances in front, down the stretch. While his defense was very sound around him, Barczewski cleaned up everything in front on him. It’s tough to ding him for either goal: an unlucky deflection right at the cross bar, and an open shooter in the slot that the PK just abandoned. All weekend, he saved 62 of 67 shots for a pretty nice .925. The hill gets tougher with the BC First Rounders up next, but right now, the former Golden Griffin is flying high.

ODD MAN RUSH CHART

Defense	Rushes	Advs	Escape%	Offense	Rushes	Advs	Scoring%
1st Period	n/a	n/a	n/a		n/a	n/a	n/a
2nd Period	1	3v2	100%		2	1v0, 3v2	50%
3rd Period	n/a	n/a	n/a		2	2v1 x2	50%
OT	n/a	n/a	n/a		n/a	n/a	n/a
Total	1	3v2	100%		4	1v0, 2v1 x2, 3v2	50%

Notes. Michigan gave up their only OMR of the Regional on a 3v2 chance in the second period. That shot whistled wide of the net. That’s it. Against MSU and North Dakota…one. One chance in transition. Wow. This was a bugaboo once upon a time. Not anymore!

On the other hand, the Wolverines diced through the Spartans forecheck and neutral zone with aplomb, scoring twice in four opportunities. Michigan tied the game at one on a 3v2, in which Dylan Duke gained the zone, and hit a wide open Ethan Edwards in the slot. Edwards coolly finished the chance. Up 3-2, on an adrenaline 2v1 rush, Frank Nazar made a BETWEEN THE LEGS pass across to Gavin Brindley who beat Trey Augustine cleanly inside the dot. While that might not have been the Goal of the Season, it was the Assist of the Season. Yikes. Michigan tore up the Spartans in transition in their first meetings, but have not had as much success doing so in their last few games. Sunday night in Maryland Heights was a different story, though. Wowza.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

So much for Team of Destiny. Michigan overcame a poor late penalty and power play goal to beat their 2024 nemesis and go to their third straight Frozen Four for the first time since ‘01-‘03. I’ll tell you what. It doesn’t get a whole lot sweeter than going through North Dakota and Michigan State. Sure, they play the BC Super Eagles in the semi-final, but they now haven’t lost in the ice in their last eight Regional games. Winning tournament games is awesome. Michigan is going to St. Paul. Michigan State is going home. Things are fun. Next up: Boston College at 8:30pm on Thursday April 11th on ESPN2.