Michigan's 'Family Car' Headed to St. Paul with Pearson Behind the Wheel
3/25/2018 10:22:00 PM | Ice Hockey, Features
By Kyle Prudhomme
WORCESTER, Mass. -- When Mel Pearson accepted the University of Michigan's ice hockey head coaching position in April 2017, he inherited what he referred to as the "family car." And the GPS was set to one destination.
"As a senior, the biggest fear for our class was having this be a rebuilding year," said captain Tony Calderone. "Right from day one, Coach Pearson said we're going for it. This car is going to Minny."
Even though the program had not been among the final four teams in college hockey since 2011, legendary Wolverine coach Red Berenson left his predecessor with a vehicle in tip-top shape. It was up-to-date on the oil changes, a pristine body and had an engine still left with plenty of life. But Pearson knew the road to the Frozen Four would be bumpy at times and repairs to the vehicle would need to be made.
In Sunday's (March 25) NCAA quarterfinal matchup with Boston University -- the first tournament meeting of the hockey powers since 1997 -- Michigan found itself on a wide-open, newly paved road as it coasted toward the Northeast Regional championship with a 6-3 victory against the Terriers at the DCU Center.
"The car was in pretty darn good shape. We just needed to make a couple adjustments to that car, get it on the road, and that car was headed to St. Paul, Minnesota," Pearson said like a newly licensed 16-year-old getting the keys for the first time. "I told them there's gonna be some detours in the road. There may be a flat tire, and adversity, but we just had to navigate around that.
"We told them last night, we can see St. Paul in the near distance. Now that we're there, it's a sprint down the last few miles. I'm so proud and excited for this team."
Michigan began the contest in the driver's seat and in the carpool lane to its desired destination. Through the opening 31 minutes of play, the Wolverines dictated the pace of the game, but -- in contrast to the night before -- it was the complementary players on the dangerous "DMC" line that grasped the steering wheel.
Freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes potted the initial marker as he guided the puck through traffic and into the net from atop the zone. The sequence, initiated by classmates Michael Pastujov and Jack Becker, who pressured the Terriers on the forecheck to cause the turnover, became the first NCAA Tournament point recorded for all involved. The Maize and Blue held a slim one-goal margin in the second period, when Brendan Warren steepened the challenge for Boston University, as a bounce off the back boards found its way onto the stick of the junior, who snapped a wrister past goaltender Jake Oettinger.
Then came the first bump in the road in the quarterfinal contest. The Terriers pulled closer with under nine minutes left in the second frame when Patrick Curry opportunistically collected a rebound off the leg pad of Hayden Lavigne, then moved around the net to finish on the wraparound. In the third period, Boston leveled it at three apiece when Drew Melanson created a turnover in front of the Michigan net before guiding the puck into the only opening of the target.
The pressure began to escalate for the Wolverines as the intensity and skating speed increased for the Terriers. But three minutes after BU's equalizer, Michigan took the lead for the final time. Jake Slaker swiped an attempted clear from Boston's defensive zone, and his hustle during an elongated shift was rewarded when his shot trickled off the pads of Oettinger to find the net. The marker sparked a run of three unanswered goals for Michigan to solidify its spot in the Frozen Four and tie Boston College for the most all-time with 25 appearances.
"It was at the end of a shift, so I was kind of tired and looking for a change to get it deep," Slaker said of the goal that provided the Wolverines the lead. "I saw the puck squirt free in the slot, and I saw that their defense was out of reach of it, so I just tried to push it past them and shoot it cross-body. Coach reiterated getting pucks on net all year and good things happen. Tonight, it did."
Through 120 minutes played in the regionals in Worcester, the Wolverines never trailed as they scored the initial goal in both games. When scoring the first goal, the Wolverines owned a 15-4-2 record throughout the 2017-18 campaign. Now, after rising to consecutive victories in the regionals against opponents it had not seen this season, Michigan is scheduled to face Big Ten champion Notre Dame in the Frozen Four. The Wolverines and Fighting Irish split the four-game season series.
During the 10-day layoff before the semifinal round begins, Pearson and company know there are still kinks to work out before accelerating down the highway in search of Michigan's first national championship since 1998.
"I like the matchup. This wins the series," Pearson said. "We've had four really close games, so I think this is a toss-up -- but we're the underdog. We got to work on some things, we got to get better in some areas, and when we get on that ice in St. Paul, we have to be ready to go. It's gonna be a great game, it's a great rivalry, and I like the matchup."
Gas up the Michigan "family car." Next stop: Minnesota.
