The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1518781
MAY 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 37 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE M ichigan knocked off No. 2-seeded North Dakota and top-seeded Michigan State in the NCAA regional semifinal and final, earning the pro- gram's nation-leading 28th Frozen Four appearance. It's the Wolverines' third straight trip and second in a row under head coach Brandon Naurato, who was an assistant coach in 2022 and interim head coach a year ago until his promo- tion as full-time head man on the eve of the 2023 national semifinal game. This year, Michigan will take on top-ranked Boston College April 11 in Saint Paul, Minn., seeking its first national cham- pionship since 1998. "We're extremely fortunate," Naurato said. "It's really, really hard to do. I've been blessed since I've been here to do it three out of three years, and it's not always about having the best team. It's getting some bounces, a little bit of luck and then earning your opportunities." After splitting a weekend series at Penn State in mid-February, Michigan's record stood at 15-13-2 — squarely on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. But the Wolver- ines went on an 8-1-1 tear, qualifying for the postseason and then winning two games to advance to Saint Paul. "We've always been a good team," Naurato insisted. "The record wouldn't indicate that with the injuries and then not getting things done in the third pe- riod, whether you're up or down a goal. And it's just the belief in there and how close they are, that they believe they can do it and now they feel like there's no way it doesn't happen." Senior defenseman and team captain Jacob Truscott has been a constant, bring- ing the same positive energy all season long. The team just happens to be winning now, he said. Junior defenseman Ethan Edwards said the confidence of the bunch has always been there, but it's on another level now that the wins have followed. "Execution has been at the next level, and that builds into our confidence now," Edwards explained. "We're a super con- fident group going into the Frozen Four." Michigan also has Frozen Four expe- rience, with four players that saw the ice in last season's semifinal setback to eventual champion Quinnipiac and oth- ers that were on the team. Those that weren't have heard the stories and are learning from the ones that were. "That first period is huge in that first game, and with all the experience we have here, the guys have been here and know what to expect in that first pe- riod right off the get-go," Truscott ex- plained. "I think guys will be calmer and know what to expect." MAGIC FROM DUKE, NAZAR FUELS MICHIGAN'S RUN Junior forward Dylan Duke could barely shoot a puck heading into the 5-2 win over Michigan State to clinch the Frozen Four. He banged up his hand in the victory over North Dakota but battled through the weekend. "He's just a warrior," Naurato said of the 2021 Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick. Leave it to "Duker" to score Michi- gan's game-winner to go up 3-2 and fifth goal against the Spartans. He was also responsible for putting the Maize and Blue up 4-2 in the third period of the 4-3 win over North Dakota two days earlier. Duke enters the semifinals with 26 goals and 23 assists on the season. "Any time he's on the ice, you know he's going to make something happen and make a play and frustrate the other team," Truscott said. Sophomore forward Gavin Brindley scored Michigan's fourth goal versus the Spartans, but Frank Nazar III garnered the headlines for his ridiculous pass on the as- sist. The sophomore forward and Chicago Blackhawks' draft pick drove in on the left side of the ice, before pulling the puck backward in between his legs and saucing it over to Brindley, who finished the goal just 12 seconds after Duke put U-M on top. "He's a game-breaker, and it was the right play, too," Naurato said. "It wasn't a fancy move. The lane wasn't there on his backhand, and for him to do that on that stage is … we see it all the time, but it's super impressive." "I wasn't really like, 'Oh my gosh, I made this pass,' it was like, 'We're about to win the game,'" Nazar said of his reaction. ❏ ❱ MICHIGAN HOCKEY Wolverines On A Roll, Heading To Frozen Four Grad transfer defenseman Marshall Warren and the Wolverines punched their ticket to their third straight Frozen Four. U-M will face Boston College — the team Warren previously captained — in the national semifinals on April 11. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY NCAA FROZEN FOUR Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minn. Semifinals • Thursday, April 11 5 p.m. No. 2 Boston University vs. No. 3 Denver ESPN2 8:30 p.m. No. 1 Boston College vs. Michigan ESPN2 Championship • Saturday, April 13 6 p.m. TBD ESPN2