mark estapa

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

What just happened (TL;DR): LOL. I can’t even. Michigan dominated 47 minutes of the game, holding a 4-1 lead. They then proceeded to give up 3 straight goals, score another at the end to take the lead, and finally cede one last time in the dying minutes to head to overtime. Seamus Casey opened and closed the scoring, garnering two goals and an assist on the evening. Gavin Brindley had two goals and two assists. Noah West had two of the best periods of his life, followed by one of the worst. In the end, Michigan wins in overtime a game they should have won (and maybe lost?) in regulation. I guess that’s progress?

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

Forward Notes.

-After looking lifeless at even strength on Friday night, Michigan came out on fire and dominated the first period, followed by most of the rest of the game. They pressed Minnesota from the drop, then back-checked well after obtaining a lead, and even added on in the third AND fought back to take the lead late. The Wolverines scored four even strength goals in different ways and pressured both Minnesota goalies all night.

-Gavin Brindley played with Dylan Duke and Rutger McGroarty. Brindley finished off a 3v3 rush after two deft passes from Dylan and Rutger to double Michigan’s lead early. He also scissored with Seamus Casey, popping out the opposite side, and firing a shot inside the far post from the slot. That was such a timely goal, as Michigan had given up a goal early in the third and the Gophers were building momentum and chances. Michigan needed a response from a star, and Gavin Brindley answered the call.

-Rutger McGroarty had himself quite a two minute stretch at the end of the third period. He grabbed a rebound off of a great shot by Jacob Truscott and lifted it over a down Nathan Airey to give Michigan a 5-4 lead with just 1:39 to go. Then, he fell asleep in the slot, allowing Luke Mittelstadt to sneak behind him for the second game-tying goal, robbing Michigan of a much needed regulation win. That has got to be the most extreme swing of emotion for one player in that short of a timespan all season. Rutger has been great for Michigan all year. That two minute stretch pretty much exemplifies the ride this season has been.

-TJ Hughes took maybe the silliest penalty all year for the Wolverines. Up 3-0 in the middle of the second period with the Gophers and their fans having zero life or jump, he cross-checked a guy from behind into the boards, earning himself an early trip to the showers and his team the only (seemingly, ha) way Minnesota was going to get back in the game…a major power play. Luckily, his teammates stepped up and bailed him out, but the question does wonder how the third plays out if Michigan has the services of one of their top two centers. That is just the situational awareness that the team in general has lacked. Regardless of if that play should have been a penalty, it was completely unnecessary.

-Mark Estapa has quietly been having himself an improved season. He got on the scoreboard, thanks to a goofy decision by normally sound Minnesota goal Justen Close. Close came out to play the puck and fired it straight to Kienan Draper. Draper sent the puck into the crease and Mark Estapa tallied, giving Michigan an not so insurmountable 3-0 lead.

Defense Notes.

-Honestly, Michigan’s defense was really, really good all night. They only allowed five shots on goal in the first period, just seventeen through two periods, and could not really be primarily faulted with any of the five (!) goals. Obviously, there are always things that could have been done better or plays anyone would want back, but Michigan pretty much kept their House and zone clean. While the third period got out of hand, this may have been the first time that I wasn’t complaining about really any defenseman’s play consistently.

-In 2010, Bryan Hogan got hurt in net, as Michigan season was falling apart around them. Walk-on Shawn Hunwick entered the net. Michigan’s team basically had a Come to Jesus moment, saying “EVERYONE…is defending HARD, tonight.” And…they did. They shut down Notre Dame, and won the game…followed by many more that season to preserve the Tournament Streak by winning the CCHA Tournament and even an NCAA Tournament game. It sorta felt like that tonight. Michigan’s skaters knew their starter was not available, and after last night’s lackluster performance, everyone to a man needed to up the ante and get the team to the finish line. And weirdly, even after checking the final scoreboard, they did…sans one forward on one play at the end of the game.

-Seamus Casey is ALIVE! After scoring in 22 of Michigan’s first 25 game, Casey has registered one point (a meaningless secondary assist) in his last eight games…until Saturday night. Casey looked much more like himself, skating, creating, and just pivoting away from guys, keeping the puck moving. He also hit the net twice on the power play and set up Gavin Brindley for his sweet snipe. This is the Seamus Casey Michigan will need for every game for the rest of the season.

-Jacob Truscott was very good on Saturday. Steve Holtz played fine. Luca Fantilli, Tyler Duke, and Marshall Warren all made plays and played very good defense. That is a very weird thing to say about a team that gave up five goals, but here we are!

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

Previously: Defensemen, Incoming forwards/goaltending

Last week we covered the incoming forwards, defensemen, and goalies. Today we kick off part three of the 2023-24 Michigan Hockey season preview by covering the returning forwards. Though superstar Adam Fantilli will not be found in this article, there are still plenty of players to be excited about. 

Frank Nazar III

Year: Sophomore

Height/Weight: 5-10/175 

NHL Draft Position: 13th overall, 2022 NHL Draft, Chicago

Stats: 2-5-7 in 13 games for Michigan last season

Frank Nazar III is a returning forward for Michigan in the sense that he was on the team last season. But if we're being honest, he's more a true freshman than a sophomore. Nazar missed the first four months of last season with injury before finally returning to the lineup in mid-February and playing the remainder of the season. Though he did play 13 games to get acclimated to college hockey, that was not Nazar at 100% health and it showed. But based on what we've heard this summer, Nazar may be back to full health.

Nazar showed up to the World Junior Summer Showcase in July and looked like the Frank Nazar that USA Hockey watchers were familiar with. Our contributor Peter South summed it up as the following: 

Nazar finished the tournament as the leading scorer with 5 goals and 8 points, which included four goals and one assist in a 10-1 rout of Sweden. His ability to transition from defense to offense was unparalleled by anyone from any team and resulted in numerous scoring chances in every game. His defensive play was phenomenal, as he was always the first man over the boards on a penalty kill situation and was a consistent threat looking for opportunities to create offense while shorthanded

The general consensus from those who were in the rink in Plymouth was that Nazar was arguably the best player on the ice, which sounds much more like the player that I believed in during his draft-eligible season. Nazar was awesome with the USNTDP and I was a believer that he fell far too far in the 2022 Draft, which is saying something because he was picked 13th overall. In last season's preview, still relevant after a washout freshman season, I praised Nazar's speed, stickhandling, and finishing ability: 

(Nazar) drew plenty of debate in NHL Draft circles, but no one will argue that Nazar can fly. He's fast in a straight line, but also good on his edges, fluid crossing over, and with a full range of motion and ability to change speeds ... He pairs tremendous vision, soft hands, and an above-average shot to be an explosive playmaker ... Nazar has a shot that makes him a weapon from inside the hashes, where he does a lot of his work

For those who want a reminder of what a healthy Nazar looks like: 

We didn't get to see that player at all last season, but there were the occasional glimpses. His hands were on display for this goal against MSU: 

Frank Nazar III unassisted goal, his first as a Wolverine! pic.twitter.com/XzVOn9VBjx

— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) February 12, 2023

It just didn't seem like Nazar's body was ready to do everything his brain wanted to. His trademark electrifying speed was not present and was adjusting to college hockey with a suboptimal body condition all at once. It wasn't the right situation for Nazar to succeed, which is why I wanted to spend so much time in this section reminding everyone how good he is when healthy. He's one of the five most talented players in the conference and most talented player on Michigan's team when healthy. He looked healthy in the summer and hopefully he is now. 

Season Expectations: Nazar is the team's #1 center and if healthy, should be the star of the forward group. He should be a weapon you position in the inner slot to feast on the power play and should be a tremendous transition player at 5v5. He killed penalties for Michigan after getting healthy last season and I'd expect that to continue, where his speed and skill makes him a major shorthanded weapon who places pressure on the opposition. Nazar is going to play big minutes and given the assignments, big production should follow. Point-per-game production feels like a reasonable bar for a sophomore lottery pick getting top minutes, but there is so much talent in Frank Nazar III that he could well exceed that mark. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: returners who played more than that]